“I stopped reading fiction when I became Catholic.”  The person talking to me was obviously serious, but I couldn’t believe my ears.  What a crime!  What a shame!  What a sad state of affairs!  But I didn’t express my sorrow.  After all, we were at a conference about honoring God in your romantic relationships, and there was no need to ask why she had stopped reading fiction.  

            

And maybe she had a point.  Novels and stories fill our minds and affect the way we think and act.  A good novel inspires bravery, courage, heroism.  A bad novel inspires… well, let’s face it, lust and violence, because that’s what sells.  Books don’t have a rating system like movies, but words can paint pictures, and some books show our hearts that loving someone means about the same thing as craving a chocolate brownie smothered in ice cream and drowning in hot fudge.

 

There are good reasons to be careful about what you read, but does that mean mysteries, adventures, and romances are out because they’re bad for you?  Fortunately, the answer is no.  As with movies, you just have to be selective.  Reading a book should be enjoyable, but it will shape how you think, so pick novels that will help you envision who you want to be.  Living vicariously through a character can train your heart to react like the character in reality.  Listening to a character’s struggles can allow your mind to sort through an issue.  Learning from a character’s mistakes can help you avoid disaster in your personal life.

 

Recently I heard from a man in his early 30s, who also hadn’t read much fiction since he became a Christian.  He wrote, “I have so much to write about … how your book relates to my life and … [my] relationship… Your story has helped me see suffering in a different way and helped remind me that Christ made the ultimate sacrifice… I thought a lot about life. I also find myself saying more little random prayers throughout the day, which I never really did before.”  Was he reading the Bible?  No, a novel.  And, as with all good novels, “I felt happy, then sad, then nervous and then happy again. … [At one point] I felt so much anger inside, and then I remembered, ‘it’s only a book.’”

 

So don’t give up on fiction.  Ask friends for suggestions.  Search the web for Christian publishing companies and suggested reading lists.  Look for old classics on the library shelf.  A good book can help you reset your vision and your life.  An inspiring novel will guide your mind and your heart towards goodness and beauty.  And getting lost in a story is a lot more fun than staring at the walls.