Pieces of Glass: A Moment of Tragedy, a Lifetime of Faith

After reading this book, I am in awe of how strong Sarah is and how her relationship with God has helped her make it through some very tragic events in her life. Even in the tragic moments, Sarah was able to stay close to God, whether it was in frustation and anger, or understanding and joy. Sarah has also made it very clear that no matter how strong you may appear on the outside, no one is perfect and everyone has their flaws. But in the end, it is God that loves us just the way we are and it is he that we can turn to in both happiness and tragedy.

This book made me look at my own life and realize how many times I have been frustrated and wanted to see some sort of quick action from God and how disappointed I am when it isn't fast enough. When you read about the number of hurdles and tragedies Sarah Kay has overcome, I think it is amazing how strong she is through all of that. Many of us want to waiver from our faith when the going gets tough. This book is an excellent example of a young woman keeping her faith in front of her and realizing she can't go through life alone. She writes of her memories and additional obstacles that many of us put ourselves through as part of coping with other challenges. Many of us would want to blame someone and live a life in a box and I think this is a natural reaction, but it is wonderful when Sarah just steps up and realizes she must not take this approach any more. By asking God where she is and looking for that guidance in every day activities, she seems to maintain a strong faith and solid lifestyle. I realize now I need to reflect each day on the joy and the sorrow and not just turn to the Lord when I am in a time of need. Sarah Kay realizes that God works in mysterious ways. We will all go through frustrations, sickness and sorrow, but we must realize there are reasons for all of this and sometimes it might never be clear why we had to go through those terrible times, but that which doesn't destroy us only makes us stronger.

The author does a great job opening up her heart on her honest and messy struggle with God in a season of pain. This book is helpful for those of us who grew up in the church, know orthodox theology and the right words to say but rarely lay our honest thoughts and emotions for God to see (who knows them all anyway) let alone the rest of the world. It is also helpful for non-christians in that it shows that we are human and only by the grace of God can christians even make it through the day. This is the underlying theme of the book. Immense Grace in Immmense tragedy. Many christians see specific suffering in different ways though we were taught that as christians we are called to suffer. However we serve a personal God who is glorified through our pain as He was through the painful death of His own son - Christ. And though we aren't perfect, especially during seasons of suffering, we know a God who is and a God who is sovereign and can handle our questions and doubts. Jesus used stories to teach and was open with personal struggles and so must we for the sake of a world dying to hear honesty and relevance. Truth is very important, however it takes a lifetime to master and pain is what transports it from our head to our heart to be imprinted there for eternity. For those of us who love strong theology, let us be reminded of a quote from one of the great men of theology, C.H. Spurgeon who wrote: "He who grows in grace remembers that he is but dust, and he therefore does not expect his fellow Christians to be anything more. He overlooks ten thousand of their faults, because he knows his God overlooks twenty thousand in his own case. He does not expect perfection in the creature, and, therefore, he is not disappointed when he does not find it. When our virtues become more mature, we shall not be more tolerant of evil; but we shall be more tolerant of infirmity, more hopeful for the people of God, and certainly less arrogant in our criticisms." We all have a very long way to go. This book acknowledges this in a honest way.

Sarah puts into words all the feelings, thoughts, confusion, anger, and bewilderment that accompany loss and trauma. Her faith is real, her struggle is real, and her God is real. Wow. Her writing has validated my own struggles with loss and grief and helped me relate to Jesus on an entirely new, and entirely authentic, level.

I was touched by the many emotions Sarah Kay showed within this tragic story. Sarah's path has shown many different adventures from my own however, I was able to relate to her struggle and how she looks at what comes her way. Growing up in the midwest and living in the same family home for 20 some years was much different from her worldly adventures and spontaneous adventures in Africa and Europe. I thank Sarah Kay for sharing this story with us and giving us a taste of how growing up with these religious perspectives has strengthened her faith and how she pursues the world around her and this awful tragedy. I look forward to her next adventures.