Learn Something About Yourself

I've fallen behind in my reading, and have this stack on my dresser, just waiting for me to swipe off the dust and dig in!  Of course, I knew as summer approached I would {hopefully} be able to read more.  I usually take a book to the back yard, to the pool, or in my purse during the summer for those moments I am watching or waiting on kids as they play.

But as you examine my stack of books, what do you see?  Yes, 5 out of 8 books are about PRAYER.  Raise any flags to you?  Not that learning about prayer is a bad thing, quite the contrary.  But what if instead of reading all of these books about prayer, I just prayed?  I am willing to say that prayer is the area that most Christians feel the most inadequate.  That is why there are so many books about prayer, and they all sell very well!  After all, you can see that I have certainly contributed to the success of the book industry!

I love books, and I love to read.  But I want to keep myself from falling into a trap I had tripped into a few years ago.  I was reading so many self-help books, that the only thing I was garnishing was the fact that I needed help!  They only made me feel as though there was always something wrong with me that I needed to fix.

My stack of books above is simply a list of an area that I am feeling inadequate.  It serves to show me that by purchasing so many books on prayer, I have shown myself that I must be feeling that  I am not doing it right!

And most importantly, I don't need a book to show me how to pray.  God just wants me to pray to Him in simple, precise language.  I don't need a formula, I don't need fancy words, I don't need 5 books to teach me how to pray.  I need my Heavenly Father in a quiet place, where He will listen to everything I have to say and he will answer every prayer I mutter.

Will I get through these books eventually?  Probably.  But time in this book is far more important.

I've linked up with iFellowship today at Seeds of Faith.