I think sometimes we need to be reminded of our goals. Lots of us take time at the new year to think about our personal goals, which is such a good thing. It is good to go deeper though, and think about why our goal is important and why it is a priority. A goal of spending more time in God's Word in the New Year is a great goal, and it is probably one of the best things that you can purpose to do in this new year. But, why do we do it? Why study Scripture? The goal when studying Scripture is to know God more. The goal is never about us. It isn't about time alone, or pretty journals with gorgeous handwriting gracing the pages and margins of our Bible's...the goal is more of Jesus. Often, when it comes to reading Scripture, less is more. I have talked before about the principle of eating until you are full, but in recent days I have been reminded of that again. It is easy to get caught up in feeling like we should be reading a certain number of chapters each day, or journaling six pages of in depth truths. I think sometimes that this false expectation is what causes lots of women to throw in the towel on studying Scripture. When we view Bible Reading as a chore, it is easy to let it slip in favor of doing one of the other things on our to do list. But, when we view our time in Scripture as a life giving time of needed refreshment, we run to the Word...instead of making excuses about why we have skipped a day, month, or year. Don't get me wrong...I love pretty journals, but if we lose focus of the reason we are studying God's Word, we will miss the point. The point is always about Him. So this year as you set goals, and try to make being in God's Word a commitment...remember why we study Scripture...To Know Him.