I have written about certain child training books before, regarding the need to read them within the proper context. A book about discipline is written to fill a particular gap, and if you don’t put it in the overall context of parenting instruction, you risk becoming all about discipline and failing to build relationships with your children in more positive ways. That’s not the authors’ intent – it’s just that that book is not about the other things, it’s about discipline; it’s our responsibility to make sure we’re not just looking at one individual tree and missing the rest of the forest.
I feel like Embracing Obscurity carries a similar risk for those who aren’t careful. It’s written to fill an essential gap in a society which is, as a whole, obsessed with power and prominence, for a people who have too great a concept of their own importance. It is a book about humility and our relative lack of importance. But you have to keep it in the context of everything else the Bible teaches, recognizing that this is only one small part – and doesn’t intend to be everything. Otherwise, you can run the risk of getting out-of-balance the other direction, and failing to recognize your incredible value to your Creator, and/or the uniqueness He built into you for the particular purpose you serve in His plan.
With that warning of balance…
This is a much-needed message for westerners today. We worship power and position, and we all want to be “somebody.” But as the author rightly points out, very few people in the grand scheme of things are ever “known.” Even those who are famous are relatively so, and those whose names are well-known to us now may be largely unknown 100 years from now. That means most of us are designed to be “regular people.”
The author points out that although most of us will never be prominent or famous, we still have a tendency to seek definition and/or importance through “subtitles” – those descriptors we tack onto our introductions to try to set ourselves apart. If it’s merely definition, I’m not sure this is necessarily a bad thing. God made every one of us unique, and He did so on purpose. I believe that part of our significance even to Him is in our individuality, and finding that which sets us apart and makes us uniquely us is not inherently bad. But it does easily become a temptation to find our significance in our own doings, rather than in simply being His.
The example we’re given to follow (not just by the author, but by God Himself!) is Christ. His humility is downright “ludicrathetic” (the author’s word)! He left behind everything He had the rights to as King of the Universe, became a helpless, poor baby, and grew up to be ridiculed, tortured, and killed. We get so used to hearing that, that it often doesn’t mean anything to us anymore, but what an example! The world thinks that’s insane. But insane-to-the-world is precisely what we’re called to!
When he gets into the nitty-gritty, I think some specifics are implied that may not apply to everyone. Some people will have money or earthly stature, and shouldn’t necessarily pass it up. For some, that is exactly how God chooses to use them. (I know some people who are very blessed at making money. God seems to have particularly poured out blessing on them in this area because they’re very generous, so they make a huge kingdom impact with their income.) It’s somewhat implied that the desire to make a unique contribution is a bad thing, and I think that’s missing the mark. I believe that God absolutely desires for every one of us to make a unique contribution – it’s just a matter of how “big” you consider something has to be to qualify as a “contribution.” (Changing diapers and singing to your babies might be your unique contribution.)
And if taken to an extreme, I think we contradict John Piper’s great points when he talks about Christian hedonism – that is, the idea that God wants us to enjoy the things of this life when He blesses us with them, just as any father wants his children to enjoy the gifts he bestows. But are we seeking gifts or seeking the Father and enjoying His gifts?
As you can probably tell, my own reactions to the book were mixed. Overall, I believe the core message of the book is absolutely right-on. I just think you need to be careful as you read the details to listen to the Spirit and hear what is true for your life, and be careful not to veer into the ditch on either side of the road. It’s all good food for thought, regardless of whether there may be a few small details I think aren’t perfect. (Sometimes even books we totally disagree with – which would not include this one! – can be useful, if they get us thinking about things we need to give thought to.)
In short? Embracing Obscurity is worth the read.
Disclosure: I was provided by the publisher with a copy of the book to facilitate this review. As always, all opinions expressed are entirely my own.
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