Do you love reading beautiful, lyrical writing? If so, Searching for Spring will awaken your heart to fresh beauty.

I enjoy literary reads by contemporary masters like Anthony Doerr and Marilynne Robinson. It’s rare to find a similar writing style in my favorite genre of Christian non-fiction. I found it in this gem. Christine Hoover has a special gift of combining insight and beautiful language to paint pictures of spiritual truths, and I deeply enjoyed this treasure of a book.

In our oh-so-daily, fast-paced living, it’s easy to overlook the stunning beauty God hides in our days. Searching for Spring shows us how to find it by slowing down, looking closely, and delighting in the smallest joys of right now.

Christine Hoover’s framework for the chapters is Ecclesiates 3:1-8, the same framework I used for my book, Newness of Life. We both found fresh perspective from these verses, and I enjoyed her unique take on them.

So many thought-provoking images and stories from this book are still giving me pause, days later. The chapter I enjoyed the most was Chapter 8, “God Is Our Color.” She brilliantly uses a metaphor of a pure red maple tree in autumn to talk about the hidden beauty of suffering. Here is a quote from this chapter that sings with truth:

"God, it seems, rewards obedience with peace, but there is a lesson we must learn from the little red leaf: the obedience of self-death is primarily rewarded later. The tree doesn’t bear witness to what nutrients the leaf has passed on until spring."

I have many sections highlighted in this book for further pondering. If you’re looking for a book to help you grow deep roots of faith, Searching for Spring is right for you.

Netgalley provided me a free copy of this excellent book.

Searching for Spring is centered around the truth that God will make all things beautiful in time. The writings within turn encounters with God’s beauty into inspiration for our life with Christ, encouraging us to seek out His beauty in all things, from the joyous to the grievous.

Christ's provisions for us on the Cross are presented with colorful illustrations that reveal His beauty to even the newly seeking heart. In presenting key aspects of our Christian spiritual journey, the book could serve as a helpful enjoyment on one’s journey through discipleship.

Though a bit wordy at times, this was not fault enough to be a detriment to the contents within. A few sections especially impacted me:

- The chapter on waiting and quieting ourselves before the Lord was a needed reminder to cultivate and guard such times with the Lord, teaching us to trust God even as we wait for Him to beautify certain areas of our lives.


- How the author shares about needing to know she was loved to the point of seeking to meet this need through striving and performance. It encouraged me to discover I was not the only one who had to be freed from such a merciless prison. God is so good to us.

Searching for Spring in hand, take a moment—many moments—to stop and relish the beauty of the journey with Christ. Then, take this rhythm into daily life, searching out God’s love notes of beauty—large and small—with all your heart. Thrilling encounters with His beauty await every heart’s need for hope and courage in this journey through life.