Born to Wander by Michelle Van Loon – BOOK REVIEW

Title: Born to Wander: Recovering the Value of Our Pilgrim Identity

Author: Michelle Van Loon

Publication Date & Publisher: July 3, 2018, Moody Publishers

Genre(s): Christian Living/Practical Life/Personal Growth

Length: 192 pages

ISBN: 13:978-0-80241812-8

My Rating: 4.5/5.0

Description (from Goodreads):

Why are we so restless?

All of us have a little wanderlust—a desire for that next thing, that new place, but this competes with our longings for security, control, and safety. We don’t like how it feels to be unsettled and uprooted. Whether we’re navigating a season of transition, dealing with the fallout of broken relationships, or wrestling with a deep sense of restlessness, we are all experiencing some form of exile. And most of us do whatever we can to numb the feelings of unbelonging, powerlessness, and unsettledness that come with it. But the truth is that exile has a profound purpose if we can just learn to lean in.

Over and over again Scripture tells us that the people of God are exiles and wanderers. And this is good news because exile is what transforms us into pilgrims. In Christ, we are no longer directionless wanderers, but pilgrim followers who have a clear purpose and a secure identity. In Born to Wander, Michelle Van Loon weaves together personal stories and keen insights on the biblical themes of pilgrimage and exile. She will help you embrace your own pilgrim identity and reorient your heart toward the God who leads you home. Engaging and thoughtful, enhanced with practical suggestions, prayers, and questions, Born to Wander will teach how to trust God even when you don’t understand what’s happening around you and follow Him even when it hurts.

If you keep chasing security, you’ll never find it. Embrace the purpose behind the wandering and discover the freedom and safety of resting in God alone.

“Every one of us carries a restlessness that runs as deep as the marrow of our born-again bones. Our relationships shift like tectonic plates. We change jobs. We switch churches. And our culture tells us the cure for our restlessness is to buy a new mattress, a new car, or a new tube of toothpaste.”

My review:

I absolutely loved this book! I basically ended up reading each chapter at least twice because after finishing it the first time, I had to track down my husband so I could read it with him. And if my eldest child was home, then she got to hear it too. I just couldn’t keep it to myself!

I’m the the time of person that can’t seem to stay put for very long. I love road trips, I’ve had about a million different jobs, and although I’ve lived in the same city most of my life, I moved around a lot in my younger years. So, of course, a book titled “Born to Wander” was going to catch my attention!

There’s a major focus in this book on the fact that we aren’t called to be comfortable, to stand still, to settle… We’re called to live a pilgrim’s life. And there’s really only two paths we can take in life…are we wandering TO Jesus? Or AWAY from Him?

There was no fame-and-fortune bait on the hook when Jesus told Peter He’d make him a fisher of men. There was no promise of celebrity when God spoke to Abram and told him to leave the comfort of home and family. Both men’s lives – and the lives of most others highlighted in the Bible – became less comfortable and far more uncertain after God called them.

Lech lecha. Follow me. This is how we learn our true identity.

Every chapter in this book deals with a different topic regarding living in exile or pilgrimage. It caused me to take a step back and examine how whether I’m truly living for myself or if I’m following and living for Christ. As a person who takes pride in calling herself a disciple, the answers to the questions that came up in my reading of Born to Wander were truly important.

I loved the questions and prayers that followed each chapter and how, at times, I got to look at things from different perspective. I loved this excerpt on prayer:

Many of us think of prayer as something we do with heart and mind. We don’t always consider what it means to pray with our bodies, but discipleship always involves our physical selves as well as our inner lives.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone with a bit of Wanderlust… whether they consider themselves a Christian, or not. It’ll definitely cause you to take some time out and consider where your life is heading and where you want to be wandering to/for.