Reading is Important

 

I’m bragging a little, but all of my grandchildren read books. More importantly, they read scripture. They want fiction books but also journals and devotional books. This year I’m giving them all copies of the Bible study I wrote. 

I recently heard that a lay leader of a youth group said that youth don’t read. The implication was that he didn’t see any reason for them to read. They had phones and technology. I've been giving his statement some thought. First, I think his statement that youth don’t read shows that he is unaware of what youth really do. Like I said, every time my grandkids visit, they have books with them. They tell me the plot. They are most definitely reading. 

As a speech language pathologist, I have worked with students who struggle with reading, but I know that some of the most avid young readers in my family have dyslexia. I also know that we have young people attending youth activities who live in poverty. They don’t have the access to books or the example that my grandchildren have. But even for those who may not read for anything that isn’t required in school, we need to consider why it’s important that we encourage them to read. The original purpose of Sunday School was to teach people to read so they could read the scriptures. Pioneer mothers taught their children to read because of the centrality of scripture.

These are some reasons I think it’s important for us to encourage our youth and children to read.

Reading “I Can Read” books, chapter books, books with increasing complexity are steps in the process of learning important skills. 

Reading fiction makes us think. What will happen next? Why did they do that? What are they feeling? Is this giving a hint to how the story will end? Is this person telling the truth or are they lying? We may not consciously think about these things, but in the back of our minds we wonder these things.

Reading biographies help us understand events that have changed our world. We see how one person can make a difference, either good or bad. We learn how the lives of different people have worked together, most of the time without these people even knowing, to have a significant impact on the world as we know it. 

Reading either fiction or nonfiction develops theory of mind. We learn to understand what others feel, what they are thinking. 

Reading for information helps us develop our critical thinking. Is this information correct? Do I have enough detail or is something missing? Is there a bias in this information? Does the author have an agenda? 

Reading for information helps us be competent and successful in whatever work we do to pay the bills. 

Let’s face it. Some of the scripture is difficult to read and understand. Having developed the aforementioned skills helps us understand scripture because we have learned to think and process what we read. 

And the most important reason that we want them to develop the skill of reading is reading and understanding scripture is the most important reading. If they don’t learn to read scripture, they can be led astray by every false doctrine and false teacher. Listening to a youth leader or preacher is not enough. They must examine the scriptures to make sure what they are hearing is consistent with scripture.

Acts 17:11-12 The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men

2 Peter 2:1-3 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their unrestrained ways, and the way of truth will be blasphemed because of them. 3 They will exploit you in their greed with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,

It is the responsibility of adult Christians to point our young people to the Word of God. We must encourage them to read to develop their thinking processes so that they can study scripture thoughtfully and reject the false teaching that they will inevitably encounter. We must not encourage them to believe us blindly. We must help them understand that we can be wrong: they must find their answers in the inspired Word of God. Our heart’s desire should be that they grow to maturity as they read and study and pray over scripture. We may be their mentors, but God is their God and His inspired Word is their guide as His Holy Spirit speaks to them through scripture.

My daddy read scripture to me from the time I was a tiny infant. He laid a foundation for me. When I was saved at 8 years of age, he told me I needed to start reading scripture on my own. My daddy was a wise man. We must share that wisdom with the generations to come. God will hold us accountable for our action and our inaction, the words we say and the words we don’t say. 

James 3:1 Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment.