What I'm Reading Now

Mom gave me a copy of the book First Light for Christmas. It's a collection of some of Sue Monk Kidd's early writings. She has now written two novels: The Secret Life of Bees, which was amazing, and The Mermaid Chair, which was not. But back in the day, she wrote a lot of devotions and essays and they have been collected and reprinted. Interestingly enough, in the introduction, she says she didn't want to do this book, fearing that she would be embarassed by her old writings. She feels she has moved past some of the ideas she used to embrace. So far, I'm thoroughly enjoying it and don't think she has embarassed herself even once.

I heard Mrs. Kidd speak at PC my sophomore year. She was there for a Baptist Student Union dinner, and I went with Laura Ballenger (now Foxhall). I remember I really liked what she said, although I can't recall a word of it now.

Last night I read a section about learning who God is through His creation. He is a God of process. He doesn't snap his fingers to make flowers bloom. Seeds must be planted. They must be watered. They must fight to break up through the soil. Then they grow and die and grow and die for several seasons before they finally bear fruit. God uses the same deliberate process in growing us to bear fruit. He doesn't snap his fingers when we pray for wisdom, or patience, or humilty. He grows it in us.

This same theme was echoed in the movie Evan Almighty. (Not as laugh-out-loud funny as its predecessor Bruce, but it had an equally good message about prayer.) When we pray that our families might grow stronger, God doesn't just blink and make us better families. God gives us the opportunity to draw closer together. What we do with that opportunity is up to us.