The Joy of Reading
By Caron Cline
Burke County
September 6th is National Read a Book Day. I’ve been a book lover ever since I learned how to read and appreciate a good story. One of the greatest days of my 9-year-old life was when my parents took me to the public library to get my very own library card. Every other Saturday, someone would drive me to town so I could check out the maximum limit of 4 books. I devoured each one before it was time to return them. The children’s section was on the second floor, and I’d search the shelves for biographies and mysteries.
As I grew older, my tastes changed, and I began reading romance novels and thrillers. Books give us a chance to travel to far-off places and explore cultures different from our own. The written word holds tremendous power, both for good and evil. Many authors understand this power and use their words to manipulate or deceive, while others use their talents to encourage, challenge, and motivate. Readers must be discerning because the messages found in books can permanently shape our thoughts and actions.
What we read becomes a deposit in our minds, ready to be drawn upon in the future. For the greatest benefit, that information should be true, honest, just, pure, and lovely. That’s why it’s essential to choose books wisely; not just any book will do!
Thankfully, there is one book that never harms the mind but heals it instead—the living Word of God. As we read the Bible, it reveals our true character, which can be unsettling. Sin has brought death, darkness, and hopelessness. The reflection we see at first is grim, like a horror story. But as we look again, we see another character—Jesus, the God-Man, with a plan for our deliverance.
Jesus lived a perfect life, fulfilling God’s law, and died the death we deserved to satisfy the requirement of a blood sacrifice. His resurrection on the third day proved God’s acceptance of His work. Now, the story has changed from one of horror to one of unconditional love. Our reflection is no longer of death, but of light, beauty, hope, and peace.
The story deepens when we realize we haven’t just moved from death to life; we’ve been given God’s Spirit, the ultimate gift. The Holy Spirit is like a wedding ring, sealing our eternal inheritance. We bear God’s name and live in His power. As we look further into the mirror of God’s Word, we start to resemble Jesus Himself! The old is gone, and all things have become new.
No book can compare to the Bible, a story of mercy, grace, and redeeming love. Drink daily from its living water, stand in the streams of grace, and splash in the river of God’s love. The story of redemption never ends, and we will live happily ever after.
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Caron is a follower of Jesus Christ and a member of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Morganton, NC. She loves to teach the word of God.
Her desire is to see every believer grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.
You can read more Christian News from Caron HERE.
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