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A few years ago our family went through a crisis. After we opened our hearts and home to a foster child for seven months, Eric (who was then a year old) reunited with his biological father. We already had begun the process of adopting Eric, and were devastated when we had to let him go.
I went through a period of depression following Eric’s departure. I was angry with God for disappointing my family and me. I had truly believed it was God’s will for us to adopt the baby.
During this time, many friends quoted Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Quite frankly, I got sick of hearing that verse. It meant nothing to me in the pit of my depression and anger.
Nevertheless, God kept bringing it to my attention through well-meaning friends. Instead of feeling more and more resentful each time someone shared this passage of Scripture, I decided to spend some time thinking deeply about it. How could I connect to this passage in a rich, personal way?
I turned to a method I’ve often found helpful: to inject new life into my interaction with the Scriptures by personalizing and paraphrasing meaningful verses. When we personalize Scriptures, we see them from a new perspective, finding hope and comfort in the trials and joys of everyday life.
It’s a simple process. To select a verse to paraphrase, consider the following options:
- Has a particular verse been coming up often in your life? Perhaps it addresses an issue God wants you to consider.
- Choose a verse that often has been comforting or meaningful to you.
- Select a verse related to a particular struggle you’ve been wrestling with, such as anger, worry, pride, temptation, etc.
- If no verses come to mind, look through the lists of words in a concordance. When a particular subject grabs your attention, choose a verse related to it.
Once you’ve chosen a verse, read it slowly several times. Pay attention to the way it naturally breaks down into words and phrases. Write one word or phrase per line in a notebook, then skip two or three lines to allow room for your paraphrase.
