Braddock's Rock

 

Would you say you read a lot? We do. Ruthie and I collect books like some people collect boxtops. Several years ago when we left the area where we were living we gave a hundred boxes of books to the nearby university library. Not a hundred books, a hundred boxes of books. We don't have quite that many left, but almost. Besides that, I have at least 200 on the ereader on my tablet. I try to read at least a hundred books a year.

 

But recently I've been re-thinking that practice. I need to read, but as with everything I do as a Christian I need to think priorities. Would it be more helpful to what God wants my life to become if a higher percentage of that reading time was Scripture? That's my new resolution. I'm not suggesting it for you, but I think it's the right thing for me to do at this point in my journey. Whatever time I spend reading, more than 50% of it needs to be in the Word.

 

If you've ever driven west on Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC, you probably passed near one of the more significant landmarks in our nation's capital - although I'll bet you've never seen it. You'd have to stop and get out of your car as you approach the onramp to the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, and there, on the left side of the street, you'd discover a small, round stone structure - like a well-head - with a small stone marker. A lid is welded in place, but if you were to remove it and climb down about 20 rungs of the ladder inside (assuming your flashlight is working) you would find what's left of a rock, unceremoniously named "Braddock's Rock."

 

Braddock's Rock marks the spot where British General Edward Braddock came ashore in the Colonies in the spring of 1755. Later the city would be named for one of the soldiers who fought there, George Washington. As the city developed and grew, it was decided that Braddock's Rock should become the hub of the coordinates as all of the city's complex traffic circles and angles and land grants were surveyed and distributed. Braddock's Rock became the starting point from which everything else was measured.

 

You know where I'm going with this. Anything I read is only true if it squares with Scripture. The Bible is the norm. It is the flawless yardstick against which all else is measured. I read other things for insight and perspective and detail and color, but the Rock from which it all radiates is Scripture. So I've decided that needs to become a more consistent piece of my reading investment. If you haven't already, I invite you to join me.

 

By Don Jacobsen