Over the course of her life, Judi Moon’s Bible reading habits have changed.
She’s probably not alone in that.
But one thing about the trend in her time in the Word that might not fit the norm is the degree to which it’s increased over the years. And that’s because the more she read, the more she saw it change her life, she said.
“As I spent more and more time with God on a consistent basis, morning and evening, it just did me so much good,” said Moon, a member of Agape International Church, a part of University Baptist Church, Huntsville. “It changed me in giving me ideas to share with people, it enriched my own life, it helped me deal with difficult times and it helped me pay attention to God.”
Habit of reading
It started back when her five children were young. While they were getting ready for school, she’d sit at a table in her bedroom, read her Bible and pray for their day. It was a habit that held for years.
But then when her first husband, David, passed away, she cocooned, she said. It stayed that way for a while.
But one day through a friend, God showed her He still had something for her life.
“So I began searching His Word to find out how He wanted me to live and who He wanted me to be,” Moon said.
And that began her life’s journey to know God and what His Word says as much as she possibly could.
These days she reads her Bible through once every four to six weeks, reading for an hour or two in the morning, an hour or two at night and any other time she has a few minutes during the day.
Difficult times
And that habit has gotten her through many a difficult time.
After David died, she married Loyd Moon, a missionary to Brazil, and moved there with him. Then she lost him to Alzheimer’s.
She walked with an adult daughter through a mental illness diagnosis.
She got a tough diagnosis of her own — nerve damage from shingles, something that debilitated her and changed her ability to live her life the way she wanted.
“But God gave me verses in those times, and I knew He was with me,” Moon said.
It’s kept her going through years of teaching English as a Second Language, leading an Alzheimer’s support group, ministering as a trained mediator and writing a book about grief that’s coming out soon.
Moon’s pastor, Gary Swafford, has known her for many years and said she is an example of a lifestyle of being immersed in God’s Word and sharing it with anyone on any occasion.
“She has saturated her life with the Word of God over and over and over again. There’s no telling how many times she has read the Bible through,” he said. “She intentionally relates to people for the purpose of following the prompting of the Holy Spirit to bring the Word of God, using it as a witness for Jesus. And she brings a word to anyone with whom she’s speaking. Because of that, she’s a blessing to many people.”
Dedicated follower of God
But not only that, Swafford said, she has become a dedicated follower of God, listening to His voice and where He leads and learning through the difficult things that have happened in her life.
“He has not spared her from challenges. I think the fact that she has faced the challenges of life while being in His Word has made her able to become a better servant of Jesus because of whatever challenge she has gone through,” Swafford said. “She’s able to just say, ‘Lord, I’m Yours.’”
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