Christ at the Centre

One thing that I have been convicted by throughout my life is that I need to be careful not to elevate reading—even reading Christian books—above my relationship with God. I confess that I will more readily dive into a book than the Bible at many times, and that this can start eroding my relationship with God. It's not that I perceive Him as being legalistic and counting how many times I am in His Word versus everything else I read. It's more that I want to do everything I can to guard my heart against idolatry. I believe that,

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." - Matthew 6:21

While treasure can amount to physical objects, I am realizing more and more that my time can be counted as treasure as well. Thus, I need to be even more careful that I am not consumed by all the time and attention I pay to looking up new books, reading, shopping, and of course, looking at lovely pictures of other people's home libraries (a much more recent phenomenon for me).

Although I am not sharing specific details about myself on this blog due to being an intensely private person, I will be vulnerable in sharing about my struggles and thought processes from time to time. Part of the wonder of reading is that a careful arrangement of 26 letters can bring about such a connection to others through shared emotions and stories. My hope is that other Christians can find aspects they can relate to as I convey the impact that books has had on my life. I find it fascinating that the very tool, technique, or spiritual pathway—reading—that helps me feel closest to God can be the very thing that I need to watch out for, lest it take over my life in ways that I do not want it to.

I am not a perfect reader. There have been things I have regretted reading over the years. I do not always compare what I read to Scripture and am sometimes guided by the notion of a Christian worldview as opposed to specific verses. I am also an easily misguided reader where I can get sucked into stories where upon later reflection, I realize that it was not good or unhealthy. I have aspirations of being a discerning reader, but I can succumb to what's popular out of morbid curiosity. The life of a learner can go down interesting, but not always beneficial paths. This is where I need to continually remind myself that what I read both matters and doesn't matter. This paradox keeps me on my toes as I see how what I read can have eternal impact while other materials I read will pass away with the world and not have extended meaning.

Thankfully, I can hold fast to the following truth as I engage in the pursuit of reading:

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever." - Isaiah 40:8

Comments

All the Cheese

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Review: The Maker of the Mountain

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Diverse Stories

One of the things I've been challenging myself to do this year has been to read more Christian books written by authors from other countries. I love that the body of Christ spans the four corners of the world and that we get to benefit from hearing so many different perspectives. I've also appreciated getting to know some amazing authors and readers online from other nations and continents as it's enriched my understanding of how Christians experience life. It helps me realize that the views I take for granted may only be limited to where I am situated, geographically and culturally. I haven't read all of the authors below yet, but here are a few Christian fiction authors who write from outside of North America if you're interested in reading more: Africa Ivy Emerson Enewerome Anna Jensen Tope Omotosho Asia Joanna Alonzo Joy Crain Australasia Narelle Atkins Liz Chapman Iola Goulton Jessica Kate Bessie Le Couteur Carolyn Miller Jennifer Mistmorgan Honey Stone Jessica...

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