Hello friends, been a hot minute since I last wrote anything on here. Wow, life is insane right now. I have come to know a whole new level of anxiety I didn't even know existed until this summer. BUT, God is good. And I praise Him that His Spirit supplies me with peace that truly surpasses all my understanding. He is teaching me so many things, and I continue to fall deeper in love with Him as the days go on.
But anyway, that's not what this blog post is about, as you can tell from the title. Even though this summer has been crazy, I still have somehow found time to sit down and read--many different books actually. Several years ago, I would definitely not have resorted to reading a book for fun or entertainment in my down time, but in recent years, God has renewed, refreshed, and rekindled my love for reading. The things I have learned from flipping through the pages of all the various books this summer have been enlightening and inspiring. Throughout the day I find myself continually thinking about and chewing on many of the thoughts and propositions presented within these books. Aside from absorbing new information and discovering further truth of God and His creation, I also have come to realize some of the major benefits that come from simply making the effort to actually sit down, hold and flip through a book each day while reading it, rather than just scrolling through Instagram whenever I have a spare moment.
If you google the advantages of reading, many, many different articles and websites will pop up for your eyes to scan over. But, as an eager lover of books, I thought it would be fun to write about some of the benefits I have personally come to notice from reading, particularly this summer. One thing I think is important to note about reading, that many people tend to have misconceptions about, is that when it comes to daily studying different material, you don't have to spend hours upon hours reading in order for it to count towards being fruitful or productive. Sometimes, if you're busy like me, time doesn't offer itself leisurely, and therefore finding opportunities to sit down and read for long time intervals is practically impossible. But, if you commit to picking up your book when you have those spare moments, you'll find that the time adds up quickly, and you'll soon be reaching for the next volume on the shelf. And now with that being said, here are some of the major advantages I've realized can come from reading books:
Reading Sharpens Your Intellect
As Socrates brilliantly said, "employ your time to improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored for". Simply from absorbing the information your brain retains as your eyes scan the words on a page, you will find yourself emerging a brighter and wiser individual. Additionally, reading allows us to practice critical thinking, something we should apply in every life situation we face. Reading forces you to reason, to ponder, to consider. It invites you into someone else's intimate and personal thought process so as to challenge and refine your own.
Will you read books that disagree with your doctrines and oppose your opinions? Of course. But only through the questions, the challenges, and even the doubts will you grow in confidence and maturity with your own thoughts and ideas. And reading offers a safe environment for that mental conflict and dialogue to take place. Additionally, books can provide us with further support and evidence for the things we already believe. Ultimately, through the process of reading and considering many different viewpoints, perspectives, and arguments, we learn to sift through the grit and grime to find the precious treasure of truth.
Reading Amplifies Your Ability to Focus
If there is one thing technology and social media has helped us be...is lazy. Lazy in our thinking. Lazy in our memorizing and retaining of information. Lazy in our focusing. People often enjoy escaping on their phones because, quite frankly, it is generally a mindless activity. It's not mentally taxing yet it acts as a stimulation for our brains. Reading also stimulates our brains, but in a far more beneficial way. Through the constant filtering of new information and examining of new premises, your mind remains active and your imagination remains engaged.
Now, personally, I find that the first five or ten minutes of reading are the hardest. It takes a while for my brain to focus and zero in on what my eyes are scanning. Those first minutes are the most tempting for me to just reach for my phone or partake in something else. But our brains were made to focus on and absorb information...it just sometimes takes them a bit to ignite. I also have found it easier now to focus on other things that I do throughout the day and even remember things better due to the simple practice of concentrating on the pages of a book daily.
Reading Enhances Writing Skills and Vocabulary
Big words have always intimidated me and, when I was in school, I usually just skipped over them and tried to grasp the general meaning of the book even though I didn't understand certain specific terms, let alone know how to pronounce them! But, along with sharpening your knowledge of the ideas being communicated, you also can become knowledgeable of the actual words used to articulate such ideas through the practice of reading books. Therefore, although it may seem tedious at times, I try and keep a dictionary close by while reading, so I can quickly look up the terms being used that I don't know so that I can then adequately understand the arguments being presented by the author.
As a writer, I've found reading other people's writings has further enhanced my own. From learning new stylistic devices to refining my personal ideas of a certain topic, reading almost always inspires me to write more and to write with further quality and beauty so as to potentially motivate those who read my words to go and write their own. Reading can, and should, help create an inspirational river of creation. I've started writing more books than I want to count at the moment, I journal as often as I can, I occasionally write articles for websites, and now I blog-- all ways I continue to practice further developing my own writing abilities while in the midst of still reading many differing book styles and genres.
Reading Provides Entertainment and Escape
Oh, have I mentioned yet that reading is fun?! It really is, at least for me and I hope it is, or can be, for you as well. If you think about it, there are A LOT of books out there and more waiting to be written by intellectuals like us who see the value and beauty in reading, thinking, and creating. It truly is amazing the minds and abilities God has given us; the imagination some people are able to communicate on paper for others to envision is simply astounding. As Dr. Seuss put it, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” Books can transport us to places limited only to the wildest imagination.
Plus, have you ever stopped to think that tangible books don't have to be plugged into an outlet to charge? Or that they don't have to connect to WIFI in order to be accessed and enjoyed? Books are adventures, wisdom, philosophies, and revelations all resting in our hands that we can carry with us in our minds and hearts for the rest of our lives. Reading can completely captivate us and should cause us to contemplate the great curiosities of the world.
In the end, no one can make you love reading or force you to turn to books for your sense of fun and enjoyment. But perhaps by seeing how beneficial and fruitful reading can be for one's intellect, concentration, vocabulary, and imagination, one's mind may be changed to perhaps consider setting aside the phone for a moment and instead picking up and delving into a book. Reading is sadly becoming a lost art in our modern era of likes, comments, and post notifications. But for those willing to have their perspective rerouted, they will soon see that reading redirects them to the purpose and importance of their identities as seekers of God's truth, goodness, and beauty. I hope more people come to realize the gift we have in being able to pick up a simple book and add it's insight and wisdom to the shelves of our mind, intellect, and experience.
Soooo, which book are you going to start on? Leave a comment and let me know! :)