Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss
There are several
interesting dialogues with others that are recounted by Katy, I give a couple
of samples here:
Here she is speaking
to one of her spiritual mentors, Dr Cabot:
"'There
is one thing more that troubles me,' I said.
'Most persons know the exact moment when they begin real Christian
lives. But I do not know of any such
time in my history. This causes me many
uneasy moments.'
[Dr Cabot]'You are wrong in thinking that most persons have this
advantage over you. I believe that the
children of Christian parents, who have been judiciously trained, rarely can
point to any day or hour when they began to live this new life. The question is not, do you remember, my
child, when you entered this world, and how!
It is simply this, are you now alive and an inhabitant thereof?'"
In this next excerpt
Katy has just had a former friend, Amelia, die, her husband, a doctor, attended
her last moments on earth:
"'What do you think,' I asked, 'about her last days on earth? Was there really any preparation for death?'
'These scenes are very painful,' he returned. 'Of course there is but one real preparation
for Christian dying, and that tis Christian living……..I do not now recall a
single instance where a worldly Christian died a happy, joyful death, in all my
practice.'
[Kate]…..'Well, in one sense it makes no difference
whether they die happily or not. The
question is do they die in the Lord?'
'[her husband]It may make no vital difference to
them, but we must not forget that God is honored or dishonored by the way a
Christian dies, as well as by the way in which he lives…..I can tell you, my
darling, that standing, as I so often do, by dying beds, this whole subject has
become one of great magnitude to my mind.
And it gives me positive personal pain to see heirs of the eternal
kingdom, made such by the ignominious death of their Lord, go shrinking and weeping
to the full possession of their inheritance.'"
There are several
thought provoking dialogues like the above. And many little statements that are
intriguing as well, a few of which I give here:
"You can will to prefer a religion of principle
to one of mere feeling; in other words, to obey the will of God when no
comfortable glow of emotion accompanies your obedience."
"It is repining that dishonors God, not
grief."
"People ask me how it happens that my children
are all so promptly obedient and so happy.
As if it chanced that some parents have such children, or chanced that
some have not! I am afraid it is only too true, as someone has remarked, that
this is the age of obedient parents!' What then will be the future of their
children? How can they yield to God who have never been taught to yield to
human authority…?"
A year after her
oldest child died she writes:
"It is a year ago this day that the brightest
sunshine faded out of our lives, and our beautiful boy was taken from us. I have been tempted to spend this anniversary
in bitter tears and lamentations. For
oh, this sorrow is not healed by time! I
feel it more and more. But I begged God
when I first awoke this morning not to let me so dishonor and grieve Him. I may suffer, I must suffer, He means it, He
wills it, but let it be without repining, without gloomy despondency. The world is full of sorrow; it is not I
alone who taste its bitter draughts, nor have I the only right to a sad
countenance. Oh, for patience to bear
on, cost what it may!"
Now, there were
statements and things that I didn't agree with, such as Kate thinking that her
little children do not need to learn that they are sinners until they get
older, though they do need to learn about Christ. That doesn't make a lot of biblical , or even
common, sense to me. Wasn't that one of
the most important things about Christ? That he came to die for the sins of His
people? Or when she indicates that when we die, we leave our bodies
forever. I don't know if she believed in
the resurrection of our physical
bodies? Things like that bothered me.
But overall, I still
really liked the book and found it quite spiritually edifying. Kate grows in the Faith, becomes more patient
toward others, learns to not trust her own judgement, learns to trust God more
and more, learns that whatever trials He ordains for her to face are lovingly
ordained to make her more Christ like.
The book is very well written and really keeps the attention, or at
least it kept mine!
Now, I must say
something about this particular edition that I am reviewing, published by
Ichthus Publications. The cover is pretty, the format of the text inside the
book is very nicely laid out and readable.
But….this edition needs to be proofread.
There are typos ALL OVER this edition, periods and commas out of place
or missing, and sentences that were practically unintelligible. Here's a sample:
"In the first place, Helen would be perfectly if
she had the care of father in his present. She is too young to have such
responsibility….She is one of those little tender, soft souls one could crush
fingers."
I don't think I've
ever had to rate a book based on numerous typos and missing words. But I'll
have to do that with this one. I feel
really bad having to do this, but I need to rate this edition at only three
stars. Normally I would rate this book
at five stars, but this is not a good edition of Stepping Heavenward. I love the book, I just don't like this
edition. If they would fix the typos it
would be great!
Thanks to the folks at Ichthus Publications for sending me a free review copy of this book (My review did not have to be favorable).
Rating of Prentiss' book: Five Stars *****
Rating of this edition: Three Stars ***
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