Review: Possibly the most profound religious treatise ever written by a fourteen-year-old
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 2, 2014
The title of this review is high praise, but this little volume deserves it. I have a Kindle version, but I just bought a print book for a friend. The level of intimacy and immediacy of young Michael's relationship with God shines in the words of this small book. The nakedness with which he bares his personal shortcomings, his love of Christ and God, and shares his joy at living a God-filled life are stunning. I love this book. It's one to keep close for little sips of inspiration.It provoked a firestorm of thought in me, as a good book should. When Michael was praying about his sins and "becoming a person he despised," I thought, "How did he get that rotten at fourteen? A person usually has to be a least thirty to be that bad." I suspect that Michael has a very stern superego that was speaking at those points. I wondered if an organization or church was causing him to judge himself so harshly. But I don't know.Some of the great souls of history have taken their actions terribly seriously, and because of that have been able to create philosophical and theological systems to illuminate inner life for the rest of us. Here I'm thinking of Soren Kierkegaard. I'm sure many other students of the soul are the same.I wonder what was happening in Michael's life to inspire him to such intensity, depth and height at that young age. One prayer in particular spoke to me: My Unforgettable Past. Like many people, I've suffered irrevocable loss. At times, what I lost galls me. At times, I understand that what I lost is what made me the person I am. The seeker and finder, the illuminator an soul speaker.Thank you very much for sharing your life and faith with us, Michael. Give us more!