Just one more chapter

     All my life I have been an avid book reader. I would do my schoolwork in my room, out of the watchful eyes of my mother and read a book during school time. I thought I was quite clever with my system. I would read a paragraph, or chapter, and then answer a certain amount of questions or read a certain amount in my school book.
    Once you get into a book it is hard to put it down. It draws you in. You have to take it everywhere with you. But for some reason, the most important book that any of us could read sometimes feels like a chore. You read a chapter or two and you think "OK. I've done my reading for the day. God should be pleased. After all, I have spent some time with Him." I think we lose sight of the fact that it's not just "the book of all answers", or your holy book that you must read in order to stay faithful. Yes, it's true, the Bible does have the answers to most everything in life, and reading it does help you stay more focused on the Lord and being true to Him; but it is so much more than that. It is a story, with plot and climaxes, and main characters, romance, war, great writing. The good guys win in the end. It is a story that can suck you in. . .if you let it.
     I read Gone With The Wind a couple years ago. It was 1024 pages long. The first chapter or two were not that interesting at all. It was all about the history of Mr. O'Hara in Ireland, his journey to Savannah, and eventually, Tara, not to mention, Mrs. O'Hara's childhood  in New Orleans, etc. I continued reading however because of the hope and knowledge that it would get better, and this background was crucial to the story. Maybe I should mention that it took me less than three weeks to read this book, while working my busy, summer job at Six Flags. If I could read a novel like Gone With The Wind in so short a time, why not the book every Christian claims as their "favorite"? As a child, I remember many times reading a book when asked by my mom to do a chore. I would usually give one of two responses "Let me finish the chapter" or "just one more chapter, please". So, as I challenge to myself, my new motto when reading my Bible is 'just read one more chapter'. If I keep saying that, there's no telling when I'll finish from beginning to end. I'm just now at the beginning of Numbers Deuteronomy (whoops!).

sincerely,
 Hayley