Max Lucado begins his book with a fable.
The story takes place in a little village that is thriving in ways that are astonishing. A guest asks how all this has been accomplished and the response is that it is all Father Abraham’s doing. When the guest asks to see where Father Abraham lives , he is taken to the wonderfully stocked and staffed medical clinic and to the fishponds to see the extensive canals that connect the ponds to the ocean bringing the fish in through the gates at high tide for harvest. The guest is taken to a chapel high on the mountain and told that Father Abraham has taught them about God.
When the guest asks if Father Abraham lives in the chapel and can he see him , he is told that is not possible since he died many years ago. The confused guest is told that he had not asked to see Father Abraham but had asked to see where he lived and they had showed him.
The theme of Out Live Your Life seems to be a popular one in today’s literary world… -that we CAN make a difference in our world, a difference that will outlive us and continue to bless others even after we are gone.
Each of us is given a life that has never nor ever will be ever given to anyone else. It is our life alone. Do we do our part to make a difference in our world or do we simply turn away from opportunities or challenges, pretending not to see.
The author takes the reader through the chapters that each deal with a different aspect of changing your world , such as how a simple act can have far reaching effects, finding the work that you feel most comfortable doing , the importance of teamwork, seeing the need- then doing our small part and God doing the big part, doing good quietly – not with ulterior motives or self-glory, staying humble - “we can rise too high but can never stoop too low” , the importance of prayer. He addresses the fact that often we feel we are not qualified but he gives examples of how the least qualified have often made the biggest differences in their world – differences that long outlived their physical lives.
At the end of the book is a discussion guide making this book applicable for a group study.
I always enjoy Max Lucado’s gift with words, using them in his unique picturesque style which makes reading his books a pleasure.
2 comments:
Thanks for the review. It's been a while since I've read a Lucado book. He really does have a way with words.
Yes, thanks for the review. I have to say, when I read the obituaries of the LDS here in SLC, I am often dismayed to think of how little I and most Christians have done compared to them, and most of the women did what they did while raising a family of seven to nine kids.
I half jokingly told B. that maybe I ought to start attending their women's meetings, as they always seem to be able to give service opportunities. One leader's obit mentioned that her motto for young women was that "goals are stars to steer by, not sticks to beat yourself with." Pretty good advice for those wishing to begin serving more.
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