book review - have a little faith

by Mitch Albom (same author of Tuesdays with Morrie)

This is a very well written book that centers on Mitch himself. He is called back to do the eulogy for his rabbi. The interesting twist is the the rabbi is not dead yet but in his 80's. The rabbi himself asked Mitch to do the eulogy. Mitch agrees as long as he can spend time with the rabbi so he can get to know him on a personal level and make sure the eulogy truly captures the rabbi.

I have not finished the book yet but have found some interesting aspects.

p. 39 "The most inspirational man I knew only reached his potential by helping a child reach his."

Isn't this interesting. In a world where only 'me' matters, here someone got ahead and achieved their goals by giving up their own goals and needs and helping someone else to become all they could. It also came to mind that this is the definition of a mother. We give of ourselves, give up ourselves - so that those little souls that we have been entrusted with can learn and grow. It can be an amazing road. And we gain each time that little soul learns something new - because in that process we learned something new too - maybe it was how to teach a new concept, maybe it was the joy of reaching through a mind that had been blocked. But there is growth in that process for both the mom and the child.

p. 44

"Mitch, faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe."

How often do our actions speak louder than our words. We can say we are a Christian but do our actions bear false fruit. And if we believe - is it just a belief or have we put our belief into action. Do we live out Christ's example? And do we do it every day or just when it is easy and convenient.

p. 45 - 46 The rabbi was speaking about rituals and their importance.

"My grandparents did these things. My parents, too. If I take the pattern and throw it out, what does that say about their lives? Or mine? From generation to generation, these rituals are how we remain .......... connected."

Mitch thinks about what the rabbi said ---

"I'd once had rituals; I'd ignored them for decades. These days, I didn't do a single thing that tied me to my faith. Oh, I had an exciting life. Traveled a lot. Met interesting people. But my daily routines - work out, scan the news, check e-mail - were self-serving, not roped to tradition. To what was I connected? A favorite TV show? The morning paper?"

I started to think about this. What traditions and rituals do we as a family have that we are 'hopefully' passing on to our children? How will those rituals help them stay connected to God and to their faith in Jesus Christ? What should we do differently? Or stress more strongly? Will they remember? Will it help their faith to be deeply rooted?

This book has been very thought provoking.