Reading Is Fundamental

I have this small problem. (Maybe you can help me!)

It's a problem I've had for as long as I can remember. No matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to shake it off. It has frustrated my wife for a while now, and quite recently, even my children have begun suffering because of it. I know I need to get some help.

Now they say confession is good for the soul, so I'm going to go ahead and give it a shot. Besides, if there's anyone I can trust my problems to, it's Christians right? (smile!)

Here's my problem: I hate reading manuals.

That's right. Whether it's a new television or DVD player. A new cell phone or laptop.
Or maybe even a new toy or bike for the kids. No matter the situation, I have embraced this warped sense of pride that reading manuals are somehow completely unnecessary.

They seem beneath me. Way too time-consuming. A viable threat to my ability to be a man. (See, I told you I had a problem!)

I have discovered, after all my attempts to program the things around me, that life would be a whole lot simpler if I had taken the time out to read the manuals. Despite the times when I feel I can just glean on my previous successes, it is foolish for me to continue to assume I will ever know more about a product than the builder or company who created it.

I wonder how many "crashes" I could have avoided, if I took the time to read and discover whether or not those new programs (and people) I was trying to "download" into my life, had old systems that were no longer compatible to where I was going?

Or I wonder how many "holes" I could have avoided hammering into the "walls" of my heart, had I just taken the time out to read and discover that there are some dreams I have regarding my life that need "stronger anchors" to hold up?

One of the most avoided manuals in the history of mankind is The Word of God.

Inspired and written by the greatest Builder and Manufacturer the world has ever known, The Word of God (also known as The Bible) has a wonderful disclaimer for people like me who tend to live life trying to figure it out as we go:  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

What a wonderful assurance it is to know that God, the author and finisher of our faith, has created a manual for you and I that will help provide us with the reproof, correction, and instruction we need to program and repair everything we need in our daily lives.

His instructions are visible. His paths are clear. And his customer service is top-notch and always available to us, even when life seems to be labeled: some assembly required.

So the next time you go to flick the light on and the microwave comes on, or try to turn on the television set, only to discover you've opened up the garage: try to relax.

Life can get chaotic like that sometimes. But isn't good to know that God has already laid out a plan for our lives, full with step-by-step details equipping us for every good work.

Because when it comes to our faith and walk with Him, reading is fundamental.

Artis L. Smith