The Dangers of Reading Too Much

Did you read the title of this post and immediately think that I have lost my mind? Maybe you thought, Michelle, reading is a good thing — people don’t read enough!

Before you write me off as being mad and unsubscribe to future posts, hear me out, will ya?

I am in no way knocking reading. In fact, if I could do nothing but read everyday, I would. Unfortunately, that is not a feasible option for someone in the working class, right? Work needs to be done.

There is just something about books that I love so much, though. The feel of them in my hands, the smell of older books that have been shoved away on a library shelf untouched for years, the new ink on a freshly printed book, and the opportunity to get lost for just a moment in time when nothing can get between me and the characters in the book that I hold.

Of course, I often use my Kindle. As with many people nowadays, holding an actual book is wonderful, but trying to read at night without disturbing Tina or my dogs means that my Kindle Paperwhite is my best option. You know, close enough to the real thing without being, well, real. Not to mention all those free e-books you can download from the library! Score!

Truth be told, I love audio books, too. Like podcasts, they are easy to just pop in an earbud and listen while cooking dinner, driving, cleaning, and so forth. At any given time, it is safe to say that I am in the middle of an audio book, part way through my e-book, always reading somewhere within my Bible, and following my daily devotional. Of course, there is always my desk calendar, emails, work research and so on that also give my eyes and brain a workout.

So, where am I going with all of this? Is there really a such thing as reading too much?

In short, yes. But, please note that I never, ever want to deter you from reading.

Here’s the thing. If you walk into a college-level Calculus class and the professor teaches one lesson and sends you on your way with homework to practice, there is a good chance you are going to eventually grasp the concept. It may take some practice, but it is doable, right? Now, what happens if you walk into that same class and it were to last for hours — teaching lesson after lesson. What would you walk away with? How much of that information would you have retained? And how much of it did you truly learn?

So many of us want to grow closer to God that we are grasping at anything we can get our hands on, book after book, hoping we will find the answer to gaining that deep connection with our Creator. A devotional here, a sermon there, a podcast, a calendar, two devotional books, a Bible, a study guide, and on… and on…

Sure, you took the time to show up and meet with God. You took the time to read his word. You took the time to gather some knowledge. But, what did you actually learn? What did you study enough that you can put into practice? And did you even leave any quiet time to hear from God?

Sometimes it is necessary to go back to the basics. You, your Bible, and God.

Think about it – that’s really all you need in life, right? Eh, just some food for thought.

Until next time…❤❤