Did you know that reading books might actually help us to live longer? Yale University researchers discovered that adults who are 50 years old and older who read a book at least 30 minutes a day lived for an average of almost two years longer than those who don’t.
The reason? Becoming captivated in a mystery, love story or thriller could stimulate inner processes, such as social understanding, compassion, and emotional intelligence, that can help promote longevity. (“The Week Magazine,” December 30, 2016, page 26)
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Books are the greatest of companions.” He told a friend one day, “Reading is a disease with me.” I read the other day that he would routinely read one book every day, even when he was president.
The famous western author Louis L’Amour said, “For one who reads, there is no limit to the number of lives that may be lived, for fiction, biography, and history offer an inexhaustible number of lives in many parts of the world, in all periods of time.”
I am so thankful today for the precious gift of reading. And especially the privilege of reading each day the most meaningful book of all, the Bible. God will speak to us in meaningful ways as we read and study that book.
Take a little time today to read!