by Doug Bing, Washington Conference president
Recently, while visiting my mother, she was talking about the small group Bible study that she attends each week. She was talking about the different topics they are learning about and the different people who are coming. Then she mentioned that one of the attendees of the small group didn’t know how to read. She went on to mention how the group was helping this person learn and grow in spite of not being able to read. As I reflected on the idea of not being able to read, I realized that I would be lost without that ability.
Twenty-one percent of adults in the United States do not know how to read. Many others have just basic reading skills and struggle to read. This hampers them in performing basic everyday tasks. Reading is simply a basic part of life, and there are so many benefits from reading. Just six minutes of reading is said to reduce stress by up to 68%. Of course, that would most likely depend on what you are reading. Regular readers have better focus, stronger analytical skills and less cognitive decline as they age. Reading slows your heart rate and, when reading stories, builds empathy. Reading expands vocabulary as well.
For all the benefits associated with reading, Americans are reading less and less. Seventy-five percent of adults report reading just part of a book in the past year. Only 16% of adults read for pleasure each day, which is down from 28% twenty years ago.
Reading is a good thing. Reading the Bible is even better. Researchers have found that those who read the Bible at least four times a week have significantly reduced involvement with destructive behaviors like anger, bitterness, alcoholism, adultery and pornography. This category of Bible reader also has significantly increased rates of sharing their faith and investing in others’ walks with God.
So, friends, pick up a good book and read.