When a Book Becomes a Mentor — Reading as Discipleship with Sue Donaldson
(Watch the YouTube interview with Sue Donaldson here)
During the Spring Series, we've been exploring how God shapes us through the practices of the Christian life—practices like retreating, quiet time, and the Sabbath.
Another one of those practices is reading.
Maybe you've never thought about reading—apart from Bible reading- as a vital part of your discipleship. But it is. And it’s a powerful one!
When God Chose a Name
There’s a verse at the beginning of the Gospel of John that many cherish,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1
That verse fascinates us. It draws us. We understand it … a little. And yet, we know there’s a treasure within those words--a mystery we may never fully comprehend.
God could have referred to Jesus with any term in the universe. He could have called Him the sun, the ocean, or the Milky Way. It seems like He should have referred to Jesus as something bigger … something grander.
But it wasn't a coincidence that He called Himself:
The Word.
A Unique Human Gift
Isn't it interesting that human beings are the only living things that God created with the ability to read and write? It’s a unique gift-one that is central to our relationship with our Creator and His work in us.
We are the only creatures who can read words on a page and hear the voice of someone from another time or place speaking to us. We can sit with spiritual mentors—saints, theologians, poets, and believers whose lives were deeply rooted in Christ—and allow their wisdom to form us.
There are times when you read something when you can almost feel it shaping you from the inside out.
Reading shapes our minds, settles in our hearts, and sculpts our souls.
It slows us down and cocoons us away from everything swirling around us. It opens our spiritual eyes and ears--and can rescue us from being "conformed to the world and transform us by the renewing of our minds." as Romans 12:1-2 instructs.
Lifelong Books
Sometimes it’s not reading a book once that transforms us—but returning to it again and again over the years. In each life, there may be a handful of these “lifelong books" that God brings across your path.
As children’s author Kate Albus shared, quoting Jason Reynolds,
“'Each of us has stacks and stacks of books inside our bodies.' These books become part of our life syllabus—shaping us as children, parents, and followers of Christ."
This was the experience of my guest, Sue Donaldson, and a little book that God brought into her life over 50 years ago.
Sue is a passionate follower of Jesus, a speaker and author, who lives with her husband Mark in San Luis Obispo, California.
Watch the Interview with Sue Donaldson on YouTube Here→
The Gift that Kept Giving
(The original copy Sue’s sister gave her in 1972!)
At Christmas 1972, Sue unwrapped a gift from her sister: My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers.
Sue had no way of knowing how this small devotional — with its one-page reading for each day of the year — would still speak to her 53 years later.
She took it with her to Bible college. It was one of two books students were instructed to read daily, and they would playfully ask one another, “Have you read your OC today?”
After graduation, My Utmost went with her onto the mission field.
In the years that followed, it strengthened her through the ups and downs of marriage, raising children, and faithfully walking out her calling.
Dates and notes filled its pages—moments when she needed courage, guidance, or reassurance.
Decades later, she stumbled upon Oswald Chambers’ biography in her church library--and Abandoned to God became another holy text in her life.
As she read about his calling, struggles, and faithfulness—and the quiet strength of his wife, Biddy—it strengthened her in her own.
Especially in her calling to hospitality.
On days when her knees were about to buckle—when the dishwasher broke and 17 guests were coming for Easter dinner, or a young mom was coming for coffee with her three preschoolers who were sure to make a shambles of Sue's perfectly placed Christmas decorations —the Holy Spirit would remind her of Oswald and his wife faithfully serving tea (aka lunch--sandwiches, drinks, and sweets), as a military chaplain, to 5-700 soldiers every Sunday.
There is something distinctly powerful about words--from the pages of a book, or the lips of the faithful that bring us the truth that we need at just the right time.
The Path of Transformation
Books are one of the primary ways we receive truth.
They are more than paper and ink bound together. When anointed by the Holy Spirit, they become lighthouses—that guide us through the seas, steady us in the waves, and lead us safely to shore.
Just as God chose the inconspicuous term Word, to describe the Savior, He has chosen the unassuming gift of reading to transmit His transforming power.
May we not overlook this gift--but steward it.
Even fifteen minutes a day, like Sue, in her favorite chair in the patio sunshine, can make a profound difference.
Click Here to Listen to the Podcast Interview with Sue→
Worth Considering:
What part does reading play in your discipleship—in your life with God?
How has reading spiritually formative books contributed to your growth and faithfulness?
What books have shaped you in a meaningful way?
And then ask the Lord:
What are You saying to me today about this gift of reading and my discipleship?
Resources Worth Noticing:
You can find Sue Donaldson and all of her resources at Welcomeheart.com
Never Alone: Stories of Invitation & Connection by Sue Donaldson
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
Abandoned to God by David McCasland
The Woman Who Was Chesterton by Nancy Carpentier Brown
Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Calahan
Journey with a Giant: Choose Your Guide, Pursue Your Purpose, and Grow in Your Walk with God by Lori G. Melton. Take the next step in your spiritual formation and embark on a year-long journey alongside a giant of the faith, inspired by the author’s year learning from the life of Mister Fred Rogers, America’s Favorite Neighbor.
Worth Remembering:
“Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.”
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
So thankful to be journeying with you,
Lori