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Book Review: The Beautiful Ache

At times we ache for something we once had. And for something yet to come.

Leigh McLeroy turns those aches into spiritual connections in The Beautiful Ache: Finding the God Who Satisfies When Life Does Not. She gently weaves in and out between where you’ve been and where you’re going, until you find your resting place in God. She indiscreetly asks you to be satisfied where you are, even if it’s not where you want to be. She writes sweetly, yet probes deeply enough beneath your surface that you relate to her experiences.

Each chapter can stand alone in describing a different “ache,” such as the Ache to Celebrate, to Belong, to Hear God, to Worship. By the end of the book, you’ve been on a lovely tour of life.

Excerpts:

* from “Beautiful Joe: The Ache of Persevering
C.S. Lewis called pain “God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world,” but most of us think our hearing is just fine, thanks. We’d rather not experience God “up close” if that kind of proximity involves pain. But the thing is—we don’t get to choose. He’s not just the God of the “good life,” he’s the God of all life.

* from “Faith and Falling: The Ache of Trusting
If God has placed you in a moment that requires trust—or the long sustaining of it—he has brought you to a place of great intimacy and possibility. Trust is for lovers, not strangers. So instead of asking, “Do I dare?” why not ask instead, “Am I loved?” If the answer is yes, then trust is the only reasonable response.

* from “A Table in the Wilderness: The Ache to Feast with God
But I didn’t want the things I wanted as much as I wanted for my wants to be supplied by my great and good God—and to be glad in him and also in them. I wanted to have my cake and eat it too. I still do.

* from “Epilogue
Occasionally we catch a vision of truth and beauty that takes our breath away and reminds us of what we miss. We are richer if we do not look away.

flippo_lippi_Predella_of_the_Barbadori_Altarpiece Flippo Lippi’s Predella of the Barbadori Altarpiece

3 comments:

Lisa notes... said...

Thanks to Sharon for the recommendation and book loan!

Leigh Mc said...

Thanks for the nod to the book, Lisa. You chose some of my favorite parts to excerpt!

Lynn Severance said...

Lisa, with your excerpts here I am looking forward even "more" to reading Leigh's book. Her title reminds me of an expression from a beautiful book by Joyce Rupp titled, "Praying Our Goodbyes". In it Rupp speaks to the "ache of Autumn"....that as we move through our lives we are constantly saying our goodbyes to parts of ourselves be that the seasons of our ages or the people who are parts of those times. These are necessary so we can move on but within is the "ache of Autumn", that something more that lies a head. Joyce Rupp is another spiritual writer who speaks of many of our quests to know Him more and draw closer.

Thanks again for all you share!
L.

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