That Guilty Feeling

Maybe readers everywhere belong to this not-so-exclusive club.

I just returned from ministry overseas and with all that I need... should....must do, I have succumbed to that siren call of "You need a break. Settle down awhile and pick up that book you've been wanting to read."

It doesn't take much for me to give in and shirk the work. But then that mean old niggling starts.

"Soiled clothing (see how big that pile is?) needs washing! Floors. Ugh! Need to go food shopping, cereal alone, just doesn't cut it . Windows? Forget it! Letters to answer, not forgetting Christmas cards to send." On and on it goes almost shaming me to get to work. Yes, almost is the operative word.

If you're an avid reader, you'll understand. Or perhaps you have iron resolve like some upright leading characters you read about. Really? Yet every so often you find yourself tempted beyond your control. And you slip a little. You pick up that novel you've been dying to get at. And you settle down, despite telling yourself, "Just a few minutes....." Hah! Too late!

And that strange mix of "Can't wait to get to the end and find out what happens," with this, "Hope this doesn't end too soon. It's so good."

Escapism? Is that what it's all about? Or could it be something else drawing us into another world of characters who face the same battles we face? Is it the longing in most of us yearning for wrongs to be made right? To see perseverance and prayers and hope rewarded by our loving God who knows us inside out?

These are some of the reasons I enjoy well-crafted inspirational novels so much. Yes, I also read many other secular novels and appreciate their honesty as to how the authors see their world. But I love the truth that comes to my heart and soul from reading a story in the light of a Christian World View. That point of view gives hope to us and often opens our eyes in recognizing our own imperfect selves. It reveals how giving up is not an option. And how trusting God is not a weakness of character, but more of a trusting, child-like faith in a God who cares for His children.

Why did Jesus tell so many stories? He compared the natural everyday life with its complexities to the spiritual world. In this way He never placed burdens on His followers, instead, He promised His strength to cope with our life, no matter what difficulties we face.

So, taking time out to read helps our souls to grow. It helps us to see that others have overcome those seemingly insurmountable problems.  So let's not feel too guilty about our time out for reading, huh?

Rita Galieh, has written a trilogy of historical novels, Indie published, and also contributed to several US anthologies. She is now completing a third historical romance series. A member of ICFW, ACFW, and several Australian blogs, she is on Facebook and www.ritastellapress.com  

Rita studied art at the Sydney National Art School then joined the family ceramics studio. After their marriage, she and her husband attended Emmaus Bible College, and were also involved with Christian Television on Sydney’s Channel Nine. 

Currently she co-presents Vantage Point, an Australia-wide Christian FM radio program. She enjoys giving her fun-filled presentations of ‘Etiquette of the Victorian Era’ in costume.

Refreshment by Marcia Lee Laycock

It took us almost 5 hours. We had to walk through the jungles of Papua New Guinea to get to an airstrip where we would climb onto a small plane for the flight back to SIL’s mission station at Ukarumpa. I had prayed a lot, knowing that rain would make the trek difficult. God answered my prayers. There had been little rain all week so the rivers we had to cross weren’t flooded and the trail was relatively dry.

We chatted and laughed as we walked, my seven-year-old on the shoulders of one of the national men, my other two daughters easily keeping up using the walking sticks one of the men had provided. We had started out early in the day, but the jungle was already steaming with humidity, making our clothing cling to our bodies and our foreheads bead with perspiration. We used our water bottles often but the tepid water was not as refreshing as the chunks of sugar cane the men cut from time to time. The natural electrolytes in the stalks gave us the energy we needed to keep going.

An astonishing variety of insects kept up a constant buzz and hum and our heads often swivelled as brilliantly coloured birds and butterflies crossed our path. Their appearance spurred us on each time. The men got especially excited when a huge black cockatoo swooped by as we crossed one of the many rivers. The rare bird, they told us, was a good omen.

We stayed beneath the canopy of green, stepping out of it only when we reached the airstrip and realized how that high roof of foliage had protected us from the punishing tropical sun. The plane was waiting for us so there was no time to rest. My husband took off his shoes and handed them to the translator we had been visiting. His were falling apart. We pulled sweaters out of our packs and had them ready for the chilly temperature as the plane reached a high elevation, soaring over mountains and into the clouds.

By the time we arrived at our home at Ukarumpa we were all exhausted and thinking about only one thing – a refreshing shower. My oldest daughter made it into the house first so the rest of us had to wait our turn. My husband pulled out the box of mail that had accumulated while we were away. There was much excitement when we realized there was a “care package” from home, complete with newspapers, letters and photos from members of our Canadian congregation, packages of candy for the girls and many other delights. Suddenly our exhaustion was forgotten and we oohed and aahed over each new discovery. When Kate emerged from the shower none of us were eager to pull ourselves away from that connection to home.

But oh, the delight of that fresh running water! I had been almost ready to collapse when we arrived, but the shower and the delight of watching my family’s excitement over that care package revived my body and soul.

Refreshment. God provided it, in the laughter as we walked, in the delight over the beauty of the jungle and its creatures, in the natural boost from the sugar cane, in the joy of finding mail waiting for us and in the delight of a long cool shower.

“I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” (Jer.31:25). That is a promise God made to the Hebrew people through His prophet Jeremiah. It is a promise He keeps to all His people, to this day.

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Marcia writes from Alberta Canada where she lives with her pastor/husband and two golden retrievers. Her three daughters are often fodder for her writing. She is a columnist with novelrocket.com and her devotionals are widely distributed. She also has three published novels and several ebooks are available from Amazon and Smashwords. Visit her website