Category: The Sesquipedalian Speaks

I learn much from books.

I have written below some of my favourite literary heroes and heroines from whom I have learned. If you are able, I encourage you to read these books and book series. Also, I must warn you to be aware that there may be some spoilers about the characters or stories.

Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery – Anne’s tenacity, spirit, and commitment to bettering herself is inspiring. Her hopeful attitude that a new day is full of wonderful possibilities and promise is enviable.

Aragorn II, The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien – Aragorn is inspiring because of his consistency and reliability. He is strong of mind, body, and spirit.

Carlisle Cullen, The Twilight Saga, by Stephenie Meyer – Despite ending up with something he never wanted, Carlisle chooses to remain true to his belief that life is precious, and he does everything in his power to live out this belief.

Christian, The Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan – Christian’s tale reminds the reader that the spiritual journey is just that – a journey. Because sin exists mistakes will be made, but one must always be in continual pursuit of God and His goodness.

Edmund Pevensie, The Chronicles of Narnia, by C. S. Lewis – Edmund’s journey from betraying his family to being a just and wise king helps remind the reader that there is forgiveness to those who accept it, and forgiveness changes one’s life.

Lucy Pevensie, The Chronicles of Narnia, by C. S. Lewis – Lucy’s childlike faith and desire for truth sparks in the reader the same. It’s easy to want to ‘go further up and further in’ when one reads how Lucy does it.

Milo, The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster – Milo’s story is inspiring because it helps remind the reader how important learning is in one’s life. So many doors are open to someone who recognises the value of imagination and logic.

Neville Longbottom, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J. K. Rowling – Neville reminds the reader that a person’s past failures should not be the defining factor of one’s life, and each person has something to contribute, sometimes more than meets the eye.

Samwise Gamgee, The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien – Without Sam’s tenacity, hopefulness, and humility much would have been lost. He shows that one does not have to have power to make a difference – one must simply be willing to do the right thing (even when one wants one’s own home).

Taran, The Chronicles of Prydain, by Lloyd Alexander – Taran, the Pig Keeper-turned quester, helps the reader see the importance of growing and maturing, that it is not good to remain the same.

Winnie-the-Pooh, Winnie-the-Pooh, by A. A. Milne – Pooh Bear calls himself ‘a bear of very little brain’ but is in fact rather intelligent. The reader is reminded that it behoves one to be humble.

We are readers. Books grace our shelves and fill our homes with beauty; they dwell in our minds and occupy our thoughts.

-Anne Bogel, I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life

One of my favourite books (and I have many) is entitled I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life, by Anne Bogel. One of the chapters in this short and exquisite work is appropriately called ‘How to Organize Your Bookshelves’.

As I read this chapter I couldn’t help but laugh out loud, for I have implemented many of the suggestions on my own bookshelves. Currently, my books are organised via categories, alphabetically by author, and then alphabetically by title. Not only this, some are standing up (as seen in libraries) while others are lying down in stacks to break up the monotony of the shelves (and sometimes the series lying down take up less space than they do standing up, so yay! more room for more books!).

In a previous post I talked about being a lover of the ‘little things’ in life, and one of the things I failed to mention was that I love seeing bookshelves full of books. I have found that, for the most part, I don’t care where the bookshelf is located or how the books are arranged. The very fact that they are there, waiting to be read, waiting to be held and their stories discovered, waiting to spark the imagination of someone young, old, or middle aged makes me happy.

(Still, as lovers of books we may as well have fun with the organising of the shelves, mayn’t we?)

“I? I see myself holding a pair of thick woolen socks.”

– Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J. K. Rowling

‘It’s the little things in life that really make you happy, isn’t it?’

I cannot tell you how many times someone has said this to me, but it’s very true.

I like rainy days when the weather is cool, when sitting down with a good book and a mug of warm tea or coffee is all that’s on the agenda.

I like hugs that are giving hugs, and I know the person on the giving end really does love me.

I like looking into a closet or cupboard and seeing it organised.

I like getting a new pen that writes so well you wonder how you got along without it, or procuring a new diary whose pages are so full of possibilities you can’t wait to make that first mark.

I like writing.

I like socks that actually keep my feet warm in winter.

So, when people make the observation that I like the ‘little things’ in life, I just smile and answer, ‘Yes; yes I do.’

I love spending time with Jesus.

Growing up I heard all the time about how important it is to have a daily quiet time with Him. I was given those five minute devotional books, told to read just a verse a day, even given what amounted to commentaries or anecdotal books marketed as devotionals, yet all of these were never satisfying and, I think, may have had the opposite affect than intended. The short five minute works left me feeling empty and hungering for more but afraid to actually read Scripture for fear of not understanding it. The verse a day approach was too little for me because it was too easy to take things out of context. The devotional works were then frustrating because I wanted Scripture to speak for itself, not be told what it says. I had a hunger for the Word of God that nothing but it could satisfy, yet I was so afraid I would go about studying it the wrong way and somehow mess up if I read it myself.

I’m all for hearing what other saints have to say. I own Streams in the Desert by L. B. Cowman, My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, and Come Away My Beloved by Frances J. Roberts and have recommended these works to others. I read books about prayer, strategies on how to know God better, and more that others have found helpful in their lives, but I take it all with a grain of salt – and I mean all of it. No matter the accolades the author has, the works they have produced, I sift through every book I read as best I can and compare it to Scripture, because all Scripture is truth and people are fallible. I am convicted that as a Christ follower I must be aware if something that someone says is theologically sound or not. (For more reading on the truth of Scripture and on being admonished to test everything against truth, see Ephesians 6:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22, 2 Timothy 2:15, and 2 Timothy 3:16-17.) Further, if I am uncertain about what someone is saying or about what a specific passage is teaching, James 1:5 tells me to ask God for wisdom because He freely gives it.

The book of Psalms is full of verses that talk about meditating on God’s word and purposefully making time to be alone with Him. King David didn’t have commentaries available to him – he just had the Law, the written word of God. (In fact, in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 God made a law in anticipation of when Israel would rebel against Him and demand a king that, after taking the throne, the king was supposed to write down the Law for himself and read it every day of his life.) King David had the habit of rising in the mornings, even in the exhausting times of running from others and engaging in battle, and crying out to the Lord and then falling asleep to his mind meditating on His words. Christ Himself had the habit of going to the synagogue and of going away by Himself and spending time alone in prayer.

I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words. My eyes anticipate the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word.”

Psalm 119:147-148 (New American Standard Bible)

I don’t always fall asleep repeating Scripture or rise before dawn to read God’s precious word and cry out to Him before the day is in full swing; however, I have experimented with these disciplines before and lo and behold decisions throughout the day are easier to make, my anxieties are less, and even if there are times when my flesh decides to make a marked appearance it’s much easier to combat it. My sleep is also much more restful, peaceful, and calming because I know that even while I sleep the Spirit has guarded my mind so it is ever watchful.

I have slowly built up to spending more and more time in daily fellowship with Christ. I think one of the reasons I chose not to for so long was pride. I wanted more sleep. I wanted more time. I didn’t think I had the time to give to Him. I didn’t want to give time to Him. I wanted all the benefits of knowing my Saviour and my God without all the effort, without all the push, without all the time and energy of listening to Him.

I am by no means a master at spending time with Christ – sometimes I fly through my time with Him, have to force myself to spend time with Him, or simply refuse to spend time with Him. My prayer life, at least the way Jesus did it, is close to non-existent. I pray throughout the day, but rising and going off alone in order to speak with Him and listen to Him speak to me? That’s not a habit I’ve yet to develop but it is one on which I’m working.

Despite these setbacks, despite the busyness of life and the distractions, despite the self-centredness that all too often creeps in, I have noticed something: when I spend time with Him in His word and in prayer I am better able to discern truth and my day goes so much better. I wonder how much better it will go when I begin my day with cries to Him for help, when I start to listen for His words throughout the day, when I end my day by meditating on His word – in short, when every hour of every day is consumed in spending time with, listening to, and meditating on the Saviour God.

My home is eclectic. There are so many types of designs that appeal to me, it’s difficult to want to go ‘all in’ on one type of style.

I like the sleek lines of the mid-century modern look, but I also enjoy the cosy feel and the mishmash of accessories and bespoke pieces of a cottage. I like accent walls, but also enjoy white walls touched with colour only by the pictures that hang upon them. I like deep, rich colours in furniture, but also enjoy the bright, soft, airiness of the shabby-chic look.

I suppose what it really comes down to is that I don’t want to limit myself to one style because I find beauty in them all. I enjoy making my own pillows and accessories for the house. I enjoy displaying family hand-me-downs and things from years of travel. I like clean countertops and shelves and open spaces. In short, I enjoy being eclectic. For a long time I felt as though I needed to box myself into one way of decorating, that that was a mark of really being a ‘grown-up’. Now, as I settle more into who I am and who God’s made me to be, I realise it’s okay to enjoy different aspects of many design schemes.

I’m learning to be content with how my home looks, and that’s rather freeing. Even more important to me, though, is how a person feels when they enter my home. I don’t want to have a home people are afraid to live in, to be in, to think in. I want people to be able to walk in and feel relaxed, comfortable, and welcome.

Throughout Scripture we see close relationships that help one or both parties become more like the Lord: David and Jonathan, Elijah and Elisha, Barnabas and Paul, Paul and Timothy, Barnabas and John Mark, and, of course, Christ Jesus and His disciples.

Too often I try to make discipleship something it isn’t. At times I sway to the intellectual side and insist that knowing more is surely the best way to develop as a disciple of Christ. At other times I sway to the legalistic side and insist that doing more for the Kingdom and having a spiritual checklist is by far better.

The more I look at Scripture, the more I realise it incorporates both.

• I must know Scripture through and through and memorize God’s Word as Jesus did so I will not be led astray in times of temptation and so I will be able to incorporate the Word in my prayers.
• I must make time spent in prayer a priority and a habit, just as Jesus did, so I will be better able to discern His leading.
• I must serve others and be prepared to wash the filthy, dusty, smelly feet God directs my way with humility and love just as Jesus did.

If being a disciple of Christ means that I am striving to be like Him, then it stands to reason that discipleship, at its core, is helping another person become like Jesus, and who better to help others become like Jesus than Jesus? If I truly want to be someone who is able to disciple another I must know my Lord well and then teach them the skills to do the same and pass along those skills. I must be willing to submit myself to His teachings and study His life. He is God clothed in humanity so He knows what He’s talking about.

I have discovered that having daily rituals is very enjoyable – ones that include either tea or coffee are even more so.

I’m not picky about my coffee (just no grounds, please!), nor am I picky about my tea (as long as there’s no odd aftertaste!). There’s just something about having a warm drink in one’s hands that makes it feel as though the cares of the world fade away for a little while.

My favourite ritual involving coffee is a morning one that also includes Scripture reading. Delving into God’s Word while intermittently savouring the smell and taste of that hot beverage helps take me away from focusing on myself and halts the ‘to-do list’ mentality I’m so good at having.

Another ritual is a hot mug of tea and a good book. Allowing time to just sit and read about imaginary characters and their various worlds and struggles, accompanied by that steaming drink, is another reset for the week or day.

Finally, I love inviting people over in order to get to know them better. In this instance the coffee or tea is joined with some type of food – typically cookies or a type of sweet bread. Talking and spending time in each other’s presence with a hot drink creates a camaraderie that is not easily forgotten.

I know some people are averse to these two drinks and prefer water, soda, lemonade, etc., but I suppose the point I’m wanting to make is not necessarily about the drinks, but more about the rituals surrounding them. Making time to engage with friends, visit new worlds, and spend time with Jesus are rituals I have found reviving and settling. They remind me of the importance of people, imagination, and my Saviour – adding the hot drink is just a bonus.