Review of "Better" by Tim Chaddick
Every now and then, you run into a book that just hits exactly where you are. "Better" by Tim Chaddick is exactly that. If you've had even just a small taste of life and found it wanting... go ahead an click this link and purchase this book. You may not find every little answer you're looking for, but Chaddick is going to point you in the right direction : Ecclesiastes and Christ.
In Better, Chaddick walks through the life of two Preachers - the author of Ecclesiastes and Jesus Christ. In walking along side the author of Ecclesiastes (King Solomon), we find someone who had the opportunity to have everything this life could offer... and he found it to be meaningless. Its through this lens that Chaddick constructs a book that forces you to look inward and have true self reflection on your own life.
This book is perfect for someone going through a "reset." During those times of life when you have the opportunity to truly figure out what you want in life, this book should be right there on the coffee table next to your Bible. Anyone who knows me knows at different times in their life they're going to get certain books from me - The Five Love Languages, Wild at Heart, The Love Dare - and now, Better is added to that list.
“Remember when Jesus said that not one sparrow falls to the ground that our heavenly Father is not aware of? It’s a beautiful, comforting passage, but let’s not forget that sparrows still fall. God never promised any of us that bad things wouldn’t happen. But He did say that when bad things do happen, they will not be outside of His sovereign care, and He is working all things together for our good.”
Better is a book that will stick with you, entering your head and adjusting your spirit. There is something so freeing in seeing an author tackle hard topics head on, exploring what both the Old and New Testament says about them, and leaving you with the strength to adjust your own life and values. This is one of the rare books that doesn't hit you over the head with information, but instead leads you to water and you instinctively drink.
One line stood out to me more so than any other: "After all, that is precisely what sin is: a rejection of God. Sin is our unwillingness to come with empty hands and simply receive. Sounds simple, but it’s incredibly humbling." This past week my family has been the recipients of so many incredible acts of kindness, love and grace. We have been humbly accepting the love of others - and the Lord - it has been overwhelming. Having empty hands and nothing to offer others... and yet the feasts have been plentiful, the steaks have been delicious, the conversations have been loving, the desire to minister to us - to us! - has been tearful and the prayers have been so, so beautiful.
The fact that this book landed on my lap this week is just another example of God's provision, delivering His grace, love and instruction at the right time in the right way. If nothing else, this book is a true answer to my current prayers and life. Thanks, Tim, for writing it for me, for this very week when I needed it.