The latest book I'm reading is Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, by David Platt.
I am so into this book and want to get beyond chapter 5 but time constraints - i.e., two children and a husband -- have prevented my efforts. So let me share a few quick thoughts with you that I have been pondering the past few days.
First, to make certain you are following my train of thought, let me share the authors use of the term "the American Dream" as coined by James Truslow Adams: "a dream...in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are."
The author, David Platt, states: "while the goal of the American dream is to make much of us, the goal of the gospel is to make much of God."
He goes on to state, "In direct contradiction to the American dream, God actually delights in exalting our inability. He intentionally puts his people in situations where they come face to face with their need for him. In the process he powerfully demonstrates his ability to provide everything his people need in ways they could never have mustered up or imagined. And in the end, he makes much of his own name."
Wow.
I have been absorbing those statements over the past week. They sum up my feelings all too well. I am absolutely in a situation where I am face to face with my need of God. Daily. I feel so inadequate - - words can't begin to express. I never imagined how overwhelming, how physically and utterly emotionally draining it could be to raise a child with special needs.
Now, read on as the author says, "This is how God works. He puts his people in positions where they are desperate for his power, and then he shows his provision in ways that display his greatness."
I'm not looking for your sympathy (altho your prayers are always appreciated). I have reached the edge of the cliff...the end of my rope...and I am desperate for the power of God to provide for me to have the ability to care for my son.
Yet as I read these statements by David Platt, I wonder as much as they apply to me, it is to an even greater degree a promise of hope for my precious son. Whatever becomes of Max in the future is only going to happen because of the power of God in him and through him.
I can't wait to keep reading to the end of this book. I'll be back to blog more on this book in another post.
In the meantime, WaterBrook Multnomah was giving away free copies (a limited number of them). You can request a free copy of The Radical Question by going to www.WaterBrookMultnomah.com/
And if that giveaway has ended, leave a comment on my blog and I'll have a drawing to give away a copy next Friday, May 14.
