Book Review: Becoming Elisabeth Elliot

When I was at Wheaton College, I befriended a floor-mate named Andrea Howard. She was delightful (spunky, funny, fun). It was interesting to learn about Elisabeth Elliot (Andrea's aunt) and the story of her husband's martyrdom in the jungle of Ecuador. Once, while at Wheaton, Elisabeth came to the college to deliver a lecture. I own 2 of her books about Jim Elliot and love a particular quote from him I found once in Paula Rinehart's Better Than My Dreams. Thus, when Sara Brunsvold mentioned Ellen Vaughn's 2-part biography of Elisabeth Elliot, I was eager to dive in.

Becoming Elisabeth Elliot shares the initial parts of Elisabeth's life (her growth, her courtship, her loss of her first husband, and her struggles with her missionary role). It is clear, God's ways are not our ways. From the very beginning of her missionary career, she faced obstacles head on. After nine months of work on the Colorado language, all of her linguistic notes, files, charts, etc. went missing when someone stole her suitcase off a truck. Despite frustration, she accepted God's will and termed it her "school year." No explanation could suffice. She wrote, "Faith's most severe tests come not when we see nothing, but when we see a stunning array of evidence that seems to prove our faith vain. If God were God, if He were omnipotent, if He had cared, would this have happened?... It was a long time before I came to the realization that it is in our acceptance of what is given that God gives Himself." For her, it came down to obedience, regardless of the cost.

In another passage, toward the end, Vaughn writes, "For Betty, the sad days weren't times to be denied, suppressed, or avoided. Betty's medical training, and her theology, did not allow her to deny the existence of pain... It showed God was at work. If she walked the path of obedience, He would in fact use her very pain for His good purposes. But the problem with pain is that it hurts."

Anyone who has encountered unexplainable suffering will find comfort and hope in these pages about Elisabeth Eliot's life. She was not a saint. She had her own personal quirks and personality edges. Yet, her life is a primer for accepting God's will, even when it is hard and makes little sense. We must accept His will even when the outcomes remain unquantifiable. Elisabeth Elliot's pain and struggles drove her to deeper obedience than sunshine and flowers ever would. May I remember her example when I'm called to walk a hard road. This honest 2-part biography would be a fine addition to a personal library.