I found reading passages of this book aloud both irresistible and difficult, because it was so often both profound and heart-breaking.
Why heartbreaking? Because Greg Lucas has been through the valley of the shadow and seen that, as he puts it, "the darkness I have experienced is actually the sheltering shadow of my ever-present Father." As a father himself of four children (two adopted), Lucas knows how difficult parenthood can be. As a father myself, I found reading it revealed to me both my own dilemmas and weaknesses in raising my own children and the pride that is so often involved in trying to make it through the valley on my own. To be clear, I have never had to face the problem that Lucas faced in raising his son Jake, who is afflicted with multiple neurological and sensory disorders. At the same time, I, like all fathers, struggle with the fact that children never entirely meet their parents' expectations (both the reasonable and the unreasonable ones) - and with the feeling that God should be doing more.
This is where the profound comes in. God is doing more. In His grace, He brings us through the valley deliberately to enable us to grow in our dependence on Him, our awareness of His presence, and our awe at His greatness and love.
You can buy a copy at Amazon.com by clicking here.
Greg Lucas's blog can be found here sheepdogger.blogspot.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment