Reading to my Children

"Dad, this book is much more interesting than the last book you were reading to us," Anna said.

"I think technically it's the same book," I said.  "It's just that it is so long that they broke it up into three parts."

"Maybe so," Anna said.  "But the first part was kind of boring."

My children and I are in the process of reading the Lord of the Rings -- probably mostly because I enjoy it.  We just finished "The Fellowship of the Ring" and started "The Two Towers."

"Mom says that the Lord of the Rings is an 'Allergy,'" Vince proclaimed sagely.  "Sauron is sort of like the devil and the ring is like sin."

"Hmm," I said.  "I think the word is actually Allegory."

Elliot decided to put his two cents in.  "I think that the Lord of the Rings is telling us that it is bad to wear jewelry!"

With those words of wisdom, the conversation turned to other subjects.

I have read the Lord of the Rings several times.  If there is a unifying theme in the book, it is that small people, without great power, but with courage can change the world.  Regardless, the book can simply be read as a long story about another world.

I'm afraid that many people read the Bible the way that my children are listening to Tolkein's masterpiece.  Page by page they search for hidden meanings, struggling over prophetic passages with their weird symbolism and imagery.

The thing is that the important messages of the Bible are said very clearly.  Sure, there are passages that are difficult to understand, but there are a lot more that are like John 13:35 where Jesus said, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

The problem isn't that we don't understand the whole Bible.  The problem is that we aren't very good at putting into practice the things we do understand.

All we are called to do is to live the things we comprehend.  That's enough, even if there are a few things in Scripture that never become as clear as the "Allergy" the Lord of the Rings.