Book Review: Seasons of Waiting

Seasons of Waiting. Betsy Childs Howard. 2016. Crossway. 128 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: What does your heart long for? If you’ve picked up this book, there’s a good chance you didn’t have any difficulty answering that question. Most women are waiting for something, but some women are waiting acutely. The thing missing from their lives is in such sharp focus that they aren’t sure they’ll ever feel complete without it.

Premise/plot: In Seasons of Waiting, Betsy Childs Howard primarily encourages women who are frustrated and feel stuck waiting. The book addresses the general concept of waiting in several chapters (three to be exact), and it also addresses specific seasons of waiting. For example, some of the seasons of waiting are: a single woman waiting to find a husband and get married, a married woman waiting to conceive a child, a person waiting for healing, a person waiting to find a home, a person waiting for a prodigal (husband, child, grandchild).

She asserts in her book that "when we wait, God gives us the opportunity to live out a story that portrays the gospel and serves as a kingdom parable." As we wait we have the opportunity to glorify God and to be used by God ultimately to bring glory to His name. There is much to be learned in the school of waiting.

Your waiting is meant to be a witness not only to yourself, but to the watching world. Do you have ears to hear? Will you be a willing student in the school of waiting?

God wants me to learn how to wait so that I can wait well, even if my waiting continues for the rest of my life.

It’s wrong to make an idol of your dreams and refuse to be content unless they are fulfilled. But it is also wrong to stop praying for the fulfillment of your desires if they are God honoring. Sometimes it’s easier not to want and therefore stand no risk of disappointment, but God calls us out of our safety and tells us to entrust our hearts to his keeping.

My thoughts: I liked this one. Each chapter tells a few stories to serve as examples. This is nice especially since storytelling doesn't replace the scriptural focus. Each chapter may feature a couple of real-life stories, but each chapter is also rich in Scripture. She offers good insights to readers. I think this one could help a lot of readers.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible