I Remember

Making “Quiet Time” a Part of Your Daily Schedule

article by Paul Lipe

I REMEMBER the teacher who was largely responsible for developing in me a love for reading. It was my good fortune to sit under her instruction in both the sixth and eighth grades. During those formative years in my life, she introduced me to the pleasures that can come from the pens of great writers.

Her method was subtle but very effective, for I am confident that she influenced not only me but also the great majority of her other students. This is how she worked her magic: Every day following lunch, she would have the whole class sit quietly with our heads resting on our desks while she read us a chapter in a book from a well-chosen list of good literature. Some of my favorites included Tom Sawyer, Ivanhoe, The Last of the Mohicans, Treasure Island and A Tale of Two Cities. She would read bonus chapters if the class had perfect attendance, if everyone made “100” on the daily spelling test, and (good hygiene is important) if we all brushed our teeth! This soon became the highlight of my day at school – not brushing my teeth, but hearing the teacher read.

This practice of my teacher had other positive affects – because I appreciated her reading to us, I wanted to do my best in my other school-related activities. There is no doubt that my grades were higher because of my desire to please my reader/teacher. I suspect that my deportment was also better for the same reason. As I reflect back on my junior high years, I remember being much better behaved in the sixth and eighth grades than I was in grade seven. (My interaction with my seventh grade teacher is a completely different story and for another day!)

My reading habits were also shaped by a professor at Davidson College, my alma mater. I majored in history, and this particular instructor was a brilliant man and a not-too-boring lecturer. In addition to our BIG textbook, the good Doctor assigned what he termed “parallel reading.” This consisted of a long, long list of books that were “parallel” to our particular field of study. We were to read and report on hundreds and hundreds of pages from those selected books. This reading was NOT nearly as interesting as the books of fiction which I had grown to love. However, this did teach me to read rapidly, hitting the “high spots.” In addition, I absorbed some data that otherwise I would have missed. For instance, there have been several times when, while watching a quiz show on TV, I have been able to answer some inconsequential question. When my surprised family asked, “How did you know that?,” my reply has been, “Parallel Reading!”

The point is that reading, whether enjoyable or just informative, is important. Our minds are improved, and our lives enhanced. The person who does not spend some time reading is probably guilty of cheating himself out of a pleasure he does not know exists. With our excellent area libraries and the availability of electronic books, a world of new vistas is open to everyone; so turn off the TV and put down those mechanical devices — and read a book!

Of all the books I have read (or skimmed), one stands out as the most helpful and the most influential. That book is the Bible. My conversion dates back to the summer between my junior and senior years of high school. At the strong encouraging of my sister, I spent that summer attending and working at a Bible Camp in upstate New York. Leaders at that camp, who helped me see my spiritual need and who pointed me to the One Who could meet that need, stressed to me the importance of a regularly, consistent habit of reading the Bible. That summer, I began the practice of a daily “Quiet Time” and have maintained that routine through the years since. Few things in my life and vocation have been as encouraging and beneficial as the systematic exposure of my mind and heart to the truths of God’s Word.

I assume that if you have gotten this far in this edition of “I Remember,” you must surely like to read. If I am correct in that assumption, let me commend the continued reading of good books, and especially the consistent reading of the Bible. I am confident that you will be greatly benefitted, as I have been.