What you read also has an impact on the way you think. So does what you watch on TV or at the movies. You want to think about what you want to let into your mind to influence your thinking. Your reading should be something that will be a positive impact on your spiritual growth.
To maximize the positive aspects you should plan to make time to regularly read the Holy Scriptures, the writings of the Holy Fathers and the lives of the Saints. You should organize your life so that you can spend at least a half hour a day for this task. Often a good time for this is in the evening just before bedtime and after your evening prayer. When you do this you will then fall asleep with these sweet thoughts in your mind.
The spiritual life is challenging. It is like an ascent up a steep slope or mountain side. It is a long and slow pathway with joyful moments along the way. As you move along the path you gain in strength and can begin to look back and reflect on how far you have come and yet still l see that you have much further to travel. As you gain in strength you will be able to face an ever more difficult terrain as well as the uncertainty of storms that you cannot predict. It is often a lonely path and at times it seems like you will never reach the summit.
As you face these difficulties the readings can inspire you with courage to continue along the path. You can see that others have traveled this path before you and with persistence and faith have reached much higher heights than you can even see. As you turn to those who had an intimate relationship with God, they will give you hope and kindle a spark of warmth in your heart. They will help you keep your head high and your eyes fixed on the summit ahead. They will show you that your capacity to choose, to change, and to endure is a reality. They will show you the way to wisdom and love and the potential to be able to radiate spiritual glory as you discover the uncreated light of God and find yourself in glorious union with Him.
source: http://www.stgeorgegreenville.org/TenPointProgram/Reading%20Scriptures.html
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