The Grand Weaver, How God Shapes Us Through the Events of Our Lives, a review

I should have posted this review a few weeks ago. I've carried The Grand Weaver with me and read it at Starbucks while waiting for Christopher, more than one day at Einstein's before work, on a long Saturday with few customers in the Textbook Department, and on my comfy sofa at home.

Normally a book takes me so long because I find it boring or I can't follow it clearly. Not in this case! I found myself reading and rereading sections of Grand Weaver because Ravi Zacharias was giving me the words and wisdom to questions I've long pondered.

When I was contacted about reviewing this book, I quickly agreed because I love to listen to (as well as read) anything by Ravi. Because I watch his teaching on Direct TV, I read the book "hearing" his voice in each word. I thought I'd like the book before picking it up and starting the first page. What I never anticipated was reading what could become not only my favorite Ravi Z. book so far but perhaps an all time favorite book... period.

Ravi is a great storyteller and in this book, he gives many personal experiences as well as quoting from his own favorite authors about God's "weaving" of the experiences in our life to mold us and shape us into the person He wants us to become. Not only the big stuff we often think of but how the little circumstances (or what seem inconsequential to us) matter as well.

He doesn't give easy answers to the hard questions of life and I like him for that. Instead, he takes us back to the Word and talks about what the scriptures have to say about suffering and finding ourselves in confusing circumstances.

One of the reasons I love this book is the use of Story as well as scripture. I'm a rather visual learner and in the telling of Stories, Ravi paints a picture using the brush of experiences and the canvas of Life (with the background of what Christians believe as Truth).

It deals with deep and complicated subjects in such a simple way that "a homeschooling mom with a tired brain at times" can understand and enjoy it. While reading it one evening, I found myself wishing I could hook up the words to an I.V. just as I was hooked up to an insulin drip when in the hospital a couple years ago. I wanted to absorb what I was reading!

Here is one of the many paragraphs I have underlined:

"God the Grand Weaver seeks those with tender hearts so that he can put his imprint on them. Your hurts and your disappointments are part of that design, to shape your heart and the way you feel about reality. The hurts you live through will always shape you.
There is no other way."

I plan to revisit this book in the near future. I can't recommend it highly enough for those of us on life's journey who have taken many twists and unexpected turns. If you hold fast the Truths of the Faith, it will bring you encouragement as well as hope (not to mention the possibility of great peace).