Odd thought this one...
I began reading Harry Potter for the first time ever. I know...Apparently I live under a rock.
I have never really had any desire to read fiction. I thought it to be a waste of time. Same reason for not knowing what I want to do for a living (needed to have a purpose...carry me to my end goal). I am rather enjoying Harry Potter though. It is a fun story. Makes me want to buy an owl and find platform 9 3/4. (Is 29 too old to go to Hogwarts?)
I am trying to find a good way to put down my thoughts... Why read a novel of something that is completely made up when I could be reading my scriptures or a book about a gospel/self improving topic? I have the same thoughts about movies and TV shows (although I do watch a lot of shows. Thank you Netflix). Why watch a show about someone who has made it big in life and not go make it big in your own life? Instead of watching rookie blue why not just become a cop? (I know I know, why not be a cop AND watch Rookie Blue). Instead of watching suits why not go study law? (maybe you already are ;) )
I had a thought today that has changed my previous thought. My wife gave me some skittles in the van on the way home from church and I had the same thought (whats the point?). Why eat skittles? They have no nutritional value, they just taste good. Then I thought, why do we have taste buds at all? Most of our body parts work in a specific way to keep us alive; Heart pumps blood, lungs breathe air, spleen takes up space, skin keeps in all in. Then it occurred to me. We have taste buds so things taste good. (As well as to know when something is rotten and potentially kill us. That thought just came to me...guess there is a big purpose to taste buds that completely ruins the reason I am writing this post.... :p ) I was going to say "is that essential, food tasting good?" No, not necessarily. We could eat just the same if everything tasted like styrofoam...we wouldn't know any different.
We have taste buds so that we can enjoy delicious things. So if God gave us taste buds so we can enjoy good food and drink, why can't we also enjoy using our imagination while we read a good book?
I am enjoying reading through Harry Potter. I still have that thought of "you should be reading your scriptures and moving closer to saving your self."
And then I had another thought. Why are we so willing to read Harry Potter every waking moment we have but roll our eyes when we think about how we still need to do our 15 min of scripture study? Why do we neglect the things that matter most? Same with the taste bud thing. Why eat skittles simply for the delicious taste and neglect something that will make us feel way better and actually help us be healthy?
My final thought was this: Part of the reason God created us and this world with everything in it was so we can ENJOY it. We are meant to have fun and enjoy our time here. We just can't forget to have a moderation in all things. Let's all work on not neglecting the things that matter most. Lets get as excited for the scriptures as we are about Harry Potter and skittles.
Men are that they might have joy! That's why there are Skittles and Harry Potter. Besides, its fun to find the similarities to the gospel or thoughts on raising children, or being a teacher/mentor in books. I think fiction expands the imagination. Imagination lets us become what we might not have before simply because we haven't imagined it. In a story you can be the hero that slays a dragon, you can rescue a princess, you can be the cop or the lawyer in a safe place where no one tells you that you are too young or that you are never going to become that. I have favorite books that I read over and over - I learn things each time. They make my heart lighter, they make me think, they encourage me to be better. I see friendships that are everlasting, I see relationships break down and it gives me a better understanding of how to channel my relationships. I do love reading my scriptures, they are the food for my soul. My other books are my dessert. Placed here so I can draw similarities and differences, escape into a different world and imagine how I may have done things, learn of other cultures and backgrounds from another person's perspective. My bedside table has no less than 20 books. Its a comfortable jumble of scripture, fiction, education, farming, massage therapy, trigger point therapy, business books and self help (although I loathe that term). The books that I choose to read tell me exactly where I am in my life. Am I an Archie comic? Fluff and good vocabulary? or an historical fiction 700 pages thick, with incredible characters that come to life bringing history with them and thereby enriching me? In the end, a book can soothe your soul to get you to the place where reading your scriptures is a balm of healing and renewal. A stepping stone, if you will, to the rich tapestry of the scriptures.
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