When I quit my job to become a stay-at-home mom, I was actually excited about housework. (Again, I fully admit to being a geek…) Not that it all of a sudden became an enjoyable task, but I was excited about things like having time to not only wash the dirty clothes, but also get them folded and put away (read: out of the dryer!) before the next laundry day. Needless to say, I’m still working on that! But, one of the other things I was really looking forward to was having time to read again. I’ve always loved reading, but since getting married, I’ve kind of gotten out of practice. That’s not to say I spent all day in front of the TV, I was working full-time, and came home and took care of the “house stuff†afterward, and any free time that Jason and I had in common was spent together. Usually at that point he’d had enough of the books, and was ready to be out of the house! So,by the time I would pick up a book, I was too tired to pay much attention, and usually gave up pretty quickly. Of course, I was surprised to discover that phenomena didn’t change when Hannah was born…in fact, it got worse. Every time I laid her down, I was ready to collapse next to her. I was shocked at how utterly exhausted I was! I barely got through the minimum of housework (if that!), and the thought of picking up a book never even crossed my mind in those early months! So much for my great plans!
Now though, life has settled into a somewhat predictable routine, Hannah takes a nice long nap (2-3 hours!) in the afternoon, and does not need 100% of my attention 100% of the time – although she would like it! I’ve got a stack of books that I’ve been collecting over the last 14 months, and am finally beginning to tackle this pile…2, or 3, or 4 at a time! I am not “enjoying†everything I am currently reading, in fact (and my dear husband will attest to this, because he usually gets the brunt of my rantings) I am rather vocal about my strong dislike for some of it. But, that is exactly why I love to read. You have to use your brain – you have to think! If I am not actively filtering the books I read through a biblical grid, then I am passively allowing all manner of false information into my mind – and it will affect how I think, behave, and respond to others.
In college, it was easy. The professors were pretty clear on which books were, in their opinion, “good†(and by good I mean doctrinally sound, biblically accurate, not just a fun read) and which ones were “badâ€. And I trusted them! Now, I don’t have that crutch to lean on. Now, the recommendations come from all over the place, not always from a reliable, respected source. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and I am not saying that one should never read a book that they disagree with. I think it can be extremely beneficial to keep up with the trends, and to be aware of what people in the church are reading. But, this should always be done with caution – even books by trusted authors should be approached with a sense of caution. No one is exempt from making a mistake, and crossing the line from clear biblical truth, to personal (prideful) opinion, fabrication, or downright heresy.
As my list of books “to be read†is quickly growing longer than the list of books that I’ve already completed, I am once again reminded of just how important it is to be in the only book that can trusted completely – in every area, on every topic, every time: the Bible. If I am not in God’s Word on a daily basis, I will be susceptible to being “tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming†(Ephesians 4:14). Instead I need to be studying the Scripture faithfully (2 Tim. 2:15), and hiding it in my heart (Psalm 119:11), because it is profitable (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Then, and only then, can I approach the other books that I am reading with true discernment.
So, what am I reading that has prompted these thoughts? This is, of course, not a blanket recommendation – in fact there are some I would very strongly not recommend! But, just in case you were wondering, along with studying the book of Ephesians, here is my current reading list:
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Heaven, by Randy Alcorn
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The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman
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Lies Women Believe, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
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Love & Respect, by Emmerson Eggerichs
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I’ll Hold You In Heaven, by Jack Hayford
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Humility, by CJ Mahaney
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Ephesians (from the MacArthur Commentary Series), by John MacArthur