Here goes – first book! By no special preference other than it being on top of the pile. I picked it up from Books Xcess in Penang, Malaysia.
The book is about Sara’s struggle with barrenness and her peace eventually in God.
I quote: “The Lord whispered inside my spirit ... : if you never have a family, will you still love me? … It took me three days to respond ... Somehow, out of this darkness, which seemed so bleak, came a response that I didn't expect. It was so unlike me that I knew I was being overshadowed. The Holy Spirit erected a resolve in my soul that my flesh could not have produced… Yes! ... I began the ascent from rejected to chosen. Even when my circumstances were unbending God was good to me.” (Excerpts from Pg. 81-83)
"Lack and Loss" are the deep hurts we can carry in life. I have not had pain as deep as Sara's but I have lived long enough to know some. My career at this point is floating gently somewhere in the twilight before retirement. Due to a difficult work situation in the last few years, I lost work titles, position and authority. I watched my father fade away, losing ever more physical and mental capabilities, till his passing in December 2023. I reflected that whether I wanted it or not, time is the greater leveller. My younger self would not have believed it, but indeed after 50, one constant is the aching in some body part every morning when I get out of bed.
God knows that I cling to the temporal things of this earth for comfort and security; and miss the comfort and security I should find in Him. I desire perishable earthly goods. He offers me imperishable heavenly treasures. I fear mortality but God has given me immortality (1 Corinthians 15:54). I am learning (as Sara did) that "Lack and Loss" are doorways through which I go further into God, to experience "His infinite love, loving me infinitely" (Jim Finlay, Center for Action and Contemplation). Till my hands are empty I find it hard to seek Him..
I suspect I picked up the book because the title resonated with some part of my life at that point. It's a Sharer, not a Keeper though. If someone wants it please DM me. Thanks!
cf: Colossians 3:1-3; 1 Corinthains 15:54-55; Acts 17:28
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