A Perfect Mess
Lisa Harper
Reviewed by Teresa Konopka
“A Perfect Mess: Why You Don’t
Have to Worry About Being Good Enough for God” by Lisa Harper is a
delightfully interactive book. Focusing mainly on psalms, Harper
brings readers closer to God and makes them feel better.
Interspersed
with humor, readers will get a good laugh, too.
Divided into
twelve chapters are twelve themes. From walking with God to
establishing peace, to managing anger, and more, relevant topics from
the Old Testament are translated into current times. Each chapter
starts off wit a quote from a famous person. Then, Harper
introduces
an anecdote from her life, followed by how that relates to specific
psalms. Throughout the chapters, there are quotes from psalms, as
well
as some relevant quotes from other parts of the Bible. Open-ended
questions and asides are marked off on the pages by square
borders.
Each chapter has a short sentence that sums everything up in a quaint
adage. Lastly, each chapter ends with six questions. Harper
leaves
space in the book so readers can actually fill in their
responses. The
questions are about half contemplative and half analytical. Some
make
readers read Bible verses and then respond to them. Since those
verses
are not necessarily marked in the book, readers have a fun time
flipping through the Bible to read the assigned text and then respond
to it. The interactivity is relevant to the chapters and as fun
as if
a child were doing a worksheet activity after a fun game in Sunday
school.
Ideal for women, this book relates to all Christians.
While Harper’s stories may resonate more with women, the main messages
behind the psalms, as well as the fill-ins, are inspirational for
all.
In the end, Harper leaves readers with a message of jovial hope,
knowing that God loves the perfect mess of humanity, even if they have
mud on their feet. Wonderful in every sense of the word, this
book is
one to be read and reread many times over.