“In between one place and another, we’re vulnerable to the discomfort of our transitory state. If the trip is long or taxing, at odd mile markers our restlessness overrides expectation, or even drifts into despair. When trouble comes we may wonder why we ever embarked at all - or simply stop short of our intended destination, insisting (like the Israelites east of Jordan) that the spot we’ve settled for is adequate enough, thank you. The best of all journeys may be a hard road to a good place; perhaps fully experiencing the hard, unpredictable road helps us to recognize the good place when we arrive…”
This is the first section of Leigh McLeroy’s book entitled The Beautiful Ache. It is a fantastic book that I highly recommend. The subtitle of the book is “Finding the God Who Satisfies When Life Does Not.” And life doesn’t satisfy, sometimes I think that it does, but the satisfaction is always fleeting. I really like the quote above, mostly because I see so much of myself in it. I am so like the Israelites sometimes, camping out where I am… telling God, “okay this looks good, I’ve got it from here.” Instead of letting Him lead me to better (though most likely harder) places.
I was privileged to have the opportunity to hear Leigh McLeroy speak at a retreat with women from Reformed Theological Seminary this past weekend. She is a really cool lady and a fantastic speaker and writer. Check out her website at www.wednesdaywords.com.
November 4th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
I’ve heard from several people that this is a great book. It’s going on my list.