Actress Patricia Heaton is leading by example with the accomplishment of reading through the Bible in a year, which she made public to her followers Sunday on her Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts.
The actress is likely best known for her roles in “The Middle” and “Everybody Loves Raymond,” but she has been in quite a few other productions, according to IMDB.
In a post titled, “A year in the making. I finally did it!” Heaton expressed that she surprised herself at the accomplishment of reading through the Bible in a year in her video.
“Hey everybody! So, Sunday, Dec. 18 … a year ago today, I decided I would finally, for the first time in my life, read the Bible all the way through. And I got this plan from the Gospel Coalition, and I finished it today! I can’t believe it!”
A year in the making. I finally did it! ? #scripture #bible #prayer #biblestudy #pray #VerseOfTheDay #god pic.twitter.com/4FnSgJ2q48
— Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) December 18, 2022
Holding up the two-page reading plan in front of the camera, Heaton described how it helped her keep track of the various passages for each day. The beat-up pages and coffee stain revealed how well-loved the document was as it guided her efforts.
“I had two pages that I checked off all the time, and this is the second page, and as you can see it’s hanging on by a piece, a tiny thread of paper,” she said.
Heaton’s persistence and diligence were highlighted in her willingness to check off each section of the Bible reading plan every day that she took the time to read.
She admitted that there were times when she enjoyed fresh revelation, seeing things she hadn’t noticed before, and other days that were more of a slog.
“You know, just going through it, and pushing through and feeling like, ‘I don’t even know what any of this is about.’ [That happened with] mostly Old Testament stuff,” she said.
At one point in her time of study, she said she decided to write out the names of God that she found in the Bible.
“He’s a Provider, Healer, Banner, Shepherd, Righteousness, Sovereign, The Beginning, The End, He Sees Me, Supreme Mighty One, the Most High, Good Shepherd, Physician, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty, Everlasting, Prince of Peace, Lion of Judah, El Shaddai, God Almighty,” Heaton said.
In a few moments of vulnerability and honesty, she admitted to occasions when she would miss a day or two.
“There were … times that I didn’t do it for a few days and then I had to do a big catch-up, but it was always the best to plow through every day, set that time aside, set some time aside … to meditate on it, and pray.”
She said she intends to start again in January, perhaps with a new reading plan, and hinted that she was encouraging others to do the same.
“I highly recommend it,” she said.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.