The Importance of Good Literature

    When I was a little girl, I attended a school in the woods behind our house for a few years. One day when I entered the library for our daily reading hour ( my favorite part of the day ) the teacher said that we were going to be reading a book called, The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe. Immediatly I was hesitant, I had learned from my mother that witches were bad and I assumed that anything that involved them must be bad as well. But after a short talk with the teacher my mother realised the spiritual implications of the book as well as the fact that it had a Christian author. And now that I knew it was safe, I let the world of Narnia unfold before me in that tiny old library, stretching my imagination and taking me on adventures I'd never imagined. But what I didn't know was that all the while I was learning. In this case I was learning the values of truth, loyalty, chivalry, hopefulness, love and many other things. And as a young child these things were deeply impressed on my heart, I wanted to be like the brave Pevensie children who faced all the dangers of the new and unknown world to save their young brother.
      
      Children learn from their surroundings, I have found this to be very true with my own siblings. For example, if I get up and purpose to be kind, gentlehearted, forgiving, helpful and happy they will follow right along, they may not realize it but they will. And if I choose to do the opposite, they will most likely follow along accordingly. This is in part because they look up to me. So if children are more inclined to act like those they think admirable, should we not then give them good, Godly heroes to look up to?
      
     This applys in every area of life ofcourse, but literature is a big part of it. If someone is a good writer, you will feel what they are writing as you read it, just as they have felt it as they wrote it. This brings up a concern in my eyes. We must be careful what we read, just as we must be careful what we see and hear. We don't want the wrong ideas, or even the wrong mindset or perspective setting in.
Another series I started as a girl was one called the Elsie Dinsmore series. These books told the story of a young girl who was devotedly loving and obedient to Christ, starting at the young age of eight. This challenged my faith and made me re-examine my whole walk with Christ, and grow as a result.
         
      It is very important what we put in front of our children and what we allow in their lives. Even those of us who don't have children, but siblings, we can have a big influence on ther lives. What children and young adults learn will shape and form the character they will carry into adulthood. That is why it is crucially important what we allow our children and ourselves to read, watch and listen to.


      The same applies with music, T.V., the computer, friends and many other things. Things that may seem harmless are in reality not. We must be aware of conditioning. Often we excuse little things that aren't that noticable, and then they multiply and grow, soon enough what we think are little things really are not that little anymore.
     
       So I beg of you to pay extra close attention to the enemie's tricks and lures in these areas.
My mother always reminds me of the story of the frog in the frying pan : if you heat up the water until it's boiling and then try to put the frog in it, he will jump away frantically realising the danger he is in. But if you set the frog in a pot of water and slowly heat it up, he won't realise what's happened until it's too late and he is thouroughly cooked through.
We must strive not to be like the frog. We must strive to teach our little ones to be kindhearted, brave, truthful and have a servants heart. But most imporatanly, we must teach them to have a love for Christ. So that they can form a relationship with Him, and then we must help them cultivate it.




 

      Find some good books and read, teach your children to enjoy good books also. Use them as tools to further your knowledge and your character. Reading is one of the most precious gifts God had given us, so lets strive to use that gift wisely.