I like books. No, I love books!
For as long as I can remember, I have always loved books. When I was a young child, going to the library or to the second hand bookstore was a dream come true! So many books, so little time!
This love of books has actually been passed to dh who did not read much when I first met him. But now, accumulates books too! And happily, our children like to read too. But all this means that our house is slowly but surely being overwhelmed with books. Our bookshelves are packed to the brim and I often have to painfully de-clutter them. But the truth is I often purge the children’s books instead of mine! But I digress! .
For those of you who are avid readers, you would have realised that there are books and there are books. Not all books are well-written. And more importantly. not all books by Christian authors have correct biblical teachings!
While books are helpful in teaching us things we are ignorant about, we must be careful not to deceive ourselves into thinking that reading Christian books (no matter how good they are) can replace the Bible. I must confess that there are many times when a book has become an authority for me rather than God’s Word! When encountering a problem, my first thought is to check out what a certain book says instead of praying and asking God what He says about the situation!
Researching a topic is well and good. We need to make informed choices but we should heed Solomon’s advice :
So be careful, my son, about other teachings. People are always writing books, and too much study will make you tired. Ecclesiastes 12:12 (New Century Version)
and
With much wisdom comes much disappointment; the person who gains more knowledge also gains more sorrow. Ecclesiastes 1:18 (New Century Version)
Read all you want, but be careful what you are putting into your minds (this is especially so for our young and impressionable children) and be careful you are not replacing reading God’s Word with these wonderful books!
For our children, I tried to vet their books before handing it over to them. But with so many readers in the house, it is getting too overwhelming for me to do so! But I do know that generally, books written in the earlier times are less dubious than many modern books.
That’s why you will notice that the Children books we stock in The Book Store are classics which focus on character building and has characters that espouse biblical values.
As for me, I seldom read fiction for leisure anymore. There are only so many hours in a day and being a homeschooling mom, I have much teaching material that I need to read and keep up-to-date on. Instead, with the little time I have, I read books that edify and encourage me in my role as a wife, mother and teacher.
Currently, I have on my bedside table 3 books (yes, I really should focus!) The Mission of Motherhood and My Heart’s At Home. I recently finished Created To Be His Helpmeet. (All available at The Book Store.)
What about magazines? When I was younger, I used to pore over fashion and lifestyle magazines to “keep up” with fashion trends. Then I went to work in the public relations field, dealing with fashion, and got to pore over internationally produced glossy fashion magazines as part of the job.
But I then realised that these magazines weren’t very edifying to my call as a wife and mother! As secular magazines, the values they stand for goes against God’s standards. There is much encouragement to fulfil the desires of the flesh instead of crucifying it! (And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:24)
These worldly magazines tend to promote the idea that a woman cannot be fulfilled unless she is out of the home, carving out a glamourous, high flying career and you will seldom see any meaty stories on the stay-at-home-mom.
I am not saying that it is wrong being a career woman if that is what God has called you to be. But my ministry is home-based. I want to read magazines that help me fulfil my call to minister to my husband and children. These magazines made me examine my life and become discontented! And not to mention the often immodest attire being promoting as fashion forward clothing!
They had to go. Sure, I may pick one of them up and read it if I am at the hairdressers but I have chosen not to buy them the way I used to. Instead, I read magazines like Above Rubies, An Encouraging Word and of course The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. It is hard enough bucking the trend by being a SAHM, a homeschooler and having a large family. I need all the godly encouragement I can get from Godly books and magazines!
So what are you reading?