The Blazing Center

I spend a lot of time reading. Not nearly as much as some of the reading monsters like Al “I Just Read Five Books, and Wrote Three, What Did You Do?” Mohler and Tim “Turns Out Something Good Can Come From Canada” Challies, but a fair amount nonetheless. I love getting new books, I love walking into a bookstore, and I love sitting down with a book and a large cup of coffee.

But is reading really that important? With all of the things that you could be doing, why bother reading? Why should you (or I) invest our precious time in staring at pages splashed with ink?

Let me tell you two of the reasons that I read in the hope that you’ll also be inspired to read.

I Read So That I Can See New Things About God

Throughout the history of the church there have been many men and women who were far more godly and wise than I will ever be. Men like Jonathan Edwards, who saw the brilliance of God’s glory, and Martin Luther, who was willing to die for the gospel, and C.S. Lewis, who had such a wonderful, biblical grasp of reality.

Reading books by men and women like these has allowed me to see new things about God that I would have never seen on my own. I get to stand on the shoulders of Jonathan Edwards and benefit from the hundreds and thousands of hours he spent poring over his Bible. I read books so that I can enjoy the fruit of someone else’s labor.

I Read So That I Can Encourage Others

There are many people I know who are enduring trials and challenges far greater than anything I’ve ever experienced. Because I haven’t endured what they have, I don’t always know how to encourage them. When is the best time to speak a word of encouragement? When is it best simply to pray for a person? When should I give advice, and when should I keep my mouth shut?

Books often provide wisdom when it comes to these questions. Men and women who have gone through trials have put their thoughts and experiences into book form, and I get to benefit from their experiences. I get to see how God encouraged them, and how other believers encouraged them, and what sustained them in the midst of grief and heartache. Books provide wisdom that I just don’t have.

I’m not a particularly wise man. I don’t have enough experience, or enough godliness to make it through life on my own. I need the insights, and wisdom, and godliness of others. That’s why I read.

Why do you spend time reading? How would you encourage a person who doesn’t see the benefit of reading?

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+photo by takomabibelot