What I’m Reading: Anonymous
When one of my dearest friends sends me a book recommendation, I look into it immediately. Not only is Brandi an amazing friend, but she is also a strong woman of God, and a missionary to Spain, alongside her husband John. I respect her thoughts and knew if she loved the book, surely I would, too. The recommendation was the book “Anonymous” by Alica Britt Chole.
This book immediately resonated with me, because it focused on those seasons of life that seem “hidden” – the times when we have big dreams, but the only people who ever see or hear about them are the pages of our dusty journals or the tear-stained pillows that we rest our heads upon each night. Alicia challenges the reader to start viewing the hidden times as “preparation” instead, and brings us the exquisite example of Jesus Himself, who spent nearly the whole first 30 years of his life in relative anonymity.
Some favorite quotes:
“…trials tell us less about our future than they do about our past. Why? Because the decisions we make in difficult places today are greatly the product of decisions we made in the unseen places of our yesterdays.”
“Hidden years, when heeded, empower a soul to patiently trust God with their press releases.”
“Because He suffered through tempting, testing times, Jesus is able to wisely mentor us with sincere and great compassion through every trial and temptation we will face in this life.”
I am thoroughly enjoying this book, and encourage you to check it out if you’ve ever felt hidden or maybe even forgotten. The truth is that you are neither! Seasons of preparation are just as important (if not more) than those seasons lived in the light of an audience, because it is before you set foot on that “stage” that God readies you for your time there. If you have no preparation, your time in the center of your dreams will be short-lived anyway, since you will have had no foundation upon which your actions rest.
As always, be sure to hit the comments section and tell me what you’re reading right now! I look forward to new recommendations that I may wind up writing about in the future!
