Talk in the women’s sauna at the YMCA is lively.  Those who’ve just worked out in Body Pump or Afterburn classes come in dripping and then take 20 more minutes to drip in the dark together.  But none of us is too worn out to greet one another and chat.  I have to admit, it’s my favorite part of being there.

Just this morning, the talk ranged from books to child rearing to which Y classes to take, since Cara, who joined last week, wanted to try our favorites.  I’ve known Cara for years and let it slip that she’s a voracious reader, and with that intel, we all jumped in.

Laura asked which book genre we preferred, and everyone took a turn answering. When it was her turn, Lamar bashfully said, “I hate to sound pious, but I can’t get enough of my Bible.”

Someone standing said, “I read my Bible, but I don’t love reading it.  I mainly do it ’cause I know it’s good for me.”

Lamar was drinking her electrolyte water and lifted up her bottle, “I think of Bible reading like drinking water. When you’re drinking lots of other things, water doesn’t taste good.  But when you drink only water, you can’t believe how good it tastes.  In fact, it’s all you want. You can’t get enough.”

The room fell quiet for a moment, and she continued, “I’m in some emotional pain…,” but the rest of her comment was drowned out as the discussion revved up with recommended books. Cara and I were the only ones who heard her finish, “and reading my Bible gets me through it.”

Good as it is for us, reading the Bible isn’t trending, cool, or popular.  Just this week, another friend told me that the only reason Christians read it is to feel good about themselves and to check it off their to-do list. For many, it’s true.

But I said I read it to hear what God says to me in it, and that it makes me feel good about him. Her reason turns Bible reading into a gold star on a spiritual chart, while mine depends on it for what it is: my walkie-talkie from the throne room to my front line.

For me, the Bible is vital for navigating life with land mines.

“Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors,” Ps‬ ‭119‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV. ‬‬

“May your unfailing love come to me, LORD, your salvation, according to your promise; then I can answer anyone who taunts me, for I trust in your word,” ‭‭Ps‬ ‭119‬:‭41‬-‭42‬ ‭NIV‬‬.

“You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word,” Ps‬ ‭119‬:‭114‬ ‭NIV‬‬.