Funny, but when I was young, I didn’t like reading. I cheated in 4th grade playing the “sympathy” card making excuses to keep from taking written reading comprehension exercises. I broke my right elbow Labor Day weekend before starting at a new school and since the first part of the year I couldn’t write, when the cast came off I milked it as long as possible. I got to the highest “gold” reading level before most of the students because I would read the assignment and glance over the questions while others were writing their answers.

I rarely read the newspaper growing up. After returning to Lafayette to live with my mother in her later years — an avid newspaper reader — she’d say, “you need to read this,” and she was usually right. She knew how to point out things I was interested in, which was not a surprise since it was her coaching that got me through 5th grade and lots of homework — and life.

Today when I ask someone if they have read one story or another in The Daily Iberian, mine or others, I hear any number of excuses. There is an online edition that is less than $6 a month, but my preferred reading — now — is holding a newspaper, seeing big and small stories or ads of interest. 

Yes, I read the morning paper. Just because I work here doesn’t mean I know everything being reported and published. I have to keep up like everybody else. And, I also have to pay for a subscription, even if its at a discount.

So I’ve come to marvel at people with opinions about what is going on in New Iberia, Iberia Parish, the three parish Teche Area and don’t read the newspaper. So many things are going on they have no idea about but certainly have opinions not necessarily based on facts — usually hearsay from what they’ve heard other people complaining about. Newspaper journalism still requires checking facts and if we miss the mark, we have to own up to it — our readers insist upon it.

Stories for the Religion section since June have been exciting for me to uncover. Holy Spirit has introduced me to some incredible people. It was during the first six months at the paper I realized God did not open doors for me to move anywhere in the country, as I had anticipated. He planted me in New Iberia and I can trace His wooing back at least a decade.

As I report the progress of the community in the arts, lifestyles and history of the Teche Area, I see His hand everywhere. It makes me wonder how the children of God can know what God is up to — not just with their own circle of influence — if they are not reading the newspaper. Some pick it up just because the story is about them. Selah!

Each week when I get calendar events, whether for the faith happenings or general civic celebrations, I marvel at how similar some of them are, often on the same day. What if there really was a cooperative effort and the body of Christ did not try to do everything from a single position, provide every service from each church or ministry and combined efforts — community, not self-focused? 

We’d have to put our own agendas aside and seek the Lord for His. That is the only way to come together in one accord. Experiencing the Faith In Unity prayer vigil Oct. 18 was experiencing a common, God ordained celebration. It was marvelous, and only the beginning. To know if we are in agreement we must first know His Word.

If we lay our agendas aside and seek His plans, these principles and truths will bring us together before Jesus returns. We will also know how much He loves us and desires to spend time with us just to say, “I love you.” Only then can we do the same for others — those not yet reading His Word on their own. Reading is fun and mentally stimulating. Just wish I had more time for it.

 

Vicky Branton is the Teche Life editor at The Daily Iberian.