 |
|
|
 Title: Divine Confinement: Facing Seasons of Limitation
Author: Brenda A. Smith
Genre: Encouragement
Publisher: Executive Books
Copyright: 2005
ISBN: 0-937539-87-2
Reviewer: Jan Ackerson
Available Through: http://www.divineconfinement.com
Executive Books
Amazon.com
Author Brenda A. Smith has coined the phrase "divine confinement" to indicate a time when we are stuck by our circumstances—when family obligations, health concerns, or financial woes restrain us from experiencing the degree of freedom that we desire. She urges her readers to use that time to learn God’s lessons. The key to learning these lessons is found in chapter one, where Smith writes "…the hand of a loving God has ordained a season of limitation for His glory and for our good."
Smith has defined Five Footholds for Seasons of Limitation:
depend on God
acknowledge the reality
grasp God’s grace
work with a net…work
make it count
Each foothold is covered thoroughly in its own chapter, with appropriate Scripture references and examples. One of the most compelling aspects of this slim volume is the number of real people who, having experienced their own confinements, have shared with the author their lessons learned and blessings gained through confinement.
A thread wound through every chapter is the experience of the author’s father, Fred Smith, Sr., a man of great vitality and intelligence who was confined in his later years by the need for kidney dialysis. His approach to this confinement exemplifies the use of all of the five Footholds, and he becomes a source of inspiration as readers vicariously experience his struggles—not only with his health, but also with his ailing and elderly wife.
A section in the fifth chapter (Work with a Net…Work) deserves special mention. This bulleted list of pointers for ministering to the sick, elderly, or dying contains gem after gem of wisdom. This reviewer has had a family member who experienced a "divine confinement," and the time would have been easier to tolerate were this practical advice followed by her well-meaning comforters.
Each chapter ends with summary points (Getting a Foothold), questions for reflection (Gaining Ground), and an opportunity to write one’s commitment to the principles therein as a prayer (Following His Footsteps). Smith also includes several little vignettes, called Musings and Amusings. These may be touching, funny, or inspirational, but each stands alone—a mini-devotional and an illustration of an important concept from the previous chapter.
Brenda Smith has an engaging writing style, with frequent passages of expert wordsmithing. Consider: "…this is a rich opportunity to offer my scars, my scares, my kneelings and my reelings to you…" and "…He was not disregarding the mourning, but finding that ‘joy comes in the morning.’" Such writing draws the reader in.
Nearly everyone will face a time of confinement. Reading this lovely book will make it easier to redeem that time.
|
|
|
|
|
