Monday, April 21, 2025

I Quit Reading.


Astute blog readers may have noticed that I did not post my "Everything I Read" post in March. That is because I quit reading for Lent. I had decided to just fast from chocolate and Instagram this Lent, but then someone close to me mentioned fasting from reading. I felt convicted! I read a lot early this year, and while it was not bad, I tend to go to extremes. I had wondered several times if reading was getting in the way of my relationships or other life duties, and taking a period to fast from this practice seemed like a good way to find out!

There are many reasons to fast during Lent: to remember Jesus and His sacrifice for our sins, to put things back in their proper places, to make room for God, etc. Fasting from reading did all of these things and more for me. It reminded me that Jesus is to be the center of my life, and anything else that starts to eclipse Him is an idol. It reminded me that reading is a good gift from God, not the "have-to" or "need-to" that I often make it. I should crave Christ rather than distraction. Taking quiet time to reflect on the Word and dig deeper into it is beneficial.

I tend towards asceticism, so I guess I should clarify that I did not fully take reading out of my life. I still read my Bible daily. I added a practice of reading a chapter of John each day and doing some doodling about it in my Scripture journal. I also read the daily Lent devotional from Kate Bowler.

Instead of reading, I listened to podcasts. I crocheted. I did crosswords. I asked my husband to do more things with me. I watched some television and movies. I think I would rather read than watch TV, but this fast was just for a season.

I did not miss chocolate or Instagram near as much as I missed reading. Perhaps that is because I have fasted from them before. Perhaps it is because they are not quite such a part of my life as reading. I will eat chocolate and go back to Instagram, I think. I know I want to go back to reading. It is more important, in my book.

Jesus is the best gift. Jesus is essential. Fasting from reading helped me reflect on these truths. As I go forward, may I worship the giver and thank Him for His gifts. May I recognize that what I ultimately need is Him, and all else is grace. Grace upon grace. Even in reading!

2 comments:

  1. Wow Sarah wow! I am not religious, but I see a lot of value in having a "no read" season. It is truly a sacrifice. Look, I like Instagram well enough but giving it up for 40 days would be pretty easy so I wouldn't gain anything except a few extra minutes in my day. I would miss reading dearly, so I would have to let a lot of other things into my life to fill the void.

    I'm not saying that I would ever give up reading, but it is an interesting thing to contemplate.

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    1. Fasting is hard, but it has benefits. I think that is why it is called a spiritual discipline. I am thankful to be reading a gain and hope I will savor the privilege more after this experience.

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