Reading Spiritually

Your words, Lord, are spirit and life.

I love the written word. A perfectly crafted phrase can evoke laughter, tears, anger, and heartbreak. Throughout history, writing has sparked debate, started wars, ended feuds, mended fences, built bridges, united hearts, and quieted children. Words open our minds and hearts to the truth of who we are and the possibility of whom we might become.

This is especially true when we read the Word of God. Lent is a great opportunity to explore the Bible. Try reading a Psalm a day, or dig into an unfamiliar book of the Old Testament. Don’t feel overwhelmed. Just read a few verses and sit with them awhile. You don’t need to explain them to anyone. This is just between you and God.

Henry Nouwen explains,

Spiritual reading is a discipline to keep us reflecting on our lives as we live them . . . We have to keep asking ourselves: ‘What does it all mean? What is God trying to tell us? How are we called to live in the midst of all this?’ Without such questions our lives become numb and flat.

One other note on reading during Lent…look for God’s word everywhere. He speaks through each of us. It’s just a matter of whether you are able to hear.

A bit more wisdom from Nouwen on this idea

Spiritual reading is not only reading about spiritual people or spiritual things. It is also reading spiritually, that is, in a spiritual way! Reading in a spiritual way is reading with a desire to let God come closer to us.
The great value of spiritual reading is that it helps us to give meaning to our lives…The human person not only wants to live, but also wants to know why to live. 

 ~Henri Nouwen, Here and Now: Living in the Spirit

Be inspired by words.

Your words, Lord are spirit and life.