There's a song that's been on rotation a few times on the local Christian radio station, and it has made an impact on me in recent weeks. This is one of the few (maybe only?) times I've based a blog post off a song title, but All But Home by Luke Langman encapsulates what's been on my mind when it comes to how I spend my time.
'Cause the road to my Father's house is getting shorter every day
And heaven's cheering me on
'Cause I'm all but home
Here today tomorrow gone
'Cause I'm all but home
The song repeats with a few more refrains of "I'm all but home" before there's a line to God that proclaims, "You're leading me home," to which my heart echoes with an amen. I'll share a few reasons why this song has left me evaluating what remains of my time on earth and the approach that I want to take with reading and reviewing books.
Limited Time
Over time, I've been thinking more and more on what it means that our life on earth is finite. One of the posts where I broached this topic specifically is Mortality and Reading, which includes some of my conclusions upon calculating how long it would take to read through my TBR without adding to it. Quite simply, I think it came down to it being impossible to read everything I want to read. This is why I care so much about using my time wisely when there is so little of it left (Ephesians 5:16). While there is certainly a place for reading as entertainment, that is not my greatest end goal, which leads me to the next consideration.
Eternal Priority
If I'm getting closer to the Father's throne each day, there is a healthy built-in urgency that what I do matters and can count toward His kingdom. I'm not doing anything to earn salvation; these good works stem from love, gratitude, and prayerful obedience for what God has already done for me (Ephesians 2:8-10). However, if He created me to have a love and passion for Christian books and the ability to communicate, I want to honour Him in all that I do. That's why I focus my time and attention on reading what glorifies Jesus; time is limited and He matters most.
Joyful Preparation
At the end of the day, I'm not as concerned with the rules around what should be or shouldn't be read, other than beseeching Christians to be clear in how they label their books. Apart from that, I seldom mention what Christians need to avoid as many believers have different convictions based on what the Holy Spirit reveals to each person (though, of course, I do have opinions on the matter).
Others may feel called to call out others and likely do it well, but my heart has always been to focus on the joy of books that draw us closer to God. Each day, I am happily getting closer to encountering my Lord and Saviour face-to-face. It's not to say that life isn't fraught with its own troubles (John 16:33) and that I don't continue to struggle with many things, but my focus is an anticipation that exceeds anything this world can offer. I want to point to what is excellent as a foreshadow of what's to come.
There is No Neutral
In Overbooked and Overwhelmed by Tara Sun, the author uses the example of a car rolling down a hill in neutral that "coasts without effort, without constraints, and without any intervention from the engine." She likens our minds to that car, where if we aren't intention or deliberate with our thinking, our minds (and lives) can easily fall into the same path. She later states that,
"Although coasting may feel like a temporary, harmless reprieve from the intensity of life, coasting also causes us to drift. A car in neutral is at the mercy of its environment and gravity. There is no telling what kind of oncoming traffic the car could drift into. There is no telling how it could veer off course or impact the environment around it. The abundant life Jesus spoke of in John 10:10 isn't a neutral-gear life. It's a life that graciously requires we show up.... It's a conscious commitment to set our focus and attention on God. But setting our minds and hearts on God means we must be present." (emphases mine)
I can read to escape, but that shouldn't be the only reason, nor the most important one. My mind is actively taking in everything it comes across, and I do not want to be blind to worldviews that seek to alter my course with God. As "heaven cheers me on" like in the song lyric, I want to run the race (Hebrews 12:1), finish it (2 Timothy 4:7), and hear "Well done, good and faithful servant!" from my master (Matthew 21:21).
What is Better
If there's one mantra I constantly repeat on social media, it's that clean books and Christian books are not synonymous with each other. The phrase about "what is better" is slightly taken out of context based on the account with Mary and Martha, but I love that Jesus says that, "Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her" in Luke 10:42. Spending time in His presence is the best gift, and I appreciate that I can feel close to Him through worship, prayer, reading the Bible, and reading books where it's clear the authors are led by the Holy Spirit in their writing. I could go on and on about how there are so many incredible Christian authors and books out there that there is no need for me to promote non-Christian clean authors and books, but most fellow readers know where I stand on that issue 😄 In short, what books do I want to pave my path toward eternal life, especially if I don't want to live my life in neutral?
Gone Tomorrow
It's mind-blowing that social media platforms now consider what should happen to your accounts when you pass away. I mean, first of all, it makes sense, but second of all, it feels surreal that you can now allocate your digital assets to another trusted individual who can manage your content and networks when you are no longer on the scene. It's a further reminder of how temporary all of this is. I recognize that all of the hard work I put into reading and reviewing will one day disappear when the borrowed platforms I use cease to exist or I do. If my time is already limited and I need to make the most of each day, I want to proclaim that Jesus is Lord and that His Word and Spirit are sufficient in teaching us all that we need to know about God while I still can (Hebrews 4:12).
Home Time
Finally, I can't help but end with the best news of all. Everything that I read in Christian books is meant to remind me of God's love and reveal more of Him to me. I love that Christian fiction uncovers truths that can make it easier to grasp, much like the parables that Jesus taught, and I love that Christian non-fiction can cause us to know and love God more based on a greater understanding of who He is. Since I'm "all but home," why not familiarize myself with what's coming? Why not read books that propel me toward deeper worship? Why not read stories about characters who are one day, too, looking forward to their eternal home with Jesus?
My aim is to do everything I can to elevate Christ. It's more than good books; it's the good God that these books point toward. Why obfuscate what has already been clearly proclaimed to us? Why spend our limited time and energy on what will pass away, including books that are vacuous and void of meaning? Why promote books and authors that point away from the God who has made it plain to us who He is?* Why indeed when the time is nigh and we will be home in all but an instant?
*Note: Obviously, if you're called to share about non-Christian books from a biblical perspective, that is something altogether different than what I'm doing, so this message is not necessarily for anyone in that position.
Comments
Post a Comment