Reading a good book is one of my favorite pastimes.

From the time I was little, my mom read chapter books to my sister and I.

There were a couple of years I read over 52 books (more than 1 a week).

While it’s not something I have a lot of time for lately. In the last 5 years I’ve read maybe 20-not including children’s books and Bible studies!

This week at the Loft, we’re sharing about books.

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Since becoming pregnant with our first son, I have not read any fiction books (other than children’s books).

Just pregnancy and birth and homemaking related books. I planned on doing a post on books I recommend in each genre, but today I am focusing on the two books that have most impacted my life.

The book I could not live without and has had the biggest impact on my life would be the Bible.

Cliche, I know, but it’s true. God’s Word has impacted my life in so many ways I could not possible begin to name ways. Correction, comfort, guidance, encouragement.

I love how I can read it over and over and, depending on the season of life I am in, it takes on new life. I see it from another angle.

The next book to have the biggest impact would be Deeanne Gist’s Courting Trouble.

Essie Sprecklemyer is not your average gal. Bicycle-riding, banisher-sliding, very single Essie is about to turn 30. In 1894 Texas, she is an “old maid” and in serious danger of becoming a “spinster”. She makes up her mind to find herself a husband.

Some of my favorite books are from Deeanne Gist. She’s an amazing writer and a wonderfully sweet person. I had to pleasure of meeting her and getting to hang out for a bit when she had a “Getaway With Dee” event in 2010.

She is a lot of fun and has even named characters in her at least one of her books after fans. While a bit of Courting Trouble is PG, I would highly recommend it, as well as many of her other books. I have one of her newer ones, but have yet to read it). You can check out her books on Amazon here

{Possible Spoiler Warning}
While I had not set about finding myself a husband, I was a 24 year old gal who had never even had a boyfriend.

Many of my friends had been getting married and having kids. God had been working on my heart for a while.

He had been speaking to me through several things that I needed to not focus on finding a man to marry. It is hard to run a race if you are constantly looking about.

Like Essie, I needed to “marry” Jesus. (I have since found out people actually do this, but that’s not what I am talking about exactly)

I remember driving home from a trip to Virginia just after finishing Courting Trouble when God brought to mind lyrics from a song that, to this day I do not really remember anything but the one line of ….I had to search for it for a while before I found it.

“El Shaddai, all sufficient”

My God is all sufficient. He is everything I need. I cannot look to any human to fill the hole meant for him. No man will ever complete me.

I finally let go of my dream of getting married and starting a large family.

Being a mommy. cuddling with a hubby and babies. Like Essie, I gave it up. I decided I was married to Jesus. Not easy and it took some time.

I told God if He wanted me to every marry, He would have to literally put the guy on my doorstep and have him ask me.

Funny how God works, I struggled with letting go from like January to May and was finally okay with it in June.

In October of that year, a dear friend of mine asked me out. A month to the day later he proposed. The following January we were married.

God wants us to hand over our dreams, to really let go of them, laying them at His feet.

Sometimes He hands them back better than we’d imagined. Sometimes He has something completely different, but much better in mind.