*I received this book from Baker Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.*
Whispers and Wildflowers: 30 Days to Slow Your Pace, Savor Scripture & Draw Closer to God by Sarah Beth Marr clocks in at one of my favorite reads so far this year. It was a breath of fresh air for my busy, overburdened brain.
I am always on the lookout for a good devotional. One that is scriptural, but speaks to my soul. And also doesn’t put me to sleep. Which can sometimes be the case…
Sarah Beth Marr really points out the importance of rest in her book. And it’s something I really needed to read at this point in my life. I sometimes forget to rest. To remember that we all need it. God needed it after creating the universe and He is the creator of all things. I like what she says in this passage:
“What did Jesus do when He felt all the noise closing in on Him? Instead of pushing through it all and keeping on keeping on, He withdrew…He retreated. He put everything on hold and ran to His Father’s embrace. He set the world aside and placed Himself in the presence of the One who was in control.”
She stresses the fact that sometimes we feel like if we slow down we’ll get behind. That we keep pressing onward, but we’re so depleted and tired that we’re not doing anything to the best of our abilities. I say it ALL the time- sure we can do it all, but can we do it all well?
What Should I Be Doing?
Another thing she mentions, that I REALLY needed to hear, was about what we’re supposed to be doing right now, to impact others spiritually. I am always questioning, am I doing enough? Should I be doing more for the kingdom of God? Am I supposed to sell everything I own and become a missionary in order to further His plan? I always feel like I’m falling short. But, she said something that was balm to my anxious heart:
“As women, we tend to want to do a major project of love or sign up for something big and missional in order to love well. And those are beautiful things if we have the capacity to take them on in our current season. But what I want us to see today is that our everyday lives present opportunities to love well.”
IF we have the capacity to take them on in our current season.
Whoa. You mean it doesn’t have to be a grand display? I can make a difference in my home? My community? I LOVE that. We can start small and reach others without it being an over the top, soul-depleting gesture. Like she says in a later chapter- “What if we did it all for the glory of God? What if we looked at doing the dishes as just as sacred as something more “spiritual”?”
Yes- it can really be that easy.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. From the moment each day when I cracked it open. I read it in small sips, savoring each devotion. Which is really how it’s meant to be read.
Each day’s chapters are short enough to not be overwhelming, but long enough that they fit in a lot of wisdom. Enough that I felt like I got a good soul fill up to start my day.
Rest
I’m really going to take everything to heart that she has said about rest and its importance to our spiritual as well as physical health. I feel this need to slow down my pace and really impact the lives of those immediately around me and work up from there. This book came to me at just the right time, to encourage some thoughts I’d already been having. Really stressing me that I’ve got the right idea, and am headed in the right direction for this particular season of life.
Definitely get yourself a copy of this book and sneak in a few moments to yourself to read it over the next month or so. No one will judge you if it takes a little longer, I promise.
You may also like my last book review.
