How I Learned to Read

We aren’t born knowing what expectations we should have for ourselves. It isn’t something you just stumble across by serendipity. In fact, it’s more like osmosis.

There was a special summer I spent with my grandmother the year before I started elementary school. My sister and I would get to go swimming, devour amazing meals, and go to the library, amongst other things. The library was significant because I’d get to enjoy videos of my favorite characters, Winnie the Pooh, etc., which allowed my imagination to explode into the cosmos.

“What does this word mean?” or “Ooo, I like the way this character sounds.” The thing I didn’t realize was my grandmother had no intention of continuing to let me just watch.  At some point, it was going to be time to start reading instead of watching.

So it began with her asking me to sound out a couple words.  Nothing major or anything. Needless to say, this didn’t go over well with 5-year-old me. I had no expectation that I could read, and the way we were doing things was already perfection in my eyes. So eventually,after many wars, whoopings, and wishing it was all over and done with, the summer was almost over.

I thought I’d finally won and would just be able to be dumb as I’d requested in the middle of battle at some point. My grandmother told me something to the effect that “I won’t have a grandson in school who can’t read.” I knew it would be unwise to fight her and felt like I should at least try once more before throwing a fit or accepting punishment.

I stared intently at the words. Without knowing it, I began reading without much of a hitch or anything. When I finally caught on to the fact that I was doing it I yelled out “I CAN READ!! I CAN READ!! CALL MOMMY AND DADDY I CAN READ!!” I couldn’t believe it I was doing it. I could do it. Me, the kid who’d spent all summer kicking and screaming and telling myself what I couldn’t do, was doing that which I felt impossible. All because my grandmother expected me to do so and KNEW I could do so.

God does this with us all the time. He has given us all talents and things that only we can do. Some things may be similar but, God only made one you. One perfect you. We often find ways to say “Well I can’t do this because so and so is doing it,” or we find ourselves incapable and there’s no way He’s asking me.  He has to be talking to Sister Johnson or Brother Samuel.

If we stop for a second to stop fighting against that which He’s leading us to do…expecting and knowing we can do…the results would be glory and blessings unseen and unfathomable. 

-Bible Study Brother