Catching Contentment

This is the best book I've read in the last five years! It's honest and real and full of truth, but truth that builds up and encourages; a journey into knowing that God doesn't always heal us physically, or change the painful circumstances of our lives, but he will always 'come into the dust' of our sickness and pain with us, bringing his transforming love and comfort.

For years now I have watched Liz living with disabling physical pain, of a kind that most of us would not wish on our worst enemy, and yet in the middle of it she has doggedly determined to walk out a vibrant faith in the God she worships. Despite the often well-meaning yet badly executed attempts of others to pray or exhort her into health, she has dug down into the riches of Christ, the eternal truths of the Bible and the persistent presence of her God and discovered the possibility of supernatural contentment.

If you live with chronic illness or disability, you will unearth real treasures here. Everyone should read this and be encouraged into finding the contentment that Liz has learned the hard way and now reveals in her highly readable book.

This refreshingly honest book about holding on to faith whilst living with disabling ill health names struggles which many share but few express. In her charming and challenging voice, instead of cliches, Liz offers her own story, complete with the raw darkness and light of experience. It's a gift worth receiving.

Liz has been incredibly open and honest in her beautifully written book. Not only does she weave in biblical wisdom, but she shares directly from the heart. I was so touched and inspired by the way she has fought for, and caught, contentment in the midst of incredibly difficult daily circumstances. I found this book a wonderful addition to my own quiet time before God, and can heartily recommend it.

Catching Contentment opened my eyes and introduced many new ideas and concepts that I'd never truly thought through before. The overriding message I'd take forward from it is that life truly is a journey of surrender to Christ as we move forward and let the past go. When we ask for, and accept, Christ's forgiveness, we can tap into his future desires for our lives and seek to be content as we wait for his promises to be fulfilled. I loved the practical reflections which draw us into the topic and help us reflect on our identity and contentment in a personal way.

Beautifully written, with compelling storytelling and punctuated with profound biblical truth. But its real beauty goes far deeper. In a culture consumed with the pursuit of comfort and quick-fix solutions, it delves into the reality of pain, with moving first-hand personal experience. It is deeply authentic, disarmingly vulnerable and teaches us all to hope, trust and fight for contentment in every season of life. No matter what your experience of suffering, this book is for you.

Not a quick fix, or cheap answers for shiny, happy people, but Carter invites us into a compelling journey of fiercely pursuing God, even when we are wearied by disappointment and loss. As someone who also struggles with chronic illness, I found empathy, hope and spiritual sustenance.

Biblically anchored, persuasively written theology, this book is a must-read for any Christian who wrestles with a nagging desire for something more.

The story of a faithful Christian who finds confidence in God in the midst of pain and distress. Liz Carter's quest for contentment, with its realistic and grounded awareness of how she, and others, suffer is an effective antidote to the trivia we are often fed about God protecting us from suffering because we are Christians. Her testimony that you can find contentment in God, even when living a life of pain, is both challenging and encouraging.

Two of the biggest questions in our culture are: Where can I find contentment? and How could a loving God allow suffering. In this profound book, Liz Carter tackles both questions head on and discovers that reflection on the second holds the keys to answering the first.

Full of profound observations, this will be an important resource for those who are living with illness and pain, those who minister with and to them, and those who need to think these things through - which covers all of us! It unmasks the lie that fulness of life means always getting what we want, and holds out the hope of finding true contentment in God.

We live in an age of profound dissatisfaction with everything: health, relationships, self-image, lifestyles, finances: the list is endless. But here is a book that courageously digs deeply to help us find lasting contentment. This is not a book of platitudes or theories: Liz lives with a long-term painful and limiting condition, and writes out of her disappointment, pain and darkness. She bravely confronts the issues that she and other sufferers grapple with, digging out wells of truth to live by. Contentment is not a passive thing: it is a conscious choice based on God's truth embraced and applied.

I am grateful for this important and thought-provoking book.

Combining a knack for storytelling with an obvious love of theology, Liz Carter has written an honest, searching and wonderfully helpful book. Having lived with illness for a long time, Liz is an excellent guide to the difficulties and pitfalls which come with a challenging life and, having loved and served the Lord Jesus through it all, she is even better at directing our gaze to him, over and over. Liz writes with keen and profound observations, teaching us to find hope and speak truth to ourselves through our personal ‘dark nights’. She doesn't shy away from how it feels to be in the midst of disappointment or despair, but encourages us that God comes down into the most difficult of moments in our lives and brings his love to us.
Ruth van den Broek, blogger