Part self-help and part memoir, Here is a short but powerful lesson on moving through life and attaining our goals in a traditional but possibly counter-cultural way.
One of the features of reading nonfiction, especially Christian nonfiction, is discovering more about how other people think about faith and God and living the Christian life. Some of the authors are like me; some are not. Some of their ideas are familiar; some are not. Some of their ideas gel with me; some do not. But there is always something to ponder and learn, even when I thnk I have little in common wiht the writer.
Here by Linda Sohn is one such book. We have some things in common: we are both Christian women, working mothers, wives, and first-generation immigrants. We have differences: she lives in Los Angeles; I live in New Zealand. She is a Methodist minister; I am an evangelical turned Baptist. She describes herself as a leaver; I do not. Sohn says:
I am, by nature, a leaver. Once a relationship, job, or any other arrangement requiring commitment gets to be challenging, I fantasize about the next better thing.
That alone makes us very different. But it’s in that difference we can learn … and possibly change our beliefs and resulting actions to become more Christlike. Sohn suggest this is because we live in a world that values leaving over staying, pointing out that we have taken journeys to escape the present or move. There is a longstanding belief that leaving one’s hometown is a marker of success and moving up in the world. Sohn points out this restlessness, this desire to leave because of external satisfaction, is not unusual.
Sohn’s premise is than instead of wondering where we should go next when we get restless, we should ask different questions:
What is it within me leading to dissatisfaction?
What can I change within myself that will influence the larger situation?
Here is a statement of the power of staying where we are planted, the self-discipline that requires when all we want to do is leave, and an examination of a range of Christian spiritual disciplines. She also points out that these disciplines will lead to our transformation … so we can change even while remaining here (wherever “here” may be).
Here is a quiet yet compelling book, one that encourages us to explore a range of spiritual practices, including meditation and prayer, spending time in nature, expressing gratitude, spiritual contemplation (reading the Bible), self-reflection, and communal worship.
It’s a book that’s packed full of wisdom. Wisdom Sohn herself has gleaned over the years. Wisdom from spiritual giants of the past. Wisdom from not-so-spiritual giants of today. You won’t agree with everything she says, but it will make you think. And it could inspire you to decide to make a change for good.
Thanks to Convergent Books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Here
A contemplative guide to finding satisfaction right where you are, by understanding what it is within us that leads to dissatisfaction and creating long-lasting fulfillment—inspired by the ancient Christian tradition of Benedictine stability.
Lydia Sohn was a serial burn-it-down-and-make-a-fresh-start girl until, when in her late twenties, she encountered the Rule of St. Benedict with its vow of stability, and her world was transformed. Sohn took a pause to consider what she wanted out of life—identity, purpose, community—and had a lightbulb moment: Everything she needed to live the life she desired was already within her reach.
Here pushes back against our age of constant reinvention and the cultural message that we should do whatever it takes to get wherever we want to go. Instead, Sohn’s message is the opposite: stay. Stay and cultivate the immense potential and beauty that currently lies dormant within your circumstances.
Sohn understands the allure of nomadism. A nomadic life would protect us from the stress of relational conflicts that inevitably arise when we’re caught in the intricate web of commitments. But the restlessness, FOMO, and disappointment we’re trying to escape always come along for the journey. That’s because they’re not the result of our circumstances; they reside within us.
Braiding personal narrative and spiritual reflection, Here inspires readers to both embrace and transform their circumstances through commitment and stability—in order that they might find true contentment right where they are.
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About Lydia Sohn
Rev. Lydia Sohn is a United Methodist minister, currently serving as senior pastor of Walnut United Methodist Church, and a writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Christian Century, among other venues. She lives in Claremont, California with her husband and three children.