One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

I was very excited to buy and read this book, as I've been seeing it everywhere, with people quoting from it on Facebook, and seeing lists of 'One Thousand Gifts' on many blogs.  And after reading it, I don't quite know what to say about the book.  The thoughts in it were insightful, when I could get around the odd, verbose wording to discover the meaning underneath.  Some of the insights did change my heart to how I live, how I can become more grateful, but I found the book extremely difficult to get through because of the author's style of writing.  Reading a phrase or two at a time is easier, but to put oddly worded phrases into paragraphs that fill whole chapters makes it all begin to blur into words that don't seem to come together properly and create an artsy-sounding jumble.  I can't think of a better way to describe it.

Something in particular that stuck out to me in a positive way was when Voskamp quoted her mother: "Expectations kill relationships."  How true.  I would love to live without expectations from people.  In fact, I have begun this process before reading this book, to look to God for comfort, love, acceptance and affirmation, for only He can give it wholly, and he knows exactly the way I need to feel each of those things.  I long to not expect it from people, even those close to me and that love me.  Because they are human and they can never give me all that I need.  I don't want to rely on any human, but rest in the strong arms of God who knows me better than I know myself.

Voskamp includes some very powerful insights into living fully, living full of gratefulness to our God, but despite that and the fact that many others obviously enjoy her style of writing (since it is a New York Times Bestseller), I would't recommend this book.