It has been said, and I believe it to be true, that you can extract some kind of benefit from just about anything you read.Some books are a lot of work to read, and even more work looking for that sometimes hidden bit of benefit. This book is not one of those books.
The copy of the The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life that I read was given to my wife by a good friend of ours and highly recommended. My wife read it first and would share bits and pieces with me as she went through it. These little appetizers helped to put this book at the top of the cue in my "Books to Read Next" list.
First published in 1870, this is not a shallow book that dances around and eventually touches some spiritual truth that can be a applied to your life. To borrow an excellent metaphor from the Bible, this book is meat and not milk.
Hannah Whitall Smith does not reveal some long lost secret of how to be happy, but rather leads you on a fantastic journey of drawing close to our Lord and learning how to live out in our life what has already been true since the day we entered into Christ through salvation.
One of a multitude of poignant illustrations the author uses is that of a farmer who has a hidden buried treasure beneath the ground in his field. The immense treasure is there and belongs to him, but he passes his entire life without ever realizing its existence or enjoying its benefits. Hannah Whitall Smith uses this illustration to describe the rich treasure of communion and fellowship that belong to each and every believer, there all along just below the surface, waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.
Some books can be read and absorbed quickly, and others need to be read slowly and savored, allowing each page and principle to sink in. This is a book to be read slowly. Take your time, savor the teaching, seek to draw closer to the Father with each page and chapter. It is definitely a book to re-read again in the future, for as you grow in spiritual maturity, so will grow your ability to absorb and apply the truths contained in the pages.
This is an excellent book and I would highly recommend it to anyone that is ready to surrender self and uncover more of the wonderful treasure of truth that the Bible has written of our walk with the Father.
You can find the book on Amazon here:
