[BOOK REVIEW]: One Thousand Gifts, A Modern Classic

I must be a year behind schedule. This book arrived at my desk last week. As I read, my eyes widening–sometimes through tears–I wondered, where has this book been hiding? Where is the international press? Then I discovered the countless reviews and endorsements raving about Ann Voskamp‘s work of art, One Thousand Gifts.

Let me join the parade. I’ve recommended the book to every friend I’ve spoken with this week.

This book is for every person who needs to see life through a new lens. Whose hearts have glazed over with the hardships and pains common to all. Who can’t seem to remember why God even put them here.

Ann Voskamp would challenge you to remember that most basic of all manners: say thank you. Feel and express gratitude for the blessings surrounding you. Find beauty in the everyday, and you’ll discover the joy of the Lord. And when you can honestly find joy in, or despite, your circumstances, you’ll be moved to extend it to others. Thankfulness begets trust, gratefulness begets graciousness.

While these thoughts are by no means new, Voskamp writes in a flowing, ethereal style that will engage your senses while evoking a flood of emotion. With personal stories that are brutally honest, this homeschooling mother of six shares her journey to understand grace in the miry bog of everyday parenting and farming. A friend challenged her to keep a journal numbering one thousand gifts, blessings she could thank God for. As the months passed and her list grew, Voskamp discovered that she was noticeably changing. Her husband noticed; her kids could see it.

Keep your tissues handy.

And keep your brain engaged, for she introduces Greek words like eucharisteo, charis, and pisteuo--all key terms that help flesh out her theme. You will learn a little Greek and come away more enriched for it. Obviously well-read, she tosses in quotes from great writers of old to supplement and validate her arguments. You will be reminded of, or introduced to, classic literature and understand anew why they are considered classics.

It’s devotional. It’s biblical. It’s memorable. Rarely have I read a book that insisted I have a pen or highlighter in hand, marking each page for its significant quotes.

Quotes like:

• “Here, in the messy, piercing ache of now, joy might be–unbelievably–possible! The only place we need see before we die is this place of seeing God, here and now.” (p 33)
• “They say time is money, but that’s not true. Time is life. And if I want the fullest life, I need to find fullest time.” (p 64)
• “Thanks makes now a sanctuary.” (p 70)
• “Praying with eyes wide open is the only way to pray without ceasing.” (p 121)
• “Anything less than gratitude and trust is practical atheism.” (p 148)
• “Fullness of joy is discovered only in the emptying of will . . . And I can empty because I am full of his love. I can trust.” (p 179)

Teaching deep theology through poetic musings on everyday life, One Thousand Gifts is destined for its own place on the classics shelf. But until then, keep it close by, for you will return to it again and again.

This review was based on a review copy provided by the publisher. Originally posted October 18, 2011.