Thrilling Thursdays

Consuming Reading

Read, read, read, read, read.... 
     If you are anything like me, you love reading. You could eat books up like a drug. You could breathe them like oxygen. You could spend hours upon hours reading them. They're your best friends. 
     Especially Fiction.
     Ahh.... good ole' fiction. Always been there for you. The romance when you lack it. The action when you're bored. The horror when you... 
     Let's not finish that thought.
     You've always had your books as your companions. They don't argue with you. They don't complain. They don't whistle those annoying jingles when they're having their annoyingly optimistic days. They just feed you what you want and you eat. Them. Up. Why?
     Because it's so much better to live in a fantasy than reality.
     Is it not? Reality is hard. Brutal. Tragic. Hardly ever gives us what you want because we are filling our desires with lesser wants instead of filling it with the One who will satisfy us. 
     If you're anything like me, reading - books, can easily become the idol in your life. I know it has for me. Many times. It's so easy to be consumed by the fantasy, the story that starts, goes, and ends the way you want. So why not just spend all your time in fantasy land? Besides the obvious necessity for food, drink, and the fact everyone seems to believe it's unhealthy.
     To be disconnected from the mission field God's placed you in by ignoring it because it isn't the way you want it is purely selfish. I know so many times I struggle with keeping my reading time to a reasonable amount. Same idea when it comes to what I read. It's so easy to drift off into La-La Land and ignore everything I don't like. But, because of this, reading had become my god. It had taken the place of God in my life. Instead of turning to Scripture or praying when I was in a pickle, I shut out the world and surrounded myself with books. Fiction especially. Fiction was my go-to source. 
     Obviously, this wasn't healthy. Not only was I running from my problems, but I was trying to find satisfaction in something mediocre when I can find true, fulfilling satisfaction in Christ. John Piper, a pastor and theologian who I highly recommend, said, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." Is having an unhealthy addiction to reading glorifying God? Absolutely not. Our sole purpose for being on this earth is to glorify the LORD. We, as Believers, are ambassadors for Christ. We demonstrate Christ through our actions. We show others who God is by how we behave. What kind of example are we if we are constantly immersing ourselves in things of the world, slowly tearing down the suit of armor we were given to protect ourselves from the Flesh? 
     Besides being an example, being consumed by fiction reading is unhealthy for our spiritual life. How can we grow in our faith if we are taking minimal action to strengthen ourselves? Moreover, how can we grow if we are constantly filling ourselves with things that are tearing down our spiritual strength? Things that, instead of building us up mentally, spiritually, and emotionally, are tearing us down, feeding us our fleshly desires. Phillipians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things". Is what you're reading pure? Honorable? Just? Lovely? Strengthening your faith? Think on these things.
     Please don't hear me saying "Reading is sinful! Don't read!" On the contrary, reading is something wonderful, a gift God has given writers to be able to create a world worth reading about. Even I - especially I, love reading what I like to call "Brain Candy". I'm not saying you have to be extremely theological and philosophical, it's perfectly fine to give your brain a break. But, it becomes detrimental to your spiritual health when it becomes consuming, taking the place of God in your life. 
     Recently, I read a book by A. W. Tozer titled The Pursuit of God. In this book, Tozer talked about how, so many times, we separate the sacred from the secular. We have a habit of becoming legalistic and looking at things through black and white lenses. Instead, we need to see everything as sacred. As Christians, we're born again and, instead of asking "is that bad?" or "is that good?" we need to ask "will this glorify the LORD?". So many times, we think of life as a checklist: 1. God  2. Family  3. Church  4. Friends and so on. Instead, we need to look at it as slices of a pie:
     As you can see, God, in the center of our lives, is touching everything in our lives. He isn't first, He's the center. He is. His is our life. 
     So, as you pick up your book to begin your second four-hour session of addictive reading, think about whether what you're reading is glorifying God. Whether your reading session have become a drug, an escape from your life, or if they're a harmless way of relaxing. Think about this. And, if your answer is reading has become your idol, then consume yourself in God's word. Fill that satisfaction in Him instead of finding a lesser substitute.