There is ulimited amounts of knowledge out there that is available to anyone who has the patience and time to read. I've recently begun to read again... seriously, just in the past few days... and it is amazing to me how much inofrmation is just waiting for my eyes to pass over it, putting words together to make coherent thoughts that will increase the quality of my life.
For so long I have not picked up another book with the feeling of guilt that grips me and says, "If you aren't reading even the Bible then how do you have time to read this?" And so I haven't read. In addition to that, I have to be so centrally focused on what I am reading that I can't even let the boys play while I read... My fear has been that they would be able to paint their room with pudding before I would even notice that the fridge is oozing purple goo and the bathtub is over flowing with bubbles. But they have recently proven to me that they can at least play for about 10-15 minutes before I have to intervene. (Not bad for an almost 3 and 5 year old.)
Another realization came to me today and is the point of this post. Like I said before I've had this thought that if I'm not taking the time to read the Bible then I don't have time to read for recreational purposes. But just like everything else in my life right now, I questioned that. Why? Why wouldn't I be able to read what I want? So I have this book that is not exquisite or mind bending or romantic in any way. It's about how to get started in Home Schooling... a book that I thought would be helpful and has proven several times over to be just that. But I'll tell ya, it has been a significant wake up call to me... not so much the content of the book but the fact that I really don't read all that well. The point: the thought that I've been having is that if I can learn to read better and read books that I enjoy then my dedication to reading and studying the Bible just might follow suit. The thing that I need to have when I'm reading my Bible is a thought to focus my mind on that applies the scripture that I'm reading to my life. Otherwise it seems to me like I'm reading the same scripture I was reading when I was 8 only now I'm reading it for the 111th time. A Bible that is good for that, I've discovered, is the Time With God Bible. Logan has one that I think I might steal to be able to get into the word daily. I don't think he'll mind.
I'm not a particularly quick reader. It takes me about a minute and a half to read the text on a full 8.5x11 piece of paper. But this new world throws into sharp awareness for me all of the things I have been missing and so I am drawn to it. The trouble I'm having now is paying attention to the things that I have to get done: lesson plans for the boys, actually doing the lessons with the boys, work duties, house work, etc.
Next on my list: Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson - Recommended by Logan
Do you have any recommendations?
