Not surprisingly, it's taken five years for me to get around to reading this book. Years after the hype has died down, I snagged it on CD to complement some long car rides and I've been surprised by it. (I like listening to audiobooks on the road, so I checked out reviews on NextAdvisor.com first). Amidst the piles of nit picky criticism I've heard about it, I've been surprised at how well it represents a relevant God as the Lord over both the present and future state of creation.
Things I love about this book:
-It can be found in more places than just the Christian section of the bookstore
-It responds to the question of suffering with a thorough and truthful answer: God uses suffering to draw us and others to Himself for our eternal good and His glory
-Over and over again, Jesus is rightly featured as the center of it all, described both as our promise and our fulfillment
-Much of the protagonist's face-to-face interaction with God is spent around a kitchen table, which reminds me of Jesus gathering at the table often in the gospels (and of my best friend's insightful blog)!
-Young depicts our souls as messy gardens in which the Holy Spirit loves toiling from which the Holy Spirit delights in reaping- love the imagery!
-Controversial or not, I love that God the Father and the Holy Spirit are represented as women! While God prefers to reveal Himself as masculine in Scripture, we know that women were made in His image too, so he boasts feminine characteristics as well. We also are privy to feminine metaphors describing God in Scripture:
As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem. Isaiah 66:13
Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! Isaiah 49:15
-This quote: "Faith does not grow in the house of certainty." My how this has struck a chord with me over the past two weeks!
-The climatic offer of abundant life and call to response that Young presents: "Reconciliation is a two way road, and I have done my part- totally, completely, finally," says God. "It is not the nature of love to force relationship, but it is the nature of love to open a way."
I feel the same way about this book! There are some places that are not exactly in line with Scripture but it never claims to be doctrine or theology. I like how Young captures a deep intimacy with God.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite quote is when God says to Mack, "Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved. Because you do not know that I love you, you cannot trust me."
Agreed! I definitely see it as an instrument that reveals God's heart for his children through an avenue easily accessible to the average person.
ReplyDeleteThat quote is awesome! I missed it before, but thanks for sharing Lizzie.