book smell

i admit i am one to judge books by their covers...unless on a strict recommendation from a friend. i like to feel the cover, feel the the texture of the pages, i even smell the book (if no one is around - i love "book smell"). i run my fingers across the cover and down the spine and let the pages spill open and take a deep breath and wait to see if it's a welcome invitation to lose myself within. there's something about a story or written word that captures you. you can't help but be enthralled by a good story. your mind works its magic and in no time at all, you have the imagination of a child again. you can see the expression of the characters and envision the look and feel of their surroundings. you soon become part of the story yourself. it's both liberating and enslaving. you're freed from the physics of this world with your imagination, but you are trapped not wanting to stop reading till the end, or very sadly, wanting more of a story that's ended. i used to stay up for hours reading (one of those kids under the covers with a flashlight) and i still stay up late reading something. there are days when all i want to do is read. curl up on the couch with a good book and spend all day in that world. there are books that i read in grade school that i still have and read regularly (they're at a 5th or 6th grade reading level and sometimes, i want that). there are books that i make it a point to read at least once a year, no matter what, (pride and prejudice and the year of impossible goodbyes) there are books that bring up emotions and memories of good times and bad. there are books that explain things that you would have never understood any other way. books are in some sense alive.
i am not proud of the fact that one book that has literally stood the test of ALL time, has not captured my fancy like it should have - i have not let it. i read it when i feel far from god, when times are low and i know it's the "right thing to do." i don't read it when i should most - when i feel like i've got it all figured out, when life is great and the sun is shining. it's not a good place to be in when you think you've got it all figured out...god cannot be "all figured out", so i must be off somewhere! just like a good mystery that you rip through the pages trying to uncover the truth, so we should rip through the bible and search for god's truths. lord may i have more enthusiasm for you and your life giving word!