Pristine Books

When you get to college, you'll encounter a new phenomenon: you have to buy the books you use. That was a big surprise for me when I first started at Texas A&M. I was used to my high school teachers passing out books at the beginning of the year and then taking them back up at the end of the year. At college, you're on your own. You may be able to borrow one from someone who took the same course last semester, or you may be able to buy a used book. College bookstores will usually buy back your used books at the end of the semester (at a tremendous discount, of course) if they can re-sell them. But publishers put out new additions of textbooks, which professors then require, which often make your old textbooks unresaleable (if that's a word).

I love books. I love to read them, I love to browse through them, and I love to have them on my bookshelf at home as kind of "trophies". And I've always wanted them to be in perfect shape. I was on a plane once reading a book, and the guy next to me (that I had just met) asked if he could take a look at it. Once he had it in his hands, he cracked the spine of it, which put a big crease down the middle. I was horrified. How could he do that to a perfectly good book?

Because of my love for "pristine" books, I usually bought brand new books, and because I love "trophy" books, I rarely sold them back. And in those brand new books, I would hardly ever use a highlighter when reading and studying because that would just make them less than pristine. That is, until I became a senior. Something happened, and I don't remember what, that made me realize that those books were made for MY benefit--I wasn't made to serve them. After that, I marked them when it was useful, and it really helped me study. It took a little longer, but eventually I got to where I could mark notes in my Bible, and underline certain verses that I wanted to remember. God's word is to be treasured and honored, but the book that it's written in was printed so that I could hear what it has to say, and sometimes that means making a mark or two in it.

Don't let "things" be too important in your life. I'm not advocating being abusive or careless with them or not being a good steward of your money, but remember what's most important. Your little brother is more important than your cell phone (I know that's a hard one to swallow). What you learn from your books is more important than the paper they're printed on. Use the things that God has given you for His glory and to build up others.

(From the Johnson Street Youth Group Trumpeter, 1/27/08)