A Different Kind Of Happiness


The subject of happiness is a really hot topic in Christian circles right now. I've recently read several Christian books on happiness and they each bring a different perspective to biblical happiness. I was really intrigued by the description I read for A Different Kind Of Happiness: Discovering The Joy That Comes From Sacrificial Love by Dr. Larry Crabb and couldn't wait to read it. The description, which reads:

"How to Love When You Don't Feel Like Loving

Everywhere we look, we see evidence that love is in short supply. Terrorists and political corruption, school shootings and troubled marriages, impatient online sniping and character assassination--all point to the fact that we do not know how to love one another as Jesus commanded and modeled. We put our own interests and happiness first, despite the fact that the greatest happiness comes through sacrificial love.

In this book, Dr. Larry Crabb shows readers how to understand the deep and perfect love we are shown by our Creator and Redeemer, and how to pour that love into other people. This love is about more than being nice and serving others. It's about relating to others in such a way that they feel heard, seen, and valued. This love sacrifices and suffers and keeps loving, even when doing so is costly. This kind of love, says Crabb, is the kind worth fighting for in all of our relationships, and A Different Kind of Happiness shows how to make it a reality."

hits on many major contemporary issues: terrorists, politics, school shootings, divorce, cyberbullying - it touches on all the current hot button topics. However, I felt like the description was a bit misleading. The (lengthy) introduction was really promising. I was very interesting and Dr. Crabb's introduction to the book was very engaging and promising. However, I felt like after the first few chapters the book kind of fell apart. I was expecting more of a concisely written how-to/self-help book. Rather, A Different Kind Of Happiness was more of a contemplative book, asking lots of questions and leaving you with much to ponder. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, just not exactly what I was expecting. I had an extremely difficult time getting through this book and I couldn't put my finger on exactly why. I think it was because it was so densely written. Often, I had to go back and read a page or paragraph several times in order to digest it. I usually read books very quickly, but this was a different kind of book. I recommend this book for every Christian who is looking to deeply ponder happiness and joy from the Christian viewpoint.

I received a copy of this book from Baker Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Surviving Death

Can I Just Hide In Bed 'Til Jesus Comes Back?