The Broken Way: A Daring Path Into the Abundant Life, (Hardcover)

In 2011, I started reading Ann Voskamp's blog and read One Thousand Gifts. I've heard from many people that their lives have been changed by reading her words. I am one of those people. Her perspective helped me to see the beauty and the gifts in life around me. I learned how to live with an attitude of thankfulness and gratitude. The effects of her book remain with me. Many of us have wished for a “sequel” of some sort. This book is it. This book has the message that we have been waiting for, and my eyes have been opened again. Broken. Fear. Suffering. These are words that Ann Voskamp is not afraid of, afraid to use, or even afraid to be. But, close on the heels of these words are other words that she uses liberally...grace, compassion, redemption. In the beginning, she speaks of our being broken and how we can be “poured” out so that we are in fact “filled”. She reminds us our time here is limited and that we do not want to waste a moment. She speaks of the Esther Generation~here at this time, “for a purpose, not to make an impression but a difference.” She inspires with examples of how we can “be the gift” to the world around us. Comparable to the calendar she gave us with One Thousand Gifts (finding 3 things every day to be thankful for), she gives us a “Broken Way” calendar of things that we can do for others. Though she does not preach a message of repentance, she does remind us of our need for Jesus, of being His hands in this broken world, and of His unlimited grace. She urges us to be aware of our own brokenness and that we need not be afraid of broken things. She also gives us more glimpses into her own life, her world that includes pain and even death. She is moving us and pulling everything together. We have been encouraged, reminded that we are cracked and broken, but also persuaded that in this brokenness, we can be brave. Jesus is the only one who can not only fill in all the cracks, but He covers us, smooths us, refines us, gives us more, and considers that we are enough when we are in Him. He is the One making us whole. There are moments in this book that you will feel the lump rising in your throat as hot tears spill over; you will feel the relief and freedom flooding your soul, and you will know that you are not alone. I was not ready for this book to end and so it makes me want to “continue the conversation” by living my life in loving acceptance of brokenness. This is a book that I will re-read. This is a book that I will share with my friends. Already, my family can see a difference, feel a difference, and we intend to make a difference. Her message rings obvious~why haven't I seen or felt it before? I give this book an unequivocal 5-star review. It is exactly what you would expect from Ann Voskamp. Read it. Then share it. Then do what it says.