John Stanko

For some unknown reason, I picked up an audio version of Elizabeth Gilbert's best-selling book, Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything and endured all 11 CDs to the end while driving around town.  I have some alternate titles to suggest for this well-written but misguided work:

1.  Liz Gilbert Goes to the Prom at 35 Years of Age.
2.  Liz Gilbert Fashions a God That is Just Right for Her.
3.  Liz Gilbert Brings Sex in the City to Indonesia
4.  Liz Gilbert Saves Herself . . . And Is Proud of Her Efforts
5.  Liz Gilbert Rejects the "Christian" God and Finds Many Others
6.  Liz Gilbert Hears Voices that Say "I'm OK, You're OK"
7.  Liz Gilbert Starts Out an Emotional Mess and Ends Up an Unemotional Mess

If you notice, every suggested title begins with Liz, which is just how the book is written.  It's all about Liz.  Poor Liz doesn't want any pain in her life, so she spends a year in Italy, India and Indonesia trying to sort things out.  Gee, I wonder how anyone who isn't free to do that can find their inner peace?

Liz Gilbert is an entertaining writer, and I think she represents a large portion of modern seekers who want to find themselves but don't want God to help them. They want to do it on their own terms.  Yet Gilbert starts the book a mess where men are concerned (she ends her eight-year marriage) and ends it a mess (she "takes a lover," a 52-year-old Brazilian living in Bali).  After 12 months on the road, Liz landed right back in the arms of someone new who she will find, if she sticks with him for eight years, will have as many problems as her ex-husband did. 

So this book reminded me that we have a lot of work to do in reaching this generation for the Lord.  It also reminded me of the old song that I still hum from time to time, Jesus is the answer for the world today. Above Him there's no other, Jesus is the Way.