So, January is here! This is a time for me to ponder the year ahead and start to make lists (mental or on paper) of some of the things I want to accomplish in the next year. Usually this list includes a lot of reading that I want to complete, and I dive in to the growing stack of books in my nightstand and bookshelves and baskets and...well, you get the idea. :)As I've been thinking about this over the past several days, I've made a decision. I need a reading break. Revolutionary, isn't it? I think it has something to do with some of the issues I've been grappling with, especially over the past couple months. I tend to be a curious, got-to-get-to-the-bottom-of-this type of person, and that has transferred into trying to pinpoint exactly what I believe on a couple heavy doctrines. Doctrines that can be a bit confusing. I've been reading and listening to messages and comparing differing opinions, and - I've decided to put some of these issues away for a little while and rest my brain!
Not that the books on my list have much to do with those issues; I've just come to the realization that in all my reading (even though they're good books) I've not been spending enough time in my Bible. And that's what I need most right now. I may do some other reading over the next month, but the plan is to devote January to focusing on God's Word, not other's opinions on His Word. (However helpful these can be.)
Hopefully it will be a refreshing, mind-clearing, heart-focusing time!
How about you? Anyone else experiencing book/thinking burn-out recently or in the past? What have you done to remedy this?
6 comments:
Hey Stephanie! Hope you had a Happy New Year.
"I tend to be a curious, got-to-get-to-the-bottom-of-this type of person." I am so like you in this area. I want to know everything, and need to know it right away. LOL!
At times I do get too caught up in the book reading and neglect God's Word. I have had a hard time going back to just reading the Bible. I finally realized that my study style needed a change. I do much better now when I have a specific topic or scripture to study deeply, or if I use a study guide that gives me some of the writers views but then prompts me to dig into the Bible for more specific answers.
So maybe God wants to show you the answers to those questions you have. Do your own prayerful study straight from His Word. :)
Whatever you do, enjoy your time with Him.
I tend to have 2-5 books going on simultaneously and it can get overwhelming and confusing. I am a fast reader but if my attention is too splintered I tend to lose interest. Maybe you should just spend time strictly in the Bible and when you come to something you really want to learn about, google the best resource there is for that subject and read that alone. It sounds like you are getting ahead of yourself when God needs you to slow down so that he can show you what he wants to show you. I know that happens to me. Good luck!
Angela and Edie, thank you so much for your suggestions!
Stephanie, I wish I was more like you! I love your heart for learning, for your heavenly Father and His word! You inspire me! Keep being you. Keep letting God speak through you. God definitely uses you to make me think!
Jennifer
I can totally relate to this! I've had seasons in the past where my mind gets overloaded and I've had to do the exact same thing - step back, limit input, focus just on God's Word. Usually I've found that this overload is caused by an obsession with knowledge. I forget that my aim is to seek the Lord and that pursuit of knowledge should be for the purpose of knowing Him more fully. When I focus on acquiring knowledge strictly for knowledge's sake, it creates unrest in my spirit.
Sounds like you've got a good plan!
"pursuit of knowledge should be for the purpose of knowing Him more fully. When I focus on acquiring knowledge strictly for knowledge's sake, it creates unrest in my spirit."
Natalie, thanks for making this important connection - it really brings some clarity to my difficulties in this area. :)
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