Why I Set Boundries When I Read

Happy Monday, Soul Questers!

Today we’re going to be talking about reading and boundaries. 

Note: This post was inspired by a recent sermon series from my pastor and as he would say, I’m going to give credit where credit is due.

The world puts the most crazy things in books these days. Like seriously.

I walk into a bookstore or a library and immediately I see stands displaying dozens of cheezy romances with unrealistic images of shirtless dudes on the cover. Like really? Is that necessary? My siblings and I will be reading and it seems like more and more we’re reaching for a pen to black out the swear words. And this is considered normal by the outside world?? Why should I have to read a book meant for teens and find S bombs being dropped left and right?

In today’s post, I’m going to talk why I have boundaries in place when it comes to the types of books I read. 

Now obviously a lot of us don’t like boundaries. I know I usually don’t. Maybe we don’t think we need them, or that they are just like walls being built up on all sides of our lives. But, you might not know this, but boundaries are very important as I’ve learned in the past month or so.

For example, if we didn’t buy cages for my pet parakeets and I just let them fly around wherever and whenever they wanted, they wouldn’t last very long. They’d probably fly out an open window or meet an untimely death thanks to my two dogs. That wouldn’t be good. They need that boundary to protect them from the dangers of the outside world.

You may be wondering how this applies to us readers, but you’d be surprised by the similarities. As a Christian girl growing up in a nasty outside world, it’s important to watch what type of media I’m allowing myself to intake. I can say I don’t swear but the book I’m reading has a bunch of not so nice words inside, or maybe is full of graphic descriptions, what is that saying about me? Building those walls can actually protect me in the long run.

I mean, after a while, the books I read can really get to my head. They all have their own message that whispers to me the more I read them. They can be a good or a not so good message. Those messages really need to align with The Word of God because that’s the True Message.

Not to mention, setting these boundaries are impacting my future, even if I can’t see it yet. I have to say ‘no’ sometimes because if the message is wrong or the content is inappropriate, it could affect my thoughts in the long run. 

Trust me. It’s hard sometimes. I’ve been deeply invested in a story or a character, but then I see the wrong message being promoted and I have to make that decision to close that book and protect my heart from the evil this world holds. God has given me free will and I don’t want to take that freedom for granted.

So Yes, maybe I could just keep reading and ignore the 5th swear word in the past two chapters, but that doesn’t mean I should. Because each time I do, the sin inside these books becomes a burden on my back, and the more weight I have and the more lies speak to my head, the more I slow down in my walk with The Lord.

I want to take a second and point out that everyone’s level of boundaries is different. So just because I don’t read a book because of the bloody descriptions doesn’t mean you have to stop. I’m not writing this to tell you what to read and what not to read. I’m just here explaining my own journey and why I’ve chosen to say no to certain books.

In the end, (as my pastor would say,) these boundaries give me so much freedom, which might sound crazy at first, but is actually very true. I find that I enjoy the books with cleaner content usually much more than the ones that don’t. Not to mention, it’s so much easier to walk with Jesus without all the road bumps in the way.