The last 2 books I read have been Desiring God by John Piper (2nd reading) and Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Both had been hanging on my ‘To Read’ list for at least 2 years. They were not in this order on my list, either. I think it is so amazing how God in His sovereignty had me read these 2 books in this order.
While reading Desiring God, I was struck again by my own lack of joy and how I so often lose my focus on what my ultimate source of peace and comfort are. It inspired me to a greater desire to cultivate prayer in my life. I have been constantly dwelling on the fact that I am to find joy in God and thinking about how that works itself out practically in my own life.
I then started reading Eat Pray Love. This book is somewhat of a memoir of Gilbert’s journey through searching for peace and contentment. While she never really claims a religion, it seems to pull together religious ideas from many traditions into something she feels comfortable with. In the end, she finds wholeness and contentment and happiness. She sees herself as good and loving and whole.
I feel that I can relate to the deep heart struggle of Gilbert throughout the book. I have struggled with having happiness in various circumstances and being melancholy. But I don’t understand the road she chose to examine her questions and longings. My thoughts swung between disagreeing with Gilbert’s approach to the realization that ‘but for the grace of God, there I go’. As I read and considered these things, the following thoughts were never far from me
1. There is only 1 way to true happiness, contentment, and joy. The God revealed in the Bible created us and is therefore the only way to fill the void in our innermost being.
2. Eat Pray Love was a best-selling book, and all of the reviews I read focused on people’s opinion of Gilbert’s actions in the book. Either they thought she was completely selfish or envied her year of self-discovery. It seems telling about our culture that not one review focused on what she believed (as I feel I am doing here). We have bought into the idea that WHAT you believe is not that important. Truth is whatever works for you and makes you happy. I am not sure how we retreat from these positions and return to a healthier place of appreciating Truth.
Piper has a chapter in Desiring God where he talks a lot about what if the Bible is not true. He quotes I Corinthians 15:19 “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” As Gilbert searches for life’s deeper meaning in Italy and Bali, I found this an interesting contrast. Because the Bible IS true and we have a hope for eternity, I found myself feeling really bad for Gilbert – pitying her, even. She is sitting in what might be considered a paradise here on earth, but because she is not a Christian, it is temporal and fleeting. But because I belong to God, I am greatly blessed (which to me the opposite of being pitied) even while I shuttle children, clean house, put out fires at work, and deal with difficult relationships. Thanks be to God for this wonderful gift.
