UNTIL LOVE FINDS YOU | READING MAKES A LADY

 

Hi there, beautiful! How is your week coming along? I know life can stretch you thin sometimes. I understand too well what it means to wake up sometimes not knowing what you’re going to eat or how you’ll make your commute to work. And occasionally, a certain thought dangles in your mind. The thought of just being a little more friendly with that married man who you instinctively know wants to sleep with you. Because just maybe, you might be relieved of this terrible, exhausting financial predicament.

For any of you in this position, while I cannot say to send me your account number so I deposit money, I can tell you that it will pass. And that God will take care of you. Honestly. Don’t call that man. Bring those thoughts captive under the power of Jesus. I have been there several times. And each time I had nobody but Jesus to rely on. Have you no faith? What is the use of your faith if your life is always rosy? Even roses have thorns.

Today’s post is about reading, but I just felt to encourage you if you are currently experiencing this. Hold on. Help is coming. Talk to Jesus. He listens.

READING MAKES A FULL MAN. (And makes a lady!)

That is how the saying goes. I added the “lady” part.

As usual, I will tell you a story about myself.

When I was a very little girl, about 6 years old, there was only one time in the year that I truly looked forward to. It was not my birthday, nor Christmas nor anything you could imagine.

It was the book fair on some ship that used to dock at the Tema Harbor. My dad would take me on the ship and buy me as many books as I wanted. You won’t understand how deep it was for me unless I explain.

I was not very fond of my dad as a child. My dad is a Ga man from the Greater Accra Region. He grew up by the sea and used to join the native fishermen to fish. I think my grandfather owned several fishing vessels and my dad used to man them. If you have encountered men from this tribe before, especially those who are used to the sea life, then you will know that my dad would bellow at you, but for him, he was merely whispering.

The man could talk at me for me to shake like dried leaves in autumn. I felt terrorized most of the time.

"How are you?" coming from my dad, never sounded like care. It felt more like:

"HOW ARE YOU!!!!!!!!!! (AND YOU BETTER BE FINE!!)"

 Simple “have you done your homework?” came out as:

HAVE! YOU! DONE! YOUR HOMEWORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Because of this, I did not enjoy my dad’s company at all. I would always run and hide anytime he was returning home from work.

But, once in a year, I elatedly and humbly allowed him to hold my dainty hand in his palm, as we went aboard the bookship. (Did you see what I did there? Bookshop, Bookship.)

Now, that is the power of books. Over books and reading, my father and I bonded. For a man who did not possess a university degree, I was regularly surprised by how he could bounce Shakespearean quotes back and forth in conversation with me.

It was not just novels the man read. He seemed to know so much scripture, especially the book of Proverbs. Even at this age, I can wake up to a text from him that reads:

“Proverbs 17:21”

I would immediately open my Bible and this is what I see:

“It is sad to have a foolish child, there is no joy in being the parent of a fool”

Ask me what I did to him. Nothing. Most likely because I failed to text him for 24 hours. Lol. Enough of I and my father.

Ladies! I cannot overemphasize the importance of reading. There is an entire universe of knowledge hidden between the pages of many books.

First, and as always, let’s begin with Jesus.

Do you realise that Jesus’ first official appearance in public, as a prophet, involved him reading? According to my Bible, after He was baptized and driven to the desert to be tempted by Satan, He returned to Galilee and the power of the Holy Spirit was with Him. Look at what happened next…

“And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to READ.” Luke 4:16

Do I need to say more? Jesus, your King, Husband, and Lover, was a reader. He read books. But you want to be sitting down fixing your hair and watching Bridgerton on Netflix. I’m not saying don’t watch Netflix. Don’t be silly.

Second, God is into books.

Did you know that God has books?

“And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books.” Revelations 12:1

Yhup! Your Father in heaven is literate, just so you know. Come on, He is the creator of languages and everything else!

These were God’s words to Joshua in the Bible when Moses died, and Joshua was taking over leadership of Israel.

“Be sure that the BOOK of the Law is always READ in your worship. Study it day and night, and make sure that you obey everything written in it.” Joshua 1:8

In the book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel eats the Scroll.

“Son of man,” He said to me, “eat what you find here. Eat this scroll, then go and speak to the house of Israel.”

Did he physically ingest the scroll, or he took it in, as in reading? I do not know. But what do you think?

Finally, on Biblical backing, the second most influential person in the Bible was Paul. He wrote the most books in the Bible. And he was a reader. You cannot write if you do not read. So do the math.

Young Christian girl, don’t ever let me hear you say that reading is a waste of time. Or that reading is for secular people. That is foolish talk! And I am not sorry for saying this to you.

I want you to see the importance of reading. Maybe the reason we are not consistent with our growth in the Word is because we don’t like reading.

Aside the fact that most of us, including myself, fall asleep as soon as we open the Bible, some of us ladies simply do not like reading.

READING IS NOT A TALENT.

READING IS NOT A TALENT.

READING IS NOT A TALENT!!!.

NOBODY IS BORN A READER.

Reading is a habit. A skill that you learn or acquire. It takes being intentional. Some of us were blessed to have cultivated the habit when we were very young. Some of us did not. 

Maybe you did not have access to resources. I don’t fully believe that, because if you attended a school, there were storybooks flying around. But you will choose to explain to me that you did not have light at home, and that is the reason you did not like reading.

Dear sister, be serious. I used to read with candle-light when my family was so poor and all we could afford was one kerosene lantern. My mum would carry the lantern to the kitchen and leave me in the dark in our single room as if she had not noticed that I was reading. I would simply find the nearest candle, light it, hold it up and read my book in peace. There was nothing romantic about it, trust me. Not sure where the idea of candlelit dinners came from. I was causing damage to my eyes. For the love of books and reading.

Do I regret it today?

No! While I find it hard to drive after 5pm because my sight is paying dearly for my stubbornness, I cannot lie that the habit of reading did not serve me well on my journey to becoming a dual qualified lawyer.

So, daughter of God, if you are an avid reader, keep at it. If you are not in the habit, it is time to cultivate it. 

No, I am not trying to control your life. I am helping you. Encouraging you. The fact that you are here reading this blog alone tells me that there is so much hope for you.

That said, begin with your Bible. I saw a challenge on twitter just before the New Year. It was a challenge to read the book of Proverbs in January because Proverbs has 31 chapters, and January, 31 days. I had never thought of that.

I followed through with the challenge and it made a difference in my life. This blog is a result of reading the book of Proverbs. Each day as I read, my foolishness and lack of regard for God became more evident to me.

I began to make little changes in my lifestyle. There were days it was hard to read because I would work long hours and be exhausted. But after doing it for more than 21 days, it has become a habit. Whatever they say about the 21-day rule is true. Try it.

While you are reading your Bible, you may try some self-help or personal development books. A few that come to mind are:

a.    To stop doubting yourself, read You are a Badass by Jen Sincero

b.    To get out of your comfort zone, read Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

c.     To balance your dream career and relationships, read The Big Life by Ann Shoket

Other impactful authors include Dale Carnegie and Malcolm Gladwell.

I love people who love reading. Since I began corporate work, both of my bosses that I have worked for have been avid readers. As a PA, I would get to the office very early, sneak out one of my boss’s books and read. There were times I’d just make a copy of some pages that I felt I needed more time to absorb. My broke ass could not afford to buy a copy of those books at the time.

My current boss demands book reports from us young lawyers every week. There are times I think to myself that I have more serious tasks to complete for CLIENTS. I have no time to sit and read a book to write a report on it. But I find that each time that I read and wrote a report, I learned something new and very helpful. The way I write now (which I am still polishing) is a result of the books I have read.

Finally, God said "My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge"

One of the ways to gain knowledge is through READING. And knowledgeable people rule the world!

So dear girl, I conclude with a question:

Do you want to be a reader or a loser?

P.S May I indulge you to kindly drop in the comments section, the title of books that you have read, and have made a difference in your life. Other readers and myself would like to check them out. Thanks!