Book Review: It's Not Supposed to Be This Way

It's Not Supposed to be This Way.  What a great book title!  The Bible tells us that God created the world good.  Lamentably, with the first sin in the garden of Eden, everything changed.  The heartache, the disappointment, the trials that are now faced by every human in life?  This is not how God created things.  It's not supposed to be this way.

If we study the overarching theme of the Bible, we see that God uses all things to bring about good.  TerKeurst builds on this truth in her book and show how disappointments in life can hold so much potential for good.  She encourages her reader to "be grateful and positive" in the midst of disappointments without "pretending we don't get exhausted by our disappointments".  TerKeurst shares intimate details of her own struggles, connecting herself with the reader.

While TerKeurst's writing was relatable, I could not help but see the first few chapters as a combination of a biography, a pep talk, and a self-help book.  This was not the type of book I was expecting, nor was it one I was particularly interested in reading.

TerKeurst's worldview snuck through at times through her particular choice of words.  She wrote of how "God showed [her] a picture of how He wants [her] to be as [she does] life from here."  She states the she is "not really a 'see some sort of vision' kind of girl" and how "at first [she] thought it was just [her] imagination wandering off for a minute.  But then [she] felt an impression on [her] heart that this wasn't random; this really was from God."  TerKeurst then depicts this vision she was supposedly given, in great detail.  This phrasing and practice concerns me and caused me to be on guard as I continued reading. 

TerKeurst writes of how God has given His Word to guide through disappointments.  She goes on to encourage the reader to store up "fighting words" and make declarations over situations they are facing.  She states, "We all need to have some fighting words on hand so we can declare God's truth over our difficult situations".  Some "fighting words" she recommends are, "I am declaring right now that I will not be swept up into a storm of fear and wild emotions", "I will not be one of [Satan's] victims, nor will I be afraid", "I will not be a woman controlled by the lies of the enemy or by my own doubts and fears", "I will see the things that come my way as God's perfect plan to develop my character to match my calling", "I am declaring hope and truth over my life".

My heart bristles at this wording.  Our confidence it to be in God alone, not in our declarations.  Though each statement she makes is backed with a Bible verse, when phrased as "I declare", the focus is taken off of God as our strength and placed on our very declaration.  Declaring "I will not" does not make the declaration occur.  To expect it to be so, is to set oneself up for disappointment.  I would have loved to see these same statements made with a humble prayer, even begging God to let these things be true in our lives.  Let the source of our strength be God alone, and our declarations be ones of praise for who He is.  Let our "fighting words" be His Words, stored in our hearts and overflowing in our lives.

While the bulk of the content of TerKeurst's book was good, and she had some very relatable, quotable material, I was not a fan of her writing style or the things already mentioned above.  If I were to recommend a book regarding disappointments, I would be much more likely to recommend Elisabeth Elliot's Suffering is Never for Nothing.

Thanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Rachel's Rating
★★☆☆☆

Book Review: Suffering is Never for Nothing

Elisabeth Elliot.  The story of her life has always fascinated me.  When I saw she had written Suffering is Never for Nothing, I had to read it.  I thought, if anyone can speak of suffering and give godly wisdom on how to suffer well, it is this woman. 

As you may or may not know, Elisabeth Elliot's first husband was Jim Elliot.  Jim and four other missionary men were murdered by the Auca Indians, whom they were trying to reach with the Gospel.  Elisabeth and her young daughter Valerie continued to live with and minister to the Aucas.  Later, Elisabeth remarried.  She then lost her second husband to cancer.  She uses these pivotal life experiences to connect with others and share that God will bring good from our suffering.

Suffering is Never for Nothing is a book written from Elliot's lectures at a conference years ago.  Elliot begins by defining suffering as, "having what you don't want, or wanting what you don't have".  She acknowledges that all people suffer, whether in seemingly great ways or small.  She encourages that God is sovereign in all things, and He can be trusted at all times.

I love this paragraph, which speaks of God's goodness:
"But when we’re talking about the gifts of God, we’re talking about gifts that come from One who knows exactly what we need even though it is not necessarily to our tastes and preferences. And He gives us everything that is appropriate to the job that He wants us to do. And so, understanding that, then we can say yes, Lord. I’ll take it. It would not have been my choice but knowing You love me, I will receive it and I understand that someday I’m going to understand the necessity for this thing. So I accept it. And then I can even go the step beyond and say thank You. Thank You, Lord. "

Suffering is Never for Nothing is a book I would recommend to all.  Whether our suffering is great or small, it is good to be reminded of God's hand at work through all of it and to praise Him for it.

Thanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Rachel's Rating:
★★★★★