A Maze of Grace by Trish Ryan

A Maze of Grace by Trish Ryan

Tish Ryan lets us into her life, discussing the early years of her marriage. She candidly tells us about the happiness, the struggles, temptations and struggles, and how God has been with her through all of it, even if it doesn’t always feel that way. She attempts to inspire and encourage us through relating what she has learned.

I have mixed feelings about the book. I like Ryan’s attitude that marriage is not “hard,” that it can be a fun adventure, a life shared. I like her honesty and the importance she places on prayer. I found some of her comments about marriage and relationships insightful and am glad I read the book.

I don’t like that she spends over half of the book talking about wanting to have a baby, craving to be a mother, but never resolves those feelings. I know that it’s a memoir and the baby’s not going to magically appear like it could in fiction, but she seems to just entirely forget the issue in the last two chapters or so, which left me feeling kind of let down. I also don’t like when she makes comments that seem to be saying that she’s tried many different paths and self-help methods, but Jesus is the only one that works. Maybe my problem is just with “works” not the concept in general. It’s just not the way I look at my faith.

There is one section near the end that will stick with me.  Ryan is reflecting on a reality show she’d seen.

Her dreams were simple things: camping out under the stars, taking a plane across the country to see a friend’s new baby. But there were happening because she had the courage to want them. In other words, we have to have dreams for them to come true. It made me wonder if I were in a room full of people and asked, “When was the last time you saw a dream of yours come true?” what the response would be. Would there be waving hands  and encouraging stories, or silence? (pg. 209, ARC)

I’m afraid I would be one of the silent ones. I’d like to change that.

Overall, while I don’t think this is a must-read, I am glad I took the time to read it. There were some nuggets in it that struck home for me.

Published in June 22, 2010 by FaithWords
225 pages