For a Month, I Quit Reading Books

During the month of August, our church encouraged us through a corporate fast. The fast was VERY intentional, and we were encouraged to fast from food in order to lift up some very specific prayer requests to the Lord. We were reminded through several sermons and during small group gatherings that fasting is not to be done for grand display, nor is it something that we should view as torture. On the other hand, it is not something that should be easy- a fast should be a challenge. The entire goal of a fast is to remove something from our lives (usually food or drink) and every time we are reminded of our desire for that thing, we are to pray. In this way, the ultimate aim of fasting is to draw closer to God through intentional and frequent time in prayer.

As a Mom of young children who eat at least 3x a day, I just did not feel comfortable fasting from food. Yes, I could have chosen to cut out a specific food group like desserts, but I didn’t feel like that would be enough of a challenge for me to actually spend daily time in prayer. I thought about cutting out social media, but since it was back to school month I really felt like I would probably end up being on my phone more for school reasons.

And then God laid it on my heart: please put down your books.

I remember when this thought came to me. I couldn’t even argue. It was so obvious that was what I needed to fast from.

I’ve become a voracious reader in the past few years. I consume a lot of books. And to be honest? Because of the quantity of books that I choose to read, I often skimp on the quality. So fasting from books would be a really big deal to me. It would mean my 2020 book count would be significantly lower, and I wouldn’t have the bragging rights to 100 books this year. It would mean that I would have to take back all the library books I had waited to have on hold. It would mean that I would have to intentionally make the Bible and prayer take up the time that I would typically be reading a book.

Now hear me loud and clear: reading a book is not bad. In fact, there are several books out there that have changed my life and as a result, brought me closer to Christ-like-ness. Even reading a good novel has brought joy and laughter and deep thinking into my life. So, no, I do not feel that books are bad.

But when they become a goal to consume that takes priority over my Bible and prayer? Then I need to reevaluate.

And that’s exactly what I did during the month of August. I didn’t pick up a single book. I took all my books back to the library even though I hadn’t read them yet. I started to pick up my Bible instead of a novel. I read through the first four books of the Bible and wrote out several chapters of Acts.

Here are some things that I learned:

1. I believe that the Bible is all we need for life and godliness. But that is not how I’ve been living. I think: Sure, the Bible will give wisdom and help me decide what to do this election season, but I really need to make sure that I turn to social media, YouTube, podcasts and even book reading to find the information that I REALLY need to make a choice like that. I apply this concept to everything. Marriage. Motherhood. Friendship. But this month taught me anew that this mindset is just not true. The Bible LITERALLY has all of it. All that I need. If everything else is stripped away- the social media, the podcasts, the libraries full of books- I can still subsist on the Bible alone.
2. It felt weird to sit down on my couch in the middle of the day and pick up my Bible. That shouldn’t feel weird. Thankfully, by the end of August, it didn’t feel weird.
3. I got more sleep because I wasn’t staying up late every night reading just one more chapter.
4. When I broke my fast on Saturday night, the words of the book I choose were sweeter than honey. It was the most wonderful feeling to pick up a book and read the words on the page. It made me rethink why I would read books that don’t bring immense knowledge or pleasure to my life. I was able to reevaluate how I want to proceed with when and which books I choose to consume. And I’m better for it.
5. The more I read of the Bible, the more I realize that I know nothing. Nothing.
6. Also related: the more I read of the Bible, the more I want to read of the Bible.

All in all, I’m so glad that I choose to fast from reading books during the month of August. I learned a lot. Now the key will be to carry this knowledge forward into the upcoming months. I’m also thankful for the leadership of our church in pointing it’s members intentionally towards a deeper understanding of God and his Word, and the ability to come before Him in prayer through fasting. I was not doing this as a challenge or something more to accomplish (like my one hike a day back in April), but I was joined together with members of our local church for a corporate fast.

As I write this post, it make me think: what else is in my life that I lean on, gaining strength from, instead of looking to Christ? Is there anything else that I need to cut out, even for a short season, so that I can turn my eyes upon Jesus instead?