by M. Esther LovejoyPublished by Discovery House Publishers
*I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley to review.
I wasn't sure what to expect with this book as sometimes I can be quite hard on books especially ones that lean towards the self-help genre. Though being a Christian book the term self-help seems a bit ludicrous because we are ultimately not relying on the self but leaning upon the Bible and the Lord. I think there should be a sub category all of it's own in regards to books of this nature. Esther Lovejoy brings to our attention in a new way of looking at suffering. Actually she uses scriptural references and personal experiences. I really appreciated the personal insight and her being transparent in bringing to light how her own personal suffering can often bring a certain spiritual sweetness to a person's life.
She quotes and refers to many authors and the spiritual greats of the past to illustrate the depth and potential "sweetness" to suffering. I liked how she laid out her chapters and her exploring the subject of suffering. We are all born to suffering because of the original sin. It is a human inclination to veer away from suffering and pain. She illustrates through her own personal story and understanding that we all suffer and not only do we suffer pain and disappointments but Christ suffered as well. What we think is something that only we humans have understanding and experience of, Christ did as well, we are not alone and are not victims of suffering. Suffering can be a tool, a sweetness to the whole human experience. Our suffering is where we can be ultimately in the vulnerable place of reaching out to our Heavenly Father and being comforted.
I appreciated her emphasizes and time spent in exploring the depth of pain and the fact that we can lean on the Lord and expect to be heard and comforted. I am looking forward to more books by this author, I was pleasantly surprised by the wisdom in this book.
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