Alli Worthington’s advice to those of us setting up blogs and websites is to keep it reader-friendly. She said Steve Krug wrote in Don’t Make Me Think,
… readers want information but they don’t want to have to think to get it. They really don’t even want to have to READ to get it.
DON’T MAKE ME THING, Steve Krug
They want to scan, skim, and jump around and it’s your job to make that process easy.
Wow.
Scan, Skim, and Jump Around
Are we, and also, have we become so lazy? Or have we trained our brains to process information this way because of the way information (huge amounts at that) has been presented to us?
And we should also be asking, “Are our children doing the same and more?”
:::shudders:::
Thanks, Internet!
A big part of this skimming, scanning, and jumping around is due to the use of the internet to get information. I remember reading Nicholas Carr‘s book, The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, some three years ago which explained that our brains learn to cope with the huge amount of information on the internet by browsing, clicking and skimming. And over time this affects our ability to read all written materials. I am sure that there must be some well-researched study somewhere that shows through brain scans that our brains have been re-wired, thanks to the internet.
And interestingly, after finishing the first draft of this post, I came across this article, A Neuroscientist Explains What Tech Does to the Reading Brain. which said the same thing. And I quote:
“What are the consequences of all of us becoming skimmers?
Skimming has led, I believe, to a tendency to go to the sources that seem the simplest, most reduced, most familiar, and least cognitively challenging. I think that leads people to accept truly false news without examining it, without being analytical. One of my major worries is that when you lose the novel, you lose the ability to go into another person’s perspective. My biggest worry now is that a lot of what we’re seeing in society today — this vulnerability to demagoguery in all its forms — of one unanticipated and never intended consequence of a mode of reading that doesn’t allow critical analysis and empathy.”
Maryanne Wolf
That IS a cause for worry, isn’t it? (More reading can be found in Slow Down Reader.)
We are not only being dumbed down, we are dumbing ourselves down. And then it made me wonder:
How Are We Reading Our Bibles?
If we are scanning, skimming and jumping around when we encounter a piece of written material, how then are we reading God’s word? Are we also scanning, skimming, and jumping around? And, on top of that, are we also preferring to have someone else summarise Bible passages for us? Because some parts of the Bible ARE hard to understand and we want easy.
Oh dear.
Already many of us are not reading God’s word and now, even those of us who do read it are not reading it carefully. If we are not reading His word carefully then we are in great danger of being deceived. Especially in these last days where false teachings abound.
Read Your Bible
If you do not do read the Bible regularly, may I encourage you to? Even if it is just a few verses at a time. And if you already do, please continue to do so.
Now, please do not beat yourself up if you miss a day or a week. No guilt trips, remember? [Stop Going On Mommy Guilt Trips.) But we want to keep on trying.
And when you do your Bible reading, may I encourage you to read from a physical Bible and not an app? Why? Because as we’ve learnt above, the brain is wired to skim and scan on devices. So, we will tend to do the same thing when we read our Bibles from an app rather than a physical Bible. We have to help our brains focus.
Use apps to get information quickly but not for personal devotions.
Read Your Bible SLOWLY
As you read your Bible, may I encourage you to read it S-L-O-W-L-Y. No speed reading. Go slow. Do it chapter-by-chapter or verse-by-verse even.
This is why I no longer recommend one-year Bible reading plans. As mothers, we have few uninterrupted stretches of time. Having to read 2 chapters of the Old Testament and 1 chapter of the New, or any other combination means we have to either speed read (skimming!) or put aside at least 30 minutes to do so. Not helpful. Unless your goal is just to read through the Bible. Then go for it.
Otherwise, just slow down. It is more helpful to read in small chunks and slowly digest what God is saying to us.
Read Your Bible and Journal
As I have mentioned before in Start Your Mornings Right I use the S.O.A.P method of devotions. I would either read an entire chapter (e.g. Genesis 1) or a passage (e.g. Philippians 2:1-4) and write out the Scripture verse/s in my journal that jumps out at me. Then I would make my Observations about it and ask myself how I can Apply that observation to my own life. Then I finish off with a short Prayer.
Sometimes I would make notations on the margin of my Bible and/or highlight passages that jump out at me. This is one of the ways God speaks to His children – directly from His word. (That is why need to read His word S-L-O-W-L-Y).
If you don’t want to “dirty” your Bible, use a dedicated journal or notebook. Otherwise, invest in a Journaling Bible. These journals give you a lot more space to write and even draw by the margins. The advantage of using a journaling bible is that all your notes are IN your Bible. And you can even pass this on to your children as a legacy gift!
Read the Bible to Your Children
Just like reading aloud is beneficial to our children even when they are able to read on their own, may I encourage you to read the Bible to your children regularly. {We used to do this a lot more when all the children were doing Bible together in our homeschool. Once they move on to Abeka Academy for their homeschool, they do their Bible reading on their own.}
Even when they are toddlers, don’t go for fluff! Don’t dumb down the Bible to your children. They will rise up to your expectations. Keep the sessions short but do it.
However, as with all things parenting, if we want our children to love God’s word and read their Bibles, we need to love God’s word and read our Bibles. They are watching us. Besides, what can we pour out of our own vessels if we are empty?
But please do not see reading your Bible as yet another item to be checked off your To Do List. See it as a meeting with Abba Father, to know Him as we are known by Him.
Slow Down and Meditate On His Word
So, while we may not be able to stop our eyes and brains from scanning, skimming, and jumping around completely when we read, let us make a conscious effort to slow down and meditate upon the Word of God which is “alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12. God is speaking to us, and we need to slow down, listen, and respond.
Related Posts
Stop Going On Mommy Guilt Trips
Start Your Mornings Right
8 Reasons Why I Still Do Read Alouds to My Children