Soaking vs. Steeping

Disclaimer: I have all the respect in the world for the “read the Bible in a year” reading plans and those who tackle the challenge. That is something I have always aspired to and looked up to. This current reflection came to me at a time when many people in my life began that challenge. I, however, as much as I wanted to, did not feel called to or capable of such a feat at the time. To be perfectly honest, this led me to a place of spiritual comparison. Was I not capable of such an undertaking? Was I just not trying hard enough in my spiritual life? Was I not holy enough? In that time of questioning, however, the Lord spoke a truth into my heart. I believe that we should all make an effort to read and consume the entire, whole, complete Word of God. However, I do not think that such an exercise is for everyone at every stage of life. I also believe that this should not be the sole way in which a faithful Christian reads the Scriptures, but must always be complimented by another way.

Let me explain myself more fully.

St. Jerome once said that “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” I don’t know about you but every time I am reminded of this saying I get off my inspirational Pinterest board of quotes where the Holy Spirit subtly placed it and finally crack open the good book! We must have a solid understanding and knowledge of Scripture, and that comes through reading it. As Christians, we want Scripture to penetrate every area of our life. We want to be completely immersed in the Word of God. And to be immersed in it, we must make consistent regular consumption of Scripture a habit.

You might say we want to be soaked in it.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the verb “to soak” as:

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“to lie immersed in liquid (such as water): become saturated by or as if by immersion.”

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At first glance this might seem like the proper attitude toward reading Scripture. After all, don’t we want to be become saturated with the Word of God through full immersion? I think there is some truth here. This was how I viewed reading the Bible for many years of my life. But there is something missing. It wasn’t until recently that a different analogy was given me.

Soaking is an external reality. When a bucket of water is dumped on me by my teammates after a great game, the water only affects my external. Being soaked does not change inside me. Soaking yourself can happen pretty quickly. Similarly, being soaked can be reversed pretty quickly by using a towel. Is this really the attitude we want in our relationship with Scripture? Is it possible that we are just immersing ourselves in too many chapters, skimming through large quantities without really letting it sink in? Are we sitting in Church listening to Scripture, but not internalizing anything?

Is Scripture only touching our external? Are we soaking ourselves but not letting it actually change us?

I believe there is another attitude we can have towards reading Scripture: steeping.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the verb “to steep” as:

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“to soak in a liquid at a temperature under the boiling point (as for softening, bleaching, or extracting an essence).”

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Pay particular attention to that last phrase: for extracting an essence. You don’t have to be a tea connoisseur to recognize there is something fundamentally different about steeping. When something is steeped, the very substance of the thing is changed. Steeping is irreversible. Steeping takes more time. When tea is steeped in water, the very essence of the tea is mixed with the essence of the water. The two become one, forming a new glorious creation.

Can this also be possible for us and the Word of God?

I have no doubt that the answer is yes. After all, “The Word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) Scripture has the power to change us. If given the chance, the Holy Spirit can use Scripture as a means to speak truth and life to our hearts. Scripture has the power to change our very substance by uniting itself to us. Scripture has the power to penetrate our very being, and transform us into a new and glorious creation. And maybe that means taking some time with it. Spend a reasonable amount of time with one or two verses, letting yourself digest them, and giving them the chance to penetrate into your being. Don’t be afraid to sit with something small. Again, if we believe that the Word of God is living and effective, even the smallest verse has the power to change us. We can steep ourselves in the Word.

Just a thought, just an idea. By all means, keep doing your Bible in a year if you’ve started, because you are more than halfway done! Just maybe, possibly, consider adopting the attitude of steeping over soaking. It’s changed things for me so I encourage you to give it a shot. Either way, get your nose in the good book. Maybe set up a morning routine: Bible time in the morning with a cup of coffee… or who knows, maybe you can do it while you’re steeping your tea.