Four Years of College has taught me...

to READ

I have never been captivated by reading.  All the words on the page seemed daunting, and the thought of going through each line and every single page got me feeling tired already!  Ever since I could remember, I would MUCH rather be doing something else other than reading...exercising, playing sports, socializing & talking to people, eating...and the list goes on.

All throughout high school and even my first three years in college, I challenged myself to get by while reading the LEAST possible.  And it worked!  For papers and book reports, I would read short sections and elaborate extensively on the few pages I read.  I would oftentimes choose random parts of the book to write about to switch it up a bit.  I got so good at this, I even passed the English AP test in my senior year of high school!  During my first few years of college, I even got by in some of my classes with an A without ever purchasing the book!  I felt proud of what I could do, accomplishing so much without reading as much as everyone was telling me to.

Sometimes, I would trick myself to thinking that as long as I bought the book, carried it around with me everywhere, told everyone that I had to read, and intended to read it, I would somehow obtain the information inside.  However, there came a point when taking shortcuts backfired on me.  See, I didn't like to read so much that it would be a mission to even open and read my Bible.  I would get through a couple of paragraphs and then would take a break.  I convinced myself that I didn't have to read the Bible as much if I prayed more, served more, evangelized more, listened to more sermons, and worshiped more.

It wasn't until JUST the other day that I realized that there simply is no substitute for sitting down, picking up the Bible, opening it, and reading it.  Fellowship, worship, prayer, or service was not a sufficient substitute.  I read through Hebrews 12-13, and the text really sunk deep in my soul.  I don't think it could have been said any better than the way it was written in my Bible.  The words I read brought me an overwhelming comfort, knowing that God KNOWS the pain I am enduring. Now that is a whole other topic, but I am still befuddled that it has taken me so long to learn the importance of reading...there is a HUGE difference between actually reading, and intending to read, telling others you are going to read, or wanting to read.