The New York Times recently ran an article \u201cTurn the Page, Spur the Brain\u201d\u009d that presented empirical findings showing that reading to children, even infants, was crucial for brain development. They found that exposing children to a video or a picture short-circuited the child\u2019s imagination. One expert said: \u201cThey\u2019re not having to imagine the story [for themselves]; it\u2019s just being fed to them.\u201d\u009d Another pointed out that children who were exposed to reading \u201cshowed significantly more activity in the areas of the brain that process visual association, even though the child was listening to a story and could not see any pictures.\u201d\u009d In short, verbal communication makes your mind and heart do the work of grasping and imagining the story for yourself. Images tend to feed you what some other person\u2019s imagination has created.<\/p>\n
I am not denigrating visual arts in general. But this simple article about reading to children supports an ancient Protestant understanding about the power of the Word to capture our hearts with the truth in a way nothing else can. 2 Corinthians 3:18 and 4:6 says, remarkably, that right now by faith we can \u201cbehold the glory\u201d\u009d of Christ. And this beholding is linked to the Spirit\u2019s work in our hearts as the Word of God is read and heard (2 Corinthians 3:12-16).<\/p>\n
For years I thought that God could be active in my life through the Spirit and that the Bible was a book I had to obey if God was going to come in. I now realize that Bible is the way that, through the Spirit, God is active in my life.<\/p>\n