I have a few books I am reading during the mornings, but this post is about reading before I go to sleep. Gray and I found ourselves too often at night scrolling on our phones, and both of us at different times have made different resolutions over the last few years to fight this habit and replace it with something healthier.
One of my favorite ways to fight my scrolling, unhealthy habit of viewing social media at night is that I have a goal to read just one page as I'm going to sleep. I intentionally chose these 3 books to have as my options for reading "just one page" with my desires to grow as a wife, mother, friend, and neighbor. I will explain the "just one page"part in a minute. First, let me tell you about these three books:
Everybody Always by Bob Goff
I have followed Bob Goff for a little while on Instagram. I have been most encouraged by him to love people, to be brave and bold in my faith, and to obey the Lord in what He is calling me to do.
This book is a compilation of Goff's interesting stories, and I grow in my desire to love people--all people, especially difficult ones I might normally shy away from. This is such a great way to end a day with these stories and encouragement to love like Jesus loves.
Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel
I first read this book the summer of 2009 by the pool and beach chasing after my 1, 3, and 4 year olds. It was a great read then, and I'm glad I learned some principles to implement into parenting. However, I have decided as I am now in the throughs of parenting teenagers this book is really good for this season I am in.
As I'm reading now, I pray this quote from this book, "A home should be a place that brings the best out in everyone and grooms children for confident and effective adulthood."
edited by John Piper, Justin Taylor
Sex and intimacy are so important to marriage. This book encourages you to celebrate sex as God made it to be and to also to struggle and fight against what sin turns it into.
I love my husband, my marriage, and am thankful for the gift of intimacy that keeps our marriage strong and protected. This book is so good at helping you see and understand sex in a right, Biblical way.
Just One Page
A few years ago, I learned a very powerful tip about creating habits in our lives: start as small as possible, so small it just seems ridiculous, so small that you will do easily what you set out to do. Further, I came across a book on Amazon about mini habits leading to bigger results. For the record, I did not read this book, but I did read about it, and just knowing the principle that keeping small, ridiculous goals and promises lead to big and powerful habits has helped me create and sustain good habits in my life.
While I would love to make a grandiose goal of reading a chapter every night, but for me, right now, that is way too big to commit to, especially because I might even fall asleep at one sentence some nights. But, this small, obtainable goal of reading one page at night gets me to open a book instead of lighting up my phone. I gain insight and encouragement, and I pray these three books will help me in being the wife, mother, and loving person God wants me to be.