You Are What You Read

^Have you ever felt this way?^

I know I have.  After reading a book for a while (whether it's a novel or even non-fiction,) you tend to see the world through different eyes.

(Or maybe through different lenses; whatever floats your boat.)

Maybe you think like the character would think or you start using their vocabulary.  This was very true for me after I finished the Return to Red River trilogy by Lauraine Snelling.  My brain wanted to substitute Mange takk for Thank you and uff da for good grief!  But what's more, I found myself praying like one of the primary characters, Ingeborg Bjorklund.  She seemed to be in touch with God more than any literary character I've read before.  She would talk to God about the biggest and smallest matters and they weren't necessarily long prayers but just little thoughts.  She turned her heart and mind to God throughout the day.  She really relied on God for her strength and that is what inspired me so much.  Long after I had put the book down, Ingeborg's awareness of God stuck with me and I found myself thinking of and talking to God throughout my day.  "Thank you, God, for this friend. ... Why don't I understand this, Lord? ... etc."  I really loved it.

When I read something by Jane Austen or a book like The Austen Escape, I end up thinking about how I can improve my accomplishments, taking a walk for fresh air, or how to behave more ladylike.  Austen's characters such as Emma and Elizabeth are accomplished young women who use a large vocabulary and enjoy feminine pursuits.  After reading about them, I can't help but feel a little more refined.

There are other books that affect the ways we think and feel after putting them down as well.  Some of these can have a negative effect.  Some books are made to be depressing, sensual, and heart-wrenching.  We like to feel our emotions when reading and so authors play on these emotions.  Oftentimes, however, they play on them in a hurtful way.  Maybe after a time, a little violence or a little passion does not affect our emotions the same way they used to.  We get used to it and, possibly subconsciously, want more.  The books written to please our emotions and passions end up harming our self confidence, purity, and peace.  

I know it may seem like what we read doesn't harm us.  It's just a fictional book.  Just a bunch of words on paper, but they're so much more.  Everything we see, watch, listen to, and read is food for our soul.  Everything affects us in powerful ways.  So please, watch what you read.  Choose good, true, and beautiful stories that lift your soul and inspire your spirit.  Just like the food we eat, or the air we breathe, the books and movies that we consume affect our health.  You start seeing yourself in the character's world and even through the character's eyes.  Let's read books that will lift us up and encourage us.  If you'd like to see a list of books I have read and recommend, please see this link!

What books have you read that continued to affect your life and your view of the world around you?  Please share your favorites!!