“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn…” (Rom 12:15)

The cold months of winter were made for curling up with a cup of tea and a good book and of course, Lilly. When I read, Lilly likes to curl up in my lap (on top of a blanket, of course), or right next to my feet on the end of the recliner. She is always curious about what I’m reading – she will give the book a good sniff or two and then lick it a couple of times before giving her approval and settling in next to me. When my mom reads the newspaper, she jumps right in the middle of my mom’s lap and steps on the paper before turning around as if she’s reading, too.

This year I’m participating in the Modern Mrs. Darcy 2018 Reading Challenge. In January, the challenge was to read a classic that I’d been meaning to read for a while. I chose The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe from C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis didn’t disappoint, and now my goal is to read the rest of the books in the series.

My favorite genre is mystery. I read for pleasure, but the older I get, the more I read to learn. Over the last year, I’ve read more nonfiction than ever before. I read a lot of Christian spiritual growth books and participate in Bible studies. Some of these books aren’t theologically sound. Even so, I still receive a benefit of reading them because they cause me to dig into Scripture to discover for myself what the Bible really says.

We can learn a lot from reading, whether it’s classic literature or escapist chick lit or a Bible study, fiction or nonfiction. Books take us places we may never get to visit in person and allow us to meet people who are different than we are. Reading expands our perspective and our understanding of the world around us. One study has shown that reading literary fiction as opposed to genre fiction can increase our capacity for empathy.

When we read with an open mind, we can learn about the experiences that shape people, leading to empathy, compassion, and a greater understanding of others. As Christians, these are qualities we should all strive to embody in our own lives, and reading is a wonderful way to accomplish that.

Dear Jesus, please expand my capacity to understand others and feel empathy and compassion for whatever their situation may be. Amen.