Matt and Ashley

Throughout our lives we will encounter many books. Some books are worth reading, many are tossed out, and others are clutched onto and held with affection.

Each book being unique has value to it, and that value is priced by the reader. Reading through the pages of a book, the reader remembers certain aspects of the book, especially those that he can relate to in his own life. As the author unfolds a chapter, one leading to another, he can change the life of the reader by making an impression in his life as it is related to in the book. That impression causes the reader to value the book even more than when he first began. The value is not placed in the book itself but in the words that the author has written. Without the words of the author, the book becomes useless. A book that is being written will not be worth as much as when it has been completed. Books that are longer in length also hold a greater price amongst readers because this length gives the author room to expound and better articulate the details of the book. Something that the author writes about in the beginning of a book might not be understood until the reader has completed the book.

Our lives are like books that are constantly and permanently written in, changed and revised. Others may read these books by seeing our lives in action, the things that we do, and how we respond. The history of our lives can be told by many that come in contact with us because they have read those pages that we have lived. The author does not always write a book or a chapter in the order it is read. The book is formed like a vase made from a lump of clay. A book might start out as something small and rough, and then grow and formed into something elegant. Some things written are later crossed out and rewritten to be explained in a new light to better describe to the reader what the author wishes him to understand. The actual content might not change, but what the reader once thought the author intended to express, he can now see more accurately.

As the pages are written in our lives, we also read those pages that are written in the lives of others. In light of this, caution should be taken when reading only a part of a book. If we do not know how a chapter began, or how it is yet to end, how can we use that information to determine what the author is saying? We can better understand an author by reading numerous other works of the author. Each book will be unique, but there will also be similarities amongst the books that associate them with the author. The better we know the author, the easier it is to discern what he is writing about as we read his books.

The decisions we make every day affect what is written in our lives. One decision might affect another, and the decisions we make not only affect us but also those around us. Each person we come into contact with is able to read the things the author is writing in our lives at that moment. When we make good decisions, that in turn can also affect those around us to make good decisions. When we make bad decisions, those around us will take note and possibly follow them. When bad decisions are made, correction needs to take place. Those corrections are vital since they not only affect us, but also those who read the pages of our lives. If corrections are not made, it will cloud the representation the author intends for our lives to reflect. Just as fog covers a person’s view, people reading the pages of our lives will see the obstruction before they see the actual object the author is trying to describe.

God works in each of our lives in a unique way. We can share with others what God has written on the tablets of our heart by reading to them the pages God has written in our lives. We can also shut the book and seal it, even to the point of turning away those that seek to understand what is written. A book with a key can only be read if the one holding the key first opens the book. Who are we to decide which readers the Author intends to see the pages He has written in our lives? How are we to reflect the Author unless we allow others to read the pages God has written and allow our lives to be displayed as an open book?

©2002 Matt Johnson