If you are reading this article, you are among less than 50% of any population that read a newspaper. A survey taken in the US showed that 80% of new books are read by 12% of the population. 58% of the population had never finished reading a book. Only 1% of all Christians ever visit a Christian bookstore.

The wife of an influential head of state recently said, “Reading aloud is one of the best-kept secrets of good parenting.” Do we read to our children? When I was growing up in the middle of a Nigerian jungle, I had very little to do. When my mother came home from the clinic, she would lead me on fantastic adventures with Peter Pan, into Arabia with Aladdin, into jungles with Tarzan or on the Bible adventures of David, Sampson, Queen Ruth, Moses and many more. I’d close my eyes and could picture desert sands, swinging on jungle vines, palace courts or the scientific laboratories of Luis Pasteur. I began writing stories where I was the mythical friend of Greek gods, flying over Mt. Olympus on Pegasus or helping Albert Einstein figure out a theory that spawned an age of medicine where leprosy, cancer and all other diseases were cured by mathematical equations that slightly altered the configuration of links in DNA and RNA.

George Gallup said, “Successful people read. Reading is essential because it makes a person ready to converse. It seems to be a key to feeling confident. These people have a broad knowledge and feel they can shift over to another field or chain of thought … I think reading would be a very big boost of self-esteem because we have more information with which to make evaluations and decisions.” Are we reading to our children?

What do we allow our children to read – even more convicting is what do our children see us reading? Someone has said, “You cannot afford to read a bad book, however good you are. You say, ‘The influence is insignificant.’ I tell you that the scratch of a pin has sometimes produced lockjaw.” Someone else has said, “We are what we read. Leaders are readers and readers are leaders.” At the Cochabamba International Church we have a lending book table operated by Luis and Sonya. Both are professionals who understand the importance of reading. Every Sunday morning a couple dozen books are borrowed. They place a value on the wealth of knowledge in books. Do we?

None of us are perfect as individuals – nor are our marriages perfect.  As we work together to maintain our love and a strong marriage, our homes will be a good environment for growing and happy children.