The Sacred Romance John Eldredge Summary
The Sacred Romance, by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge, took me on a journey that teought me more about what God is doing behind the scenes of our lives to woo us to Him and only Him. God truly wants us all to join in a Sacred Romance with Him. The truth is, we all have the longing to form such a relationship with God Himself. Our hearts tell us that we need this relationship, but we continuously subdue the need and any desire, choosing instead to do life on our own. They “hope to help you discover your soul’s deepest longing and invite you to embrace it as the most important part of your life” (10). It is their goal to help us guide our own hearts. All of the experiences we have, every longing for romance or love, every fragment of loyalty and beauty is really us seeking this Sacred Romance.
Most of the book is spent discussing what they call the “Message of the Arrows” (23). The Arrows describes the experiences of our pasts that have pulled us from God and have kept us from seeing, and believing that God wants to romance us. By taking a look back at our past, we should be able to see …show more content…
how every story is really about God teaching us to join in His romance.
A few arrows that I personally have experienced are the death of my mother at a young age, getting married so young and having to learn how to adjust while still growing up. Both of these events in my life seemed to have shaped me into who I am today. I didn’t know this at the time. I thought to myself, “Why must I have to go through this.” I grew up a Christian and believed in the power of God very much. But when my family and I quit going to church I think I may have forgotten some of the feelings of faith I once had. My mother passing has to be the worst arrow I have ever experienced. Being only 20 years old and being the sole caretaker for her was not easy. But I did my best, and I honestly do not think I would not be the person I am today without having had experienced it all.
Much of the questions and responses to God that the authors discuss rang thoroughly with me.
Questions like, "God, why did you allow this to happen? Why am I like this? What else are you going to allow?" The book says, "In the secret places of our heart, we believe God Himself is the One who did not protect us from these things and we guard our hearts against future disappointment." This thinking is from Satan. "Satan's utmost deception is to convince us that God's love isn't good ... that He is holding out on us." Another part in the book that really stuck with me was: "How is God wooing us through flat tires, bounced checks, and rained-out picnics? What is he after as we face cancer, sexual struggles, and abandonment?" But the thing is, "His wooing seems wild because he seeks to free our hearts from the attachments and addictions we've chosen, thanks to the Arrows we've known"
(145).
God is always romancing us through the simple things in life; a sunrise, the smell of coffee, sending us encouragement at just the right time, but Satan is trying to derail those efforts with lies like, you’re worth anything, you’ll never be who you want to be, you haven’t got what it takes, you are a nuisance – basically anything that makes you doubt Gods goodness toward you, the same lie he told in Eden. My goal, after reading this book, is to constantly remind myself of the romance and the end of the story ... especially in moments when I am stuck in the middle and the end seems all too distant. I want to practice "redemptive remembering." "Redemptive remembering is where we develop a life script by interpreting the past, with both the Arrows and the Haunting, in a way that gives energy to the present and direction to the future."
With many doubts about all of His Promises to us, I never felt satisfied with life, a significant person, or truly loved for everything that I am. I could go on forever about how much this book has drawn me to God, but most importantly, this book has helped me completely with overcoming my major insecurities. The "Arrows" were more important to me for most of my life, so I was blind to God's Heart, Promises, and incredible Love for me. I also learned that I've always been trying to live life according to my own reasoning and coping strategies, while underestimating God's wonderful power and willingness to comfort, guide, love, forgive, etc. for every human being who Loves Him. This book has totally encouraged me to change my whole perspective on life, Satan, God, and all His promises.
Most of the book is spent discussing what they call the “Message of the Arrows” (23). The Arrows describes the experiences of our pasts that have pulled us from God and have kept us from seeing, and believing that God wants to romance us. By taking a look back at our past, we should be able to see …show more content…
how every story is really about God teaching us to join in His romance.
A few arrows that I personally have experienced are the death of my mother at a young age, getting married so young and having to learn how to adjust while still growing up. Both of these events in my life seemed to have shaped me into who I am today. I didn’t know this at the time. I thought to myself, “Why must I have to go through this.” I grew up a Christian and believed in the power of God very much. But when my family and I quit going to church I think I may have forgotten some of the feelings of faith I once had. My mother passing has to be the worst arrow I have ever experienced. Being only 20 years old and being the sole caretaker for her was not easy. But I did my best, and I honestly do not think I would not be the person I am today without having had experienced it all.
Much of the questions and responses to God that the authors discuss rang thoroughly with me.
Questions like, "God, why did you allow this to happen? Why am I like this? What else are you going to allow?" The book says, "In the secret places of our heart, we believe God Himself is the One who did not protect us from these things and we guard our hearts against future disappointment." This thinking is from Satan. "Satan's utmost deception is to convince us that God's love isn't good ... that He is holding out on us." Another part in the book that really stuck with me was: "How is God wooing us through flat tires, bounced checks, and rained-out picnics? What is he after as we face cancer, sexual struggles, and abandonment?" But the thing is, "His wooing seems wild because he seeks to free our hearts from the attachments and addictions we've chosen, thanks to the Arrows we've known"
(145).
God is always romancing us through the simple things in life; a sunrise, the smell of coffee, sending us encouragement at just the right time, but Satan is trying to derail those efforts with lies like, you’re worth anything, you’ll never be who you want to be, you haven’t got what it takes, you are a nuisance – basically anything that makes you doubt Gods goodness toward you, the same lie he told in Eden. My goal, after reading this book, is to constantly remind myself of the romance and the end of the story ... especially in moments when I am stuck in the middle and the end seems all too distant. I want to practice "redemptive remembering." "Redemptive remembering is where we develop a life script by interpreting the past, with both the Arrows and the Haunting, in a way that gives energy to the present and direction to the future."
With many doubts about all of His Promises to us, I never felt satisfied with life, a significant person, or truly loved for everything that I am. I could go on forever about how much this book has drawn me to God, but most importantly, this book has helped me completely with overcoming my major insecurities. The "Arrows" were more important to me for most of my life, so I was blind to God's Heart, Promises, and incredible Love for me. I also learned that I've always been trying to live life according to my own reasoning and coping strategies, while underestimating God's wonderful power and willingness to comfort, guide, love, forgive, etc. for every human being who Loves Him. This book has totally encouraged me to change my whole perspective on life, Satan, God, and all His promises.