BOOK REVIEW: The Principle of the Path: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
Author: Andy Stanley
Published by Thomas Nelson, 2008
204 pages (includes a Study Guide)
Where Do You Think You’re Going?
What grabs your attention? Are you going in the direction that will lead you to your desired destination? How are those questions connected?
Most of us have some idea of what we want out of life, out of a job or a marriage, but most of us also find ourselves frustrated, because we never seem to get where we want to go. I wonder how many of us ever stop to ask ourselves if the direction we’re heading is leading us to our stated goal. Usually, I think, we simply get frustrated, when we find ourselves someplace we didn’t want to be, whether it’s stuck in a job we hate or a marriage without mutual love and respect, or facing bankruptcy because we managed our money unwisely. Or didn’t manage it, at all.
Andy Stanley has identified—not created—a principle that is at work in all our lives, whether we recognize it, or not. It is neither a law nor a rule, both of which can be broken, although breaking them may have undesirable consequences. A principle is at work, whether we are aware of it, believe it, agree with it, fight it or leverage it for our benefit. It just is. And it applies to every area of our lives: job or career, marriage and other relationships, finances, academics, morality or spirituality; every area is either enhanced or degraded as a result of this principle and whether we apply it well or ignore it. And it has nothing to do with our goals, desires or intentions.
As I read Stanley’s explanations and examples, throughout the book, my mind repeatedly responded with, “Well, of course!” “That’s so obvious!” It is all so simple, and yet I had never thought of any of it, myself, and never realized there was a principle at work.
Even if you are sitting pretty, right where you want to be, or know that you are on the right path to get there, you will benefit by reading this book. And if you are like most people, frustrated because you can’t ever seem to make any headway, heart-broken because of a broken marriage or relationship, going deeper and deeper into debt, or dissatisfied in any other area of your life, this book is a must-read. Every pastor, counselor and coach ought to read it, too. It is that good.
