Choosy About Literature

The summer has been full of reading.  Megan and Have shared many adventures in Narnia the past couple of months, and have just begun The Last Battle.  Megan has listened to audio books and read books so that her summer reading list covers nearly three pages so far.  

My personal summer reading has taken me various places as I have felt drawn back into Christian genres.  I had begun reading some secular works, and a few were wonderful.  However, I know how sensitive I am to influence from my reading.  It takes my thinking into areas I don't want, so I tend to have to purposely ensure I am putting healthy Christian thoughts into my brain.

Many people disagree with me on this, and that is okay.  So many believe that they can read secular fiction and not be influenced by it.  Well, I can read some, depending on the storyline.  After awhile, however, I notice my attitude suffers and my thoughts change. 

Knowing my sensitivity in this area, I am careful about what my children read.  When I prayed about what to let my daughters read for school, I remembered how the characters in the books I read as a child and teen were somewhat like friends to me.  I was very influenced by the books I read when I was young.  So I choose carefully what my children read.  

Each parent has differing standards for what they want to influence their child.  I'm okay with that.  The books I choose will be different from what the homeschool mom down the street may choose. We might have different convictions on things.  I am pretty conservative in my choices, and have learned to listen to the advice of others, even popular homeschool bloggers or writers or podcasters, with a discerning ear.  I have learned that there are Christian books and writers and publishers that might not be at the local Barnes and Noble, but they can be found. I have choices.  I am not limited to whatever is popular in current culture. 

This is also true for my own personal reading.  I find there are actually more Christian choices at my local library for me than for my children.  However, I have found that there is a lot of older books that reflected the strong Christian values that were prevalent of the time.  There are also various Christian homeschool publishers that publish more than just educational materials.  They often have fiction stories and biographies that can inspire and entertain. 

I have also discovered that I enjoy Christian fiction that might be more for my children, like The Chronicles of Narnia, is worthwhile to pick up again. Many of us haven't read these novels since we were young (if at all). Much of the spiritual applications are missed in the younger years and have a much stronger impact as an adult.  Reading books to my youngest two daughters through our homeschooling years has often taught me lessons that have stayed with me in ways a sermon hasn't.  Childlike faith is fed, at times, with simple, faith-filled stories.  It isn't always complicated. 

My goal is to grow my library at home into one that is full of books that will show Christ with every turn of the page.  This world doesn't show Christ very often on purpose.  We aren't going to see Jesus modeled very often in our television shows.  He doesn't flood our lives unless we purposely place Him there.  We must place Him in our book choices, our spare time, our entertainment.  He must be more normal to His children than the lifestyles represented by the world around us.  

I choose Christian literature on purpose, and I plan to blog about some of the amazing Christian literature available.  Christians don't have to fill their minds with what is popular in the world in order to reach the world. There irate other choices out there.