The Joy of Re-Reading

One of my favorite things to do is to read. It goes in spurts because I have other favored pastimes, but reading is generally an all the time favorite. I have always had shelves filled with books, some of them are just aspirational, but there are others that I return to again and again. The kind where you can choose a random page, and I would know within a paragraph exactly where I was in the story.

I looked up a few articles about why people reread the same things over and over because I know I can’t be unique. Anyone with kids knows that this isn’t a unique phenomenon. The main thought in both of the articles is that we derive comfort from a familiar story, but we also may see new things each time we read it. The things that caught my attention when I was a teenager are definitely different than what catches my attention now. Our life experiences change how we see things and what we look for.

I notice this too with Bible stories as well. I grew up going to church, so I know many of those stories backwards and forwards. Sometimes it feels like I “know it all,” even though I realize that can never be true. It is a comfort to know that those stories and the ideas contained in the Bible never change even in an ever-changing world. I also get surprised sometimes with new details that pop out that I never noticed before. I have realized that I should be treating my Bible like my favorite re-reads. I should be going back and re-reading sections for comfort to see what I might view differently. To see what new things pop out to me with each new reading.

Lydia Massie, Director of Children’s Ministry