Thursday, July 8, 2010

You Can be Everything God Wants you to Be

Max Lucado is an inspirational author. He takes truth from the Bible and uses personal stories to help that truth hit home. His writing style appeals to all readers, whether you are familiar with the Bible or not. He has a way of writing in which the reader feels he is having a conversation with Lucado.

In this small gift book, Lucado emphasizes thoughts from his book, Cure for the Common Life. This gift book would be appropriate not only for recent graduates, but for anyone who needs reminded of his or her potential. In this book, Lucado talks about how each of us was created by God for a particular reason. Each of us is a unique individual with particular likes, abilities, and qualities. These things work together to create who we are and help us find our purpose in life. He insists that our abilities show us our destiny. Lucado encourages readers to appreciate who they are and to think about what interests them in order to discover their purpose or destiny.

Lucado also uses these ideas to demonstrate that our work is meaningful. Because our work matters to God and we were created with uniqueness, it is important to do the work we were created to do. Lucado talks about the number of unsatisfied workers and argues that when each of us finds the spot where God intends us to be, then our work will be fulfilling. It will fulfill not only us, but our purpose from God.

This book uses stories and images to remind individuals that they are valuable. It is easy to read and can be read in one sitting. However, the ideas Lucado promotes in this small book require deep thoughts to be internalized. It is the type of book we can return to when we need reminded that we matter. This book reminds us that who we are is enough and we need to embrace that, rather than chasing after empty consumerism. I found this book to be refreshing. It repeats a familiar idea, that each of us matters to God and we were created with purpose, but in a stimulating way. This book should be shared with everyone who needs a dose of self-esteem and a reminder to value themselves. It also pushes us to look at our interests and strengths to find the best way to serve God.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”