God's Joyful Surprise: Finding Yourself Loved Book

This was definitely the right book at the right time. If I owned it rather than borrowed this from the library, I would have been underlining whole paragraphs. I needed the reminders about God, prayer, paying attention and presence that Kidd provides.

It was odd to be reading this book after finishing Kidd's The Dance of the Dissident Daughter. In that, Kidd realizes that she is in need of a feminist spiritual awakening. So as part of her journey, she looked at how she saw God. By the end of Dance, Kidd is seeing God as feminine. This earlier book refers to God as he very, very often. I am already uncomfortable with God as masculine, but reading Kidd's feminist book and then this one made the masculine pronouns even weirder. I probably should not have read them so close together.

For all the strangeness about God's gender, I found Kidd's book very helpful. She is honest in her depictions of her spiritual life and it seems too close to mine. I don't spend enough time just being present. I am very stressed for a number of reasons and I keep forgetting that some space and quiet would be helpful. Many of Kidd's discoveries are familiar, but I can always use a refresher course.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for new ways to see and experience God and are not familiar with contemplative prayer. Also to those who need a reminder that showing up is important. This is more in line with traditional Christianity, so it may appeal to some people who would be uncomfortable with Kidd's spiritual journey in The Dance of the Dissident Daughter.