Christian Living

---

Larry Lilly's Letter Wednesday April 12, 2006

Some years ago I became associated with a man who had gone through some of life's deepest waters. In spite of his downfall, he did not give into despair. He rather helped others and mostly this help was limited to words of encouragement, words designed to give hope and strength and a reason to improve in the spiritual, mental and emotional areas of life.

When he would first meet a man sometime during the conversation he would say to him:

"Five years from now you will be the same as you are today except for the books you read, the people with whom you choose to associate, and the things you think about the most."

He was right on target and I know that he really did help some folks who changed their reading habits from trash to good books such as the classics, Hemingway and other giants of literature. On many lists the Bible was at or near the top. During this time I taught a man to read and write. I recall that he went on to actually read and grasp, somewhat, War And Peace. I have read War And Peace. Since I have no Russian blood I don't suppose I will ever grasp the book! To be able to truthfully say that learning to read and comprehend did in fact change this man is amazing.

What the first mentioned man, Jim, was doing was teaching men that reading about the life of great people rubs off on you and while the book may not make you great, it will make you better in several ways. It has been said of numerous outstanding books, "The hand that put it down, was a different hand than the one that picked it up."

When the Bible states "Evil communication corrupts good manners" it is simply teaching that associates rub off, so it is wise to choose carefully.

Furthermore, the Bible states: "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:" Proverbs 23:7.

A good author gives a clear image of the characters of whom he writes. Insight into the human condition is gained from gleaning from the description given, the ebb and flow of life is painted more graphically on mind and heart and our ability to feel, to empathize, even experience sympathy for those we despise until, through the hand of the 'ready' writer we get into their skin and walk around with them awhile. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote about "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and effected one of the most dramatic changes in the history of the world. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" the story of a poor mistreated slave under the whip of Simon Legree and the inner freedom in Christ that empowered Uncle Tom was the best selling book of the 19th Century, second only to the Bible. Millions of Americans in our generation have never bothered to read this American classic.

When I first began speaking over four decades ago, the use of biblical illustrations was part and parcel of every speaker's repertoire. Today the vast majority of audiences have no idea what you are talking about. Mention the frustrating struggle of Sisyphus from the Greek stories and even academia is in a fog. We Americans do not know our stories and we are the less for this shortcoming.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2006 Use with credit.

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE