Anything…

“Anything, God. I’ll do anything…”

Have you ever prayed those words?

The author of the book Anything: The Prayer That Unlocked My God and My Soul, Jennie Allen, did say those words. Together, with her husband, they prayed this prayer and meant it.

I think a lot of times we think we would do anything for God, but when it comes down to it, I’m not so sure we would. For instance, I have said many times that I would love to move overseas somewhere on the mission field. However, after my last trip to Asia, I think if God called me to this particular area it would be VERY HARD. Wow. I just can’t imagine living there as hard as it was to be there for 10 days. And then my heart is very conflicted…would I really do anything for God?

While reading this book I experienced many emotions.

I was inspired.
I was convicted.
I was thankful that I am not the only one.
I empathized with her authenticity.
I nodded in agreement many times.

Many of the things Jennie shared about living in America, knowing you have an attachment to “stuff,” yet wanting to surrender fully to God, and the difficulty that brings in your heart…I get it. I loved that she was honest enough to share that there have been times they haven’t fully surrendered. There have been times that they haven’t done anything. But, God continues to stretch and grow them…I appreciated that she shared the moments where they didn’t get it right.

I want to end this post by sharing with you 2 of my favorite quotes from this book!

“It’s not just those in prison who are far from God; often it’s those of us sitting in pews, deciding where to go to lunch after this guy finishes talking about a God we barely need.” ~ Jennie Allen, from Anything.

“He knows we keep chasing other loves until we love Him most. We keep spinning. We keep searching, restless. We keep missing all He has for us. He’ll always feel far away, drowned out by other louder rivers, until every other thing fades away and He becomes the only thing.” ~ Jennie Allen, from Anything.