Summary: We will often neglect what we don’t prioritize. And book reading is often neglected because it fails to be a priority.
The beginning of a new year is a time to review the past, set new goals, resolve to reach them, and then with renewed hope strive once again to attain those goals. For the Christian, this certainly applies to our spiritual growth in Christ. And one of the ways we grow up in Christ is through reading – reading the Word of God (do you have a Bible plan for 2020?) and reading other sound, sanctified literature, including books, of course, but also magazines and journals and web blogs.
In a recent article published on Christian publisher Crossway’s website, author Tony Reinke (remember Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books?) addressed the matter of priority when it comes to reading. As usual, he has some helpful insights that are worth considering at the outset of this year. These thoughts are actually adapted from the book I reference above, which I read and blogged about a few years back. Here are a few of his words to motivate you to make reading a priority in 2020.
Our reading may not be disciplined, efficient, or fruitful until we read with purpose. Before you begin reading a book, determine why you are reading it.
We will often neglect what we don’t prioritize. And book reading is often neglected because it fails to be a priority; and it fails to be a priority because we have not defined our reading goals clearly. Once we define the purpose of our reading, it becomes much easier to see the practical value of books in our lives.
Factor everything you want to read and need to read—even factor in your fun reading. Then choose books that align with those priorities.
To that he adds these words later in the article:
Having trouble finding reading time? It may be that you need to read more books. Seriously. A curious thing happened in my own life. I discovered that when I began reading three books at a time, I found more time to read. Why? It’s pretty simple, actually. I found that different times in my day allowed me to read different types of books.
I enjoy reading historical novels, but I don’t read a historical novel right after I roll out of bed in the morning. I enjoy reading theology, but I rarely read theology at night before I go to bed. I enjoy reading long epics like Lord of the Rings, but I can’t get into an epic novel while traveling.
Different genres are suited for different times, and having three books from different genres gives me greater flexibility in capturing fragments of time throughout the day. On the other hand, reading only one book makes it harder to find time to read, because it restricts the number of contexts. Let me explain.
And now you had better visit the link below to finish reading Reinke’s article and find out about his great ideas for reading in different places – from the barbershop to the bedside!
Will you join me in resolving to make reading more of a priority in 2020?
The Three R's Blog 