C.S. Lewis once said, “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”
Yes, Mr. Lewis, you are sooo right! I am a reader; I come from a long line of readers, and my husband and I begat readers. In my home of origin, family history was passed down in the oral tradition every Saturday morning while cleaning our home. One of the many stories my mother told was that of my Great Grandmother Smith. Family lore told of her being a ravenous reader who spent so much time on her beloved pastime that she didn’t get her housework done. *GASP*
Family legend also tells that she died with an open Bible on her lap. (In my mind that sounds like a pretty good way to go!) My Great Granny’s reading addiction is not really the moral I want to focus on from this family tale, but rather the importance of choosing what kinds of books our daughters are making friends with. Why? Because one way or another, the books we read mold us and are our companions to the end of our days.
In Chapter 24 of Beautiful Girlhood and The Companion Guide to Beautiful Girlhood, the author explores the similarities between choosing godly friends and choosing godly reading material. This chapter also explores the challenges young women face in selecting good books. But this chapter not only applies to our daughters! May I be frank? This chapter challenges me. Why? Because there are so many, many good books out there but not all of them are good for me.
I know many of you struggle as I have. Early in our marriage, I noticed a surge of discontentment that could be traced back to my reading romance novels. No matter what he did, my sweet husband could not measure up to the perfect heroes of these novels. So, for me, since that momentous realization, I have placed a ban on romance novels and, I am happy to tell you, my contentment level has skyrocketed! Actions speak louder than words ladies, so I must ask, what kind of books are on your bedside table? Would you want your daughter to read them? How about your sons or even your husband?
Striving to focus on that which is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy,
Activity:
This week’s topic is on reading good books and allowing them to influence our lives and the way we think just as a close friend would.
- Begin searching out trusted book lists for you and your daughter to read. (See suggestion in resource section)
- Read John Piper’s interview on “How to Decide What to Read”
- Meditate on Philippians 4:8 and apply it to your own reading preferences filter.
Bible Verse: Philippians 4:8
8 Finally, brothers (and sisters), whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Ponder and Post:
- Aw, come on, spill! What is on your bedside table right now? Share with the rest of us! On my table right now is “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” by Marie Kondo.
- I know many of you are bibliophiles so, tell me, how do you choose your reading material?
Resources:
Jan Bloom is a longtime friend and perhaps the most knowledgeable person I know on the topic of reading. She has written two books entitled Who Should We Then Read Vol. 1 and Who Should We Then Read Vol. 2. They are described as “A busy reader’s concise guide to the best authors of living books.”