Trusting God to Turn Me into Me - A Review of Soul Print

I have to be honest - I wasn't thrilled with the "Blogging for Books" book picks this time. The main reason I choose this book "SoulPrint: Discovering Your Divine Destiny", was the publish date of 1/18/2011. I figured it was new enough that I might as well check it out. From the book description, I was expecting a self-help sort of book, and was prepared to be disappointed. Boy was I wrong! Right from the start the author lets us know that this isn't about me helping me, but about God molding me.

"It's not just who you are, present tense. It's who you are destined to become, future tense. It's not just who others see when they look at you from the outside in. It's who God has destined you to become from the inside out . . . so while you live your life forward, God works backward. The Omniscient One always starts with the end in mind."

My problem is, I want to know the end NOW!

I was so pleased to find out how Bible based this book was. The author focuses on the life of David for his illustrations, and scripture is sprinkled throughout. We are reminded that nothing is accidental in our lives, but that God has a purpose and plan to turn us into the men and women He created us to be.

Chapter two focuses on 'lifesymbols'. Batterson says:

"Lifesymbols are all about seeing the purposes of God in our past circumstances . . . our memories can either empower us to live by faith or imprison us to live by fear".

We need to examine our pasts so we can remember God's faithfulness--trusting God through this type of remembering can help us to be at peace and trust Him with our present circumstances.

Another chapter that appealed to me was chapter 4 on 'alter ego'. We need to be authentic, and that means being vulnerable, and that feels like risk. Batterson reminds us:

"The church ought to be a place where we can confess our deepest doubts, worst sins, and wildest dreams. It ought to be a place where we can reveal who we really are--the good, the bad, and the ugly. Unfortunately church is often a place where we act like everything is okay even though it isn't okay. And that lack of authenticity forces everyone to hide behind their royal robes. But what if it were a place where people had the courage to disrobe?"

What a great question! Wouldn't the church look different if we all did just that?

This book has me pondering my past and present circumstances. I intend to remember God's faithfulness through my past, and possibly even create some sort of lifesymbol art to remind me that only He is God. As I continue my struggle to find my place in this world, I will trust that He is showing me the way, even though I cannot see it.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.