Every Day Deserves a Chance
(Wake Up to the Gift of 24 Hours)
by Max Lucado
Reviewed by Pat Beaty
Max Lucado is a
cheerleader. He spurs us on to
greater service to others…and to the Lord and makes us happy while we do
it. I must admit that his
enthusiasm rapidly became mine as I eagerly read each page of this inspiring
book.
He begins this work with a
humorous, and messy, incident he had with a seagull and refers back to this
experience in the ensuing pages.
In a tongue-in-cheek effort to differentiate between good days and bad
days, he ends up admitting that, as proclaimed in Psalms 118:24, “This is the
day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Mr. Lucado then attempts to separate
yesterday, today, and tomorrow for us and explains God’s role in providing a
formula for our happiness as we face each day.
In his section on “Shame-filled
Days”, the author captivates the reader with his description of the captives,
the deep feelings, and the walk to the Cross; and he movingly highlights God’s
gift of grace. The writer then
describes, in order, his answers for ungrateful days, bitter days, anxious
days, catastrophic days, depleted days, and fear-filled days, along with a host
of intriguing experiences as illustrations.
In the section, “Service for the
Fork in the Road Days”, Mr. Lucado discusses the “Society of the Second Mile,”
which, if you have never heard of it, you will find fascinating.
The author concludes this very
readable work with “The Blades of Uncommon Color” (no, not about sword
fighting), and refers the reader to some very useful words from a “very useful”
book. “Don’t shuffle along, eyes
to the ground…Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ…see
things from his perspective,” Colossians 3:2 (Author’s translation).
Penned in Mr. Lucado’s own
irrepressible writing style, this book is a “must read”.
October 14,
2011
