The Alchemist review

I just finished reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.  It is a fairly short novel and an "easy" read, but one that is loaded with quotes to ponder and thoughts to meditate on.

First, I must say I don't believe God is literally in everything nor do I believe everything has a soul.  I do believe God's fingerprints are on everything.  He created everything in this universe, so just as we can see glimpses of an artist in his work, so we can see glimpses of God in everything He has created.  If we immerse ourselves in nature and learn more about what God has created, we will see Him and learn more about Him.

"But if you believe yourself worthy of the thing you fought so hard to get, then you become an instrument of God, you help the Soul of the World, and you understand why you are here." (p. viii)

In that quote Mr. Coelho is referring to not feeling guilty about getting what we want, but to accept what we have been given.  Not to "forget about all obstacles we overcame, all the sufferings we endured, all the things we had to give up in order to get this far." (p. viii)  We should not refuse the gifts God gives us because we feel we do not deserve them.  "...every blessing ignored becomes a curse."  (p. 58)

"...for her, every day was the same, and when each day is the same as the next, it's because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises." (p. 27)

"The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon."  (p. 32)

The shepherd learns to listen to everything--to nature, to the animals, and to the people around him.  He learns lessons from them all.  The "omens" he follows are the whispers of the still, small voice leading him in the direction he needs to go.

"If he pushed forward impulsively, he would fail to see the signs and omens left by God along his path." (p. 89)

"Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings, confident that God loves his children." (p. 103)

The basic premise of the book follows a shepherd who has the same dream twice and decides he must follow the path on which it is leading him.  His dream must be fulfilled, and he must not give it up.  "People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don't deserve them, or that they'll be unable to achieve them." (p. 130)

This resonated with me.  I paused my reading quite a few times and thought about what my "dream" was.  What was it in my life that I have felt called to do since I was young?  What was that thing that I started doing when I was younger "because I didn't know better"?  

"From then on, the boy understood his heart.  He asked it, please, never to stop speaking to him.  He asked that, when he wandered far from his dreams, his heart press him and sound the alarm.  The boy swore that, every time he heard the alarm, he would heed its message." (p. 132)

"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure." (p. 141)

Am I ignoring my calling, my dream, because I'm afraid to fail?  Definitely.  Who wants to have people tell you that you're not good at the one thing you think you're supposed to do?  Perhaps even worse yet, who wants people to look at the thing you have produced and say, "Meh"?! 

The book has wonderful thoughts about continuing on your path even when there are pauses along the way.  Even when life gets hard.  It has inspired me, along with other "omens" God has brought into my life at this time, to get back to work.  I don't need to be afraid.

Then it probably should have ended.  Because the ending was a little disappointing.  The epilogue was even worse.

Because I like the idea of God taking us up to the "mountaintop" literally or figuratively and then, when we expect an earthbound treasure, an earth-shattering revelation, or something that will show us the secret to the universe, He simply turns to us with a grin and, with a flourish and perhaps a twinkle in His eye, shows us the brilliant view saying, "See?  Pretty amazing, huh?"

It's not a wild goose chase.  It wasn't a waste of time.  It just wasn't what WE were expecting.  And surprisingly enough, it is a treasure, it should be an earth-shattering revelation, and it shows us GOD, Who is THE Secret of the universe.

Lord willing, I will always remember the treasure I am seeking is only God.  I only need His approval.  I only need to follow Him.  I only need to glorify Him in everything I do.