HHave you ever thought to yourself, “I should read more”? I think most people have had this thought. We all know that we should read but rarely make time for it. It is so much easier to watch a YouTube video, movie, or look at Facebook instead of reading. However, we should consider the quote, which says, “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” Reading is essential for our growth in our personal lives. Here are a few reasons why you should pick up a book tonight instead of watching your favorite show.

One, you can listen and learn valuable lessons from men and women with years of experience. I am a missionary, and I may never be able to meet and talk with the greatest pastors and missionaries of today and the past. However, if I read their books, I can learn from them. I can listen to their ideas and thoughts. I can hear what they have to say. I can learn how Hudson Taylor dealt with trials on the mission field. I can listen to Spurgeon teach a class to young preachers. We can learn from their years of experience in a matter of a couple of hours.

Two, it helps you expand your knowledge and vision. Books allow you to dream in a way that you would never have before. Maybe you have always wanted to do something different than your current job, but have you have never seen how. Books allow you to know the world of possibilities beyond your town or the opinions of your friends. Maybe you have always wanted to do something greater with your life but have never seen how. In books, you will be able to see beyond your circumstances and get a glimpse of the possibilities of what you could do with your life.

Three, you will continue to grow and learn. A Pew research done in 2015, showed that 28% of Americans don’t read at all. At least 72% of people had read a book the year before, but the average number of books read by Americans is four a year. It is easy to think that because we are out of high school and have our college degree that our days of reading are over. However, we should always be learning and growing. We should be reading books to help us improve our jobs. We should be reading books to help us in our relationships. If we want to continue to grow, we must keep reading and learning from others.

We must learn to put in practice the things that we learn from the books. If we are only reading to gain more knowledge than we are wasting our time. We should be applying the things that we are learning and looking for books to help us with the practical problems that we are dealing with in our lives as well as books that will help us grow in our personal lives, leadership, and relationships.