This Life We Share: 52 Reflections on Journeying Well with God and Others – Maggie Wallem Rowe

This Life We Share Maggie Rowe
This Life We Share: Journeying Well with God and Others by Maggie Wallem Rowe
Published by NavPress on May 12, 2020
Genres: Non-Fiction, Christian Life, Devotional, Marriage, Memoir, Parenting, Work
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four-stars

This Life We Share is a woman's guide to living well--from the inner journey of dealing with anxiety and insecurity to the everyday moments of waiting and distraction to practical principles for parenting, grandparenting, and aging. Jesus once said of the woman who anointed his feet, "She did what she could" (Mark 14:8, NIV)--and that is the goal of this book: to provide insights and wisdom for walking through life with the confidence that you're doing "what you can" to live well for God, love others, and take care of yourself.

In This Life We Share: 52 Reflections on Journeying Well with God and Others, Maggie Wallem Rowe encourages her readers with personal stories and Scriptural reflections. As an older woman, she is fulfilling her calling to encourage and guide other women, and she does so in an inclusive, helpful way. This book is great for singles, married women, and those who have experienced divorce or lost a spouse. Rowe acknowledges all of these different experiences and life stages, and in addition to writing about more typically addressed topics like marriage and parenting, she also writes in detail about friendships and about her experiences in the workforce.

This book features fifty-two different devotionals, divided into four parts. The first two parts focus on the internal life, the third is full of good advice for different types of relationships, and the fourth part focuses specifically on our relationship with God. Rowe covers a variety of different topics throughout the book, and concludes each reflection with questions for a reader to ponder and related Scripture references for them to look up. This book is a great option for a devotional, and can also work in larger chunks. I slowed down my usual reading pace to soak this in, but read several reflections at a time. I enjoyed Rowe’s vivid personal stories, and appreciate her gift for drawing out applications from ordinary, everyday experiences.

Rowe addresses so many different topics, emotions, struggles, and life stages that there is something here for everyone, no matter their life stage. I appreciate Rowe’s vulnerability to share so many personal stories, and I recommend this to any woman who is looking for a well-written, encouraging devotional or guide to the Christian life. This is a great resource with broad appeal and application, and I highly recommend it.

four-stars