When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life's Sacred Questions (Plus) [Paperback]

Sue Monk Kidd (Author)

Book Description

Series: Plus | Publication Date: October 31, 2006

From the Bestselling Author of The Secret Life of Bees, an Inspiring Autobiographical Account of Personal Pain, Spiritual Awakening, and Divine Grace

Blending her own experiences with an intimate grasp of spirituality, Sue Monk Kidd relates the passionate and moving tale of her spiritual crisis, when life seemed to have lost meaning and her longing for a hasty escape from the pain yielded to a discipline of "active waiting." This PLUS edition includes a reader's guide.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A joy to read….Honest and healing.” (--Alan Jones, dean of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, and author of Soul Making )

As I read her book, Kidd became a companion. I love having her walk with me on my journey. (--Eugene Peterson, author of The Message )

From the Publisher

Combining personal experience and classic Christian teachings, this inspirational autobiographical account of a woman's personal pain, spiritual awakening, and divine grace received Virtue magazine's "Book of the Year" award. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; 1ST edition (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061144894
• ISBN-13: 978-0061144899
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,803 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #59 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Worship & Devotion > Devotionals

More About the Author

Sue Monk Kidd's first novel, The Secret Life of Bees, spent more than one hundred weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, has sold nearly six million copies, and was chosen as the 2004 BookSense Paperback Book of the Year and Good Morning America's "Read This!" Book Club pick. It was adapted into an award-winning movie in 2008. Her second novel, The Mermaid Chair, a #1 New York Times bestseller, won the 2005 Quill Book Award for Best General Fiction and was adapted into a television movie. Her novels have been published in more than thirty countries. She is also the author of several acclaimed memoirs and the recipient of many awards, including a Poets & Writers Award. She lives near Charleston, South Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

164 of 174 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stop Poking My Cocoon!, June 28, 2001

By 

Funny Girl (Glendora, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life's Sacred Questions (Paperback)

I may be writing this review a little prematurely, as I am only halfway through this book, however...I have already purchased additional copies for my friends. I have underlined, dog-earred and referred to various pages on several occassions. When the Heart Waits gives valuable insight into mid-life. It shares information as to the benefits gained in "being still". Waiting is not "doing nothing". It is both "passive and passionate". As many of us struggle with "what should I do next", often trying to make something happen. Sue Monk Kidd reminds us that everything is always taken care of, if we just stop pushing so hard. She talks about a caterpillar and her cocoon. If someone pokes a hole in the cocoon before it's time, the butterfly will emerge with un-developed wings, unable to fly. Take time with yourself and you WILL be able to fly!

83 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for any life shift/painful/scary development or 'dark night' - NOT true about being only 4 traditional Christians, September 17, 2005

By 

Yasmin Mansoor "all for superb products" (Palo Alto, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life's Sacred Questions (Paperback)

Don't let the various reviews' comments about being for mid-life crises and/or traditional Christians only put you off as I & friends of very different ages & life stages & challenges all found this book incredibly helpful & powerful & so wonderfully soothing - the perfect balm for any wounding or challenges or scary developments that might occur in life. Although her writing does include some Christian references, I was very impressed by the depth of spirituality and understanding she brings to it i.e. part of what makes the book so special is her bringing much greater depth of understanding and authenticity to what it's all about. I am so glad that her exquisite writing style in "the secret life of bees" made me look for more books written by her as I found this book infinitely more powerful and even more of a joy to read in every way. Note that although I loved the writing style and hence journey that unfolded in the "... bees" novel so much that she's one of the few authors I went to look for more books by, I didn't think her tale-spinning abilities were quite as strong as some gifted story-tellers. So I personally think her writing strengths and power of insights and understanding are infinitely better conveyed in this book than in "... bees". However, I'm glad she is writing novels also as those can hopefully open up a greater audience for the incredible power and depth of all she can share with us. She is definitely somebody I'd want to hear more from and feel blessed to have discovered.

143 of 153 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just What I Needed, November 10, 2003

By 

Marion "[e-mail]" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life's Sacred Questions (Paperback)

This book was a balm for my wounded forty-something soul, I have to tell y'all. I felt as if I've been stuck in a vortex since my youngest child graduated from college, got married and flew the coop a few years ago. All my life I thought I was looking forward to the day when my two daughters were grown so I could be 'free'. I'd heard of empty nest, of course, and poo-pooed it thinking it happened to women who had no lives but their children's....NOT! I still feel slightly lost, wounded and confused, but much better after reading this book. And the loss of your children is, indeed, a wound. They're alive and kicking, but gone nonetheless....and there's an emptiness there that you're not quite sure how to fill. This book gives you permission (and encourages you) to just sit and wait out this life passage. Thanks, Ms. Kidd, for your wonderful, beautifully written book. I encourge all of my mid-life age friends to read it.