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Independent Thinking I remember realizing when I was a child that not everybody lived a life like mine. Not everyone had two loving parents. Not everyone had a room of their own. Not everyone lived in a nation where the saying, “Hey, it’s a free country,” could be a cliché. Not everyone was raised with faith in God or even given the freedom to pursue it without consequences. Once, I thought I’d be better suited to a previous century—okay, so I just wanted to wear hoop dresses. Now I look at our world, our country, and realize how blessed I am to be where God put me. That lesson is drilled home every time the Review gets an email from one of our international readers, saying what a blessing the service is and how they long for Godly stories in countries where they’re hard to come by. Books are something many of us take for granted. Yeah, they can get expensive, so many of us probably value them simply because of that. But we never question the fact that we can get them—we have libraries, friends, schools that will lend them to us. I even have a lucky friend whose parents maintain that all books should be free and so will buy their kids any book, any time they ask for one. (Wouldn’t that be nice?) And at this point, I’m often even overwhelmed by the number of books flooding my doors as publishers and authors send us options for review. But do we ever really stop and thank God for this freedom? Do we recognize when we put a book down that there are others who would like nothing more than to pick it up—but can’t? Ours is an educated society, one where most citizens can claim literacy. Ours is a booming publishing industry, where there are books for every taste and age and need. Ours is often a mindset, however, that forgets to be thankful for the freedom to pick up and discard books at will. This is the time of year when our country celebrates its independence. I love singing the patriotic hymns, I love watching the fireworks, and I especially love the reminder of all our predecessors did to guarantee us good lives. This is also the first Fourth of July when I’ve associated that remarkable freedom with one of my greatest loves: reading. This year, I’m taking the time to thank God for putting me in a country and time where I can pick up a challenging text and turn every page without fear of being caught. And this year, I’m saying a few prayers for those who long for that ability and are denied it. Wanna give me your take? Questions, comments, silly statements? Email me at BtL@ChristianReviewofBooks.com Read Previous Columns: Celebrating the Tradition |
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