MORE than "a Good Read"

I've never proclaimed myself to be "a reader". I've attempted to make myself into that, even when I was a kid. I have a deep appreciation for books and a huge admiration for good writers, and I do enjoy reading very much. But I usually end up frustrated with myself for taking way too long to finish a book, or not finishing it at all. I seem to lose interest in it too easily, even after a few chapters. Or I keep falling asleep reading it because the only time I spend with it is late at night when I'm already exhausted from meeting the demands of the day. Or, when I haven't even made time to read God's Word, I feel like reading anything besides the Bible is unjustified-- like if I'm going to read anything, it should be that. And sometimes I would just rather do something else that makes me feel accomplished or more productive.

But every now and then, I start into a book that I cannot possibly NOT FINISH. For me to "not be able to put it down", a book has to REALLY speak to me in my heart of hearts. It has to inspire me beyond mere entertainment. Or it has to broaden my knowledge of something I actually WANT to know more about. I feel this way about movies, too, especially lately. If I am going to spend two hours on a film, I prefer it to somehow appeal to my soul, my spirit, or my hunger to know more about something--and not just please my eyes and ears.

I just finished reading, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. I knew nothing about this book when I started it, so I had no expectations. A friend at school actually gave it to me, because some friends were going to get together to talk about it, and that was my friend's way of making it more likely for me to make it to the discussion, I think. The way this summer has been (busy and hectic), I probably would not have bought the book. But since my friend gave it to me in the most genuine way, I told myself I was going to do my best to actually read the whole thing start to finish, with no skimming and no skipping around, whether or not I made it to the book group. But I kind of wondered if I actually would. I haven't made it to the book group one time. But I just read the end of this story about a story, and I feel like I might just read it again before school starts, this time with a highlighter in hand.

I really associated with the author because so much of what he said, I could relate to. At the risk of sounding ridiculous, I sometimes think about writing a book. And while reading this one, I felt like I actually could. I analyzed for awhile what has kept me from doing that. I felt compelled to consider what has prevented me from doing things I always say I want to do. I fell asleep crying the other night, after reading the part where the author goes to Machu Picchu. I cried because of the beauty of his description, because of my own desire and failure to get to South America, because of everything he communicated around that experience. It was very thought-provoking. Emotion-provoking.

So this is me recommending a book which may or may not get a hold of your heart and cause you to think about meaning in your life. It's nothing earth-shattering...and it is certainly not like other "Christian books" I have ever read. But it got me excited to be alive. And inspiration is something I need heavy doses of at this time.

A student gave me a book store gift certificate the last week of school. I now know what I will spend it on (another book by Donald Miller). We'll see how it goes...