Why Would Grief Make You Dance with Jesus?

I don’t know the answer to that. But I suspect it’s similar to why tears heal. Or, perhaps it’s just backwards—that when someone “dances with Jesus” in heaven, someone here grieves a loss.

But Dance with Jesus claims to take the reader from grief to grace—to experience a “deepening of your faith.”

I think, rather, that this book is more of one woman’s journey through her grief to grace. Do I think it can help others see the Lord’s hand in the little things that come in the wake of painful loss?

Of course.

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I requested a review copy of this book from Celebrate Lit because I wanted a book that would be a simple, easy read to share when people suffered pain and loss.

Unfortunately, this book won’t serve that purpose for me. Aside from it being more of a memoir of Ms. Mead’s own grief process than anything else, I also noted a few things that stood out to me as problematic.

In more one place, Ms. Mead states that she audibly heard the Lord tell her something specific to her situation—something about the death of a loved one. In another, she describes a vision of Jesus “gettin’ down” (dancing) with her son in Heaven. I know that’ll not jive with everyone’s understanding of Scripture, so I made note of it.

Additionally, at one point, there is a somewhat heavy-handed promotion of the author’s direct sales business. To be honest, I felt a little like I’d had friends call to say, “Hey! Want to get together?” And then after they arrived and talked for a while, they laid out the plan of financial salvation a.k.a. Amway.

I don’t know that it was meant to be the advertisement it sounded like. I suspect the author is just truly grateful that they were in a position to have income when they were called to serve instead of needing to earn a living for a time. However, the specifics of it (including the name of the company) really felt a bit like a backhanded hard-sell.

This is coming off much more negative than I like to do with reviews.

It feels as though I’m trampling on a woman’s grief. That is not my intention, but there’s no way to provide an honest review if I don’t share what I found in the book.

So, after all that, am I sorry I read it?

Nope. And here’s why. At the beginning of the book, before anything else, there are these words:

Have you ever thought that you have no space or time in your life for the people who matter most to you? Create space for them. It may be the last kind hug, word, or kiss you get to share with them. You deserve that special, sacred time, too. Things get broken, discarded, or replaced. People matter.”

And that right there is the motto of my life.

I’m always saying, “People are more important.” It’s not always easy to say that. However, I mean it even when for a moment I resist.

The chatty diner at Denny’s—the server with family trouble. The person chatting with me on Facebook when I have other things to do. My daughter’s gabfests when it’s too hot to think. My son’s request for help with a project.

People are more important. I’ve never regretted keeping that at the forefront of my mind but I have regretted not doing it.

And that quote is what gave me an “it’s okay” rating for this book. Outside of that, for what it advertises itself to be, I didn’t like it.

Who do I recommend the book for?

Um, people who like the “Heaven is Real” type stories and personal memoirs may enjoy this book.

Note:

For a tiny little book of only 107 smaller-than-normal-sized pages, the Kindle is pricey at almost 11 dollars, but the paperback is only 7.50 and the audiobook is only 5.00.