What’s a book you never finished but still think about?
✨The Heart’s Remedy✨
Above all else, guard well your heart—
For where joy dwells, the soul is bright,
Yet where fear creeps, the light departs,
And shadows swallow up the light.
Each life has its appointed way,
But wisdom grants the strength to stay—
To match the currents, ride the tide,
With steady hand and open eye.
Seek wisdom, and you shall find
The heart’s true balm for humankind.
Life’s mystery in the heart resides,
The heart’s deep secret—the Word abides.
That Word is wisdom, clear and old—
The remedy that banishes fear’s hold.
—
Some books occupy shelves; others occupy souls.
The prompt asks: What is a book you never finished but still think about? But “finished” is a curious word. Does it mean reading to the last page? Arguing to a final conclusion? Or resonating until the last echo fades?
We say, “I can read you like a book”—yet a human life may fill a biography, a chapter, or merely a page. The only book that truly reads us is the one held by the Lord of Righteousness. That is the judgement we ought to hold in reverent awe.
In this digital age, my physical bookshelf has grown nearly bare—except for one volume I keep close, not once but in several versions. Other books I have read have faded from my shelf but linger in memory, each carrying its weight.
The Bible, however, I have finished more than once—yet I have never finished it. Every reading through a different lens yields deeper understanding and closer attachment. I read and meditate on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, for it is the bread of life, the living water for spirit and soul (Matthew 4:4; John 6:35). This is true for all who believe. And God’s word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). It is the panacea for the lost soul, the anchor for sinking hope, the strength that restores broken hearts.
Just last week, during hospital rounds, I met a Christian patient unknown to me before. She bore multiple afflictions: back pain that crippled her walk, and a suspected lung tumour awaiting examination. She was weary and vulnerable. I encouraged her with Scripture—to place herself in the Lord’s hands for protection and healing, and to return to the hope already bestowed upon her. By God’s grace, she was restored to peace after our prayers together.
This sister in Christ reminded me that God reads us like a book—and that He knows our needs before we ask. Yet how shallowly we read His word in return. When illness or hardship strikes, we drown because our faith is small.
May the Bible be the book we never finish reading. May we not only think about it but act upon it—keeping it as our staff and light towards the only fearless, painless, joyous Home.
—
en yan hua fang 