When Bible Study Became Too Complicated

When I launched the Faith section of this blog, I sat at my keyboard completely unsure of where to begin. There were so many directions I could have taken: exploring different denominations, comparing Bible translations, navigating chronic illness, or diving deep into theology. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized the best place to start was right at the foundation: how I actually spend time in God’s Word. Because honestly, that hasn’t always been easy. This is the story of how I learned to remove the barriers that kept me from spending time with God.

The First Barrier: A Bible I Couldn’t Read #

I grew up in a nondenominational Christian home. My mom made sure my siblings and I knew we were Christians, and when we were little, she would faithfully drop us off at Sunday school. Faith was always present in our lives, but I never really built a personal, daily habit of reading the Bible for myself.

Part of the reason was purely practical. As a blind child, the only complete Bible I owned was a massive King James Version in Braille, spanning roughly forty heavy volumes. Reading Braille is naturally slower and much more physically demanding than reading print or listening to audio, and trying to untangle the archaic language only added to the struggle. Eventually, I just stopped trying very much. For years, I simply assumed that this exhausting, frustrating barrier was what reading the Bible was supposed to feel like.

Vulnerability and Finding Modern Translations #

As I got older, a deep desire grew in me to find a translation I could actually understand. I wanted direction, and I wanted to know Scripture for myself, but that season of searching left me incredibly vulnerable. At a time when I was desperately looking for answers and my mom wasn’t around as much to guide me, missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reached out. Because I was searching for spiritual clarity, their message resonated with me while I was still trying to figure out where I stood.

Looking back, I’m grateful that season taught me something important: I needed to know Scripture for myself, in a language my brain could actually process.

Ironically, it wasn’t until I began taking classes at Colorado Christian University that I discovered modern, highly readable Bible translations even existed. Through my coursework, I was introduced to modern translations like the New Living Translation (NLT), and I eventually settled on the Christian Standard Bible (CSB). Around the same time, I began using the YouVersion app. Having readable translations in an accessible digital format removed much of the physical friction of using a forty-volume Braille Bible. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t fighting the language or the format on every single page. I could focus on what the text was actually saying.

How Study Became a Project #

However, university life introduced a brand-new obstacle. CCU required us to learn how to use academic Bible study tools such as commentaries, Bible dictionaries, concordances, and cross-references. Those tools are incredibly valuable for a degree, but without realizing it, I slowly blurred the lines between two very different things: my university coursework and my personal time with God. I started treating rigid academic requirements as the baseline requirement for daily fellowship with Christ.

My quiet time slowly morphed into an exhausting, multi-step project. I told myself I had to read the passage, open multiple tools, compare cross-references, analyze translations, and document absolutely everything in my notes. On paper, it looked like a flawless, deeply disciplined spiritual routine. In reality, the sheer weight of it meant I often didn’t start at all.

Living with multiple disabilities and chronic illnesses means my energy levels change from day to day. Brain fog, executive dysfunction, fatigue, and physical pain are my daily reality, and every single extra step in a routine costs precious mental currency. Eventually, I had to admit the painful irony: the academic tools meant to help me understand Scripture had become the ultimate barriers keeping me from opening it.

Unlearning What Prayer Looks Like #

I didn’t stop valuing deeper study; I just stopped treating it as the minimum entry fee to spend time with God. I began separating the two on purpose. Today, my goal is simple consistency rather than complexity. The deeper commentaries and dictionaries are now reserved strictly for school mode or high-energy days.

But simplifying my Bible routine also forced me to confront another barrier I had to unlearn: the belief that prayer must be spoken out loud.

Because of my disabilities, speaking out loud is not always easy for me. For a long time, because I thought vocalizing my prayers was a strict rule, the physical effort required would cause me to avoid prayer entirely. I’ve had to learn that God is not blocked by a format. Prayer can be spoken, whispered, typed out on a keyboard, or held in absolute silence. This realization removed a massive weight from my chest.

Scripture reminds us that God knows our hearts and what we need before we ask Him. Realizing that helped me understand that prayer isn’t limited to spoken words. Today, some of my prayers are spoken. Others are completely silent. What matters isn’t the format. It’s that I’m bringing my heart to God.

Grace-Paced Faithful Routines #

Today, my daily routine is intentionally small and flexible, shifting dynamically with what my body and mind can handle:

• On very low-energy days: I listen to the guided scripture in the YouVersion app.
• On low-energy days: I listen to the guided scripture and do the guided prayer.
• On medium-energy days: I listen to the guided scripture, do the guided prayer, and read the day’s readings from my reading plan, currently Devotions on F.I.R.E.
• On high-energy or school days: That’s when I bring out the heavy tools, related passages, and structured academic study.

The ultimate goal of my day is no longer to complete a flawless, multi-step checklist. The goal is simply to meet with God exactly where I am today.

Closing #

Looking back, I realize this post has really been about removing barriers. First it was a Bible translation I couldn’t understand. Then it was an academic study routine that had become too complicated for everyday life. Then it was the mistaken belief that prayer only counted if I spoke it aloud. One by one, God has been teaching me to remove those barriers. I still value theology, deep study, and learning. Those things matter. But I’ve stopped believing they are prerequisites for spending time with Him. If keeping things simple is what allows me to consistently open His Word, then simple isn’t settling. It’s faithfulness.

Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. — Matthew 11:28 CSB