Fathers and Reading

"Perhaps the greatest gift any father can bestow upon his children, apart from the covenant blessings of parish life and a comprehension of the doctrines of grace, is a passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives a knowledge of the world, and it offers experience of a wide kind. Indeed, it is nothing less than a moral illumination."

I stole this Thomas Chalmers quote from one of J. Ligon Duncan's posts at the Together for the Gospel blog. I could not possibly agree more, considering that I am a product of a father who has passed along his passion for reading. As far as the "blessings of parish life" and the "doctrines of grace" he has not only passed these along as well, but he has often done so in the form of a book recommendation. As for reading being cheap, I think I could take issue with that! If I could get back the money I've spent between Borders and the Covenant Seminary bookstore, I don't think I'd have to worry about my tuition for next fall.

This quote has made me stop and think about how exactly my father passed on this love for reading. I know how he didn't: he didn't continually lecture me on how I should read and how it would be good for me. No, I can think of two specific ways in which he has taught me that reading is is one of the greatest joys in life, as well as being beneficial:

First of all, he has taught me by his own example. Despite working a demanding job which leaves him physically and mentally drained, my Dad always sets aside time to read. If he is not sleeping, he can usually be found with a Bible and two or three other books under his arm. His stacks of books are scattered around the house (a continual source of aggravation for my mom) and magically, a new one seems to appear every payday at least.

Second, and probably most important, he read to me as a child. I can remember the anticipation of waiting for him to come home from work so that my brother and sister and I could find out if Bilbo Baggins would make it to the next stage of his journey in The Hobbit. We would read through entire Hardy Boys novels over the course of a couple nights (these exciting mysteries, while extremely cheesy, were made that much more intriguing by the fact that my sister wasn't allowed to listen - guys only). By setting aside these times devoted purely to the enjoyment of a good story, my Dad created in us an anticipation of all the wonderful things to be found in books. Reading was never made something that simply should or had to be done, but rather, something to be looked forward to, something to spend every spare moment engaged in.

When I think back on all the time that my Dad (and my Mom for that matter - probably even more so on her part now that I think about it) spent reading aloud to us when he could have been doing any number of other things, I can't help but look forward to the day when I can read to my own children. Hopefully I too can demonstrate for them the vast knowledge, perspective, and comfort that can be found only in the written word. Not only will developing this love be good for them, but it will also provide me with an excuse for spending far too much money on books than I should.