The best actors are those who disappear into the character they playing—think Meryl Streep or Daniel Day-Lewis. If you’re watching a movie and the main thing you see is not the character but the actor, that’s a problem. The same type of thing can be said for Bible reading plans.

The best Bible reading plans are those that disappear into the actual reading after a bit. The difference, however, between actors and reading plans is that if the actor doesn’t disappear into the character, it’s the actor’s fault; but, if the Bible reading plan doesn’t disappear into the actual Bible reading, it’s the reader’s fault.

Actors know their job is one of service. They’re there to serve the character and the overall film. Like Jesus (if I dare compare actors to Jesus) they’re not there to be serve, but to serve. The same can be said for Bible reading plans. They’re there not to be served by the readers, but to serve the readers.

We, the readers, then have a choice to make: are we going to be served by the reading plan or are we going to switch places and be servants of that which has been made to serve us?

I don’t know that anyone goes into a reading plan wanting to be it’s servant. Usually it happens slowly enough where the reader doesn’t even realize what’s happening. After a little while a Bible reader using a reading plan starts to feel anxious about getting their reading done for the day—they spend more and more time worrying about falling behind—because, after all, the plan they’re using demands their consistency. Here, the reader has switched roles with the plan they’re using.

It’s exhausting. I’ve been there more times than I’d like to admit. It made me dislike reading my Bible and then it made me upset with myself that I disliked reading the Bible. Reversing the relationship between reader and reading plan really does create a vicious circle.

So, you might ask, what should I do if that’s the situation I’m in right now?

Move forward.

It’s easy to say and less easy to do, but it doesn’t mean it’s not the right thing to do. If you find yourself in a situation with a Bible reading plan like the one described above (being mastered by the plan), there’s no sense in beating yourself up about. If you’re in it, your’re in it, and the next step is to move forward to get out of it.

Let’s say you’ve been using your reading plan for a bit, but now your several days or weeks behind. There are three options, as far as I can see, for moving forward and all three (in their unique circumstances) are helpful.

You have the option to quit the reading plan altogether.
This might be the best option for you. Perhaps you picked a plan that was too daunting for where you’re at right now. There’s nothing wrong with assessing the situation, realizing the plan you chose isn’t helping, and leaving it behind. I’ve done this before.
You have the option to skip all the readings you’ve missed and pick up where you should be.
This isn’t cheating because you aren’t (and you’re reading plan definitely isn’t) keeping score. The plan is there to serve you and it might best serve you by showing you where you should be if you were on track, so you can jump to that point and start fresh. I’ve done this before.
You have the option to take a day or two or five and read like a monster to catch up.
If you find that you’re days or weeks behind and you really don’t want to miss that reading, then it might not be a bad idea to set aside a few evenings or a weekend to do some serious reading to catch up. You won’t become a super Christian by giving a lot of time in a short period of time to Bible reading, but you may learn something about God and yourself you didn’t know before you had to read a lot of Scripture to get back on track. I’ve done this before.

In the end, Bible reading plans are servants. They’re designed to serve you so that you can grow more in love with God and his word. If you’re using one or you’re planning to use one, remember to keep the relationship between you and the plan the way it ought to be—they way it was designed to be.

You are the reader and the plan is there to serve you as you read.