Book Review: Blessed Child

This is the second Ted Dekker novel my parents have given me. The first, entitled Blink, was a book I couldn't put down. It had fast paced action and drew you in right from the beginning. I don't believe Blessed Child held me quite as riveted, but it was still a very compelling and life-changing read.

Dekker definitely knows how to hook the reader within the first few pages. A young orphaned boy has been raised for ten years in an Ethiopian monastery. Jason Marker, a relief worker, has agreed to transport him to America. From the moment he meets Caleb, a remarkably pure and unusually special boy, Jason is on the ride of his life. They barely escape as the monastery is wiped out. Caleb has amazing powers and is caught in the middle of controversy and debate.

The story itself was gripping, but so many aspects of the book caused me to pause and reflect, to dig deep within myself. I suppose I found it refreshing that non-believers played a role in rescuing this strongly committed boy. Jason struggles with the fact that his own son died, despite prayers on his behalf.

Caleb is brought to see a dying evangelical leader, Dr. Paul Thompson. This is where several things began to stir within me. Dr. Thompson mentions a famous illustration from C.S. Lewis where Lewis compares Christians to children who are stuck in slums happily making mud pies, unaware that there is a vacation paradise available to them at the sea. I have heard this illustration before, but once again it spoke to me.

When Dr. Thompson is questioned as to why such miracles don't occur more frequently, why God doesn't intervene more powerfully into the shambles of our world, he replies by saying:

"The Spirit of God doesn't frequent places where he is not eagerly sought. Like the pearl of great price Jesus talked about - if you want it, you seek it."

This line was powerful to me. There was a time in my life, when I walked much closer to God than I do now. I sought His guidance and wisdom in every aspect of my life. I had a very child-like faith, firm and strong.

Life has a way of throwing unexpected curve balls. I entered into some very trying circumstances. At first, I continued to seek Him. I entered into what some would call "the dark night of the soul." It felt as if God were strangely absent from my life, no matter how desperately I sought Him. And, in very subtle ways, things began to change in my spiritual life. I began to accept the darkness with a little less longing for the light. Trust became more difficult to muster. Questions loomed. But, I think the real key was that I stopped seeking with abandon.

Oh, how I wish to regain that foothold. If I could back up my life to the first moments I wavered in seeking Him before other things, I would. Darkness is never preferable to light, even when we are choosing the darkness.

This book renewed within me a desire to seek Him again like the pearl of great price. I want to trust Him again with the fervor of my youth. And that brings me to another powerful line from Dr. Thompson within this book. Everyone is in an uproar over the physical miracles taking place, but Dr. Thompson is eager to point out that spiritual miracles are just as intense. He pronounces this telling line:

"Whoever said that a straightened hand was more dramatic than a healed heart anyway?"

I believe this book will be a powerful tool for good in the hands of any reader. I hope that it will draw others to a deeper hunger for both the evidence of His spirit and the presence of His spirit within our lives. It is an action thriller which could easily spark just as much action within your spirit. In other words, not just a good read, a good meal as well!