Book Review - The Echo Within by Robert Benson

This is my first read of a Robert Benson book, though he has written extensively on spiritual formation matters. Though the book will not likely appear on my "recommended" list, the writing is engaging and stimulating. If you would like to buy it, you can always visit Amazon.ca

Initially, I think Benson gives too much trust to the soul/spirit in discerning the voice of God accurately, not seeming to consider the deceptiveness of the human heart. This is best summarized in the quote, "We can trust that Voice when it is calling to us, and we can trust that Voice when it speaks for us." (p. 18). Later in the book, the idea that a person needs to know who s/he is when sensing their call/vocation, explains this "trust your inner voice" a bit more clearly, though ability for self-deception still seems minimized.

By the same token, Benson presents a solid chapter reflecting on the way God uses other people to speak into our lives... and most of the time these are in average, everyday moments of life. Benson notes that when we share with the person later (years later?) the impact their sentence had on our life, they don't even remember saying it. My journey has included many of those moments that show God using His people to speak into one another's life. "Sometimes people hesitate to give God any credit for being able to work through the ordinary of our lives, through the very sentences we hear and say." (p. 56)

As someone who has works/ed with high/school college students looking to "know God's will" for future decisions (eg. spouse, career, further education, etc), I think I would personally agree with Benson's overall view of how God directs a person, illustrated in the quote "The plan is for you to become the person God intended. However, the details are up to you." (p. 42) Even as Benson has used his literary talents to write poetry, advertisements, edit technical pieces and now write in relation to spiritual formation, I would agree that God has given him a gift for written communication.