The Broken Way and The Abundant Life

I first read The Broken Way: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life by Ann Voskamp in 2016. Immediately I knew this book would change my life. Here are just a few of the highlighted quotes found in my copy of Voskamp's book:

“The only way to live a truly remarkable life is not to get everyone to notice you, but to leave noticeable marks of His love everywhere you go.”

“I’ll take it. I’ll take His words like a daring covenant, not knowing yet what’s to come: there is no growth without change, no change without surrender, no surrender without wound—no abundance without breaking. Wounds are what break open the soul to plant the seeds of a deeper growth.” 

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken.” 

“The hands of every clock never stop signing this: the best use of your hands is always love. The best way to say you love is always time. The best time to love is always now.” 

“How can it be? When we're naked and ashamed and alone in our brokenness, Christ envelops us with His intimate grace. When we're rejected and abandoned and feel beyond wanting, Jesus cups our face: "Come close, my Beloved." When we're dirty and tear-stained and despairing, Jesus Christ is attracted to us and proposes undying love: "All that you're carrying I take... and all that I am is yours." How do you ever get over that?” 

“Activity for God—is not the same as intimacy with God or identity in God. And it is your intimacy with Christ that gives you your identity. You can’t experience the power of Christ, the mission of Christ, being made new in Christ, until you know who you are in Christ.” 

“I had wanted someone to reach over to me at eighteen, sit in that church pew next to me, someone to touch my shoulder, to steady things and say: “Shame is a bully but grace is a shield. You are safe here.”

“How can I not pass you the cup of grace that I have drunk so deeply from? How can I refuse you the mercy that I have needed to stay alive? How can I weigh what you’ve done against me as heavier and what Jesus has done for me as far lighter?” —Ann Voskamp

"This one's for the lovers and the sufferers. For those whose hopes and dreams and love grew so large it broke their willing hearts. This one's for the busted ones who are ready to bust free, the ones ready to break molds, break chains, break measuring sticks, and break all this bad brokenness with an unlikely good brokenness.

You could be one of the beloved who is broken—and still lets yourself be loved. You could be one of them, one who believes freedom can be found not only beyond the fear and pain, but actually within it. You could discover and trust this broken way—the way to not be afraid of broken things." - goodreads

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If you're looking for a gift for that hard-to-buy-for girlfriend in your life, or for that mom, sister or aunt that has everything, let me recommend this book The Broken Way: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life by Ann Voskamp.

Every woman should read this! If she's been hurt, it'll become part of her healing journey and if she hasn't, it will help her understand the brokenness in the women around her.

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Here's just one more of our favorite Voskamp quotes.

Brokenness, who hasn't experienced it at some point in their life? If you have, you understand. If you haven't, you will.

I've been broken, and I've healed. In my healing I have drunk deeply from the cup of grace and mercy. So how can I not pass that cup of grace and mercy on? And how can I weigh my brokenness heavier and Jesus' brokenness for me as lighter. I cannot!  What a beautiful reality!