Book Review: Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot

After I finished reading and blogging on Quest for Love by Elisabeth Elliot, I decided to read the book that precedes it. It's called Passion and Purity. When I finished, I wasn't quite sure whether or not I should write a book review on it. There's something about the book that's very personal. Elliot shares the story of how her and Jim met and then continued in their relationship. He basically told her that he was head-over-heals in love with her but that he couldn't date her because he was being called to be single.

Jim believed that at that point he was called to be single so that he could do missionary work that married men couldn't necessarily do. This is all great, but I would have been extremely frustrated if I was Elisabeth. He went on in that way for about 9 years. They had contact at some points more than at others. Ultimately they were both called to Ecuador individually to work with the Quichua Indians. 3 years later, Jim Elliot died.

Elisabeth Elliot's story was heart wrenching. I cannot imagine having something dangled in front of me that I've desired for so long, waiting for another long period of time to get it, and then have it ripped away from me.

I've said before that I sometimes wished that I could be a great spiritual leader/mentor, but then I see all of the trials that they go through. Though I know that there will be hard things that happen in this life, and I know that the Lord will be with me through them all, I hope that he never makes me go through something as difficult as what Elisabeth Elliot went through.

It was so refreshing to hear about her views on love though. Elliot is intent upon men being the ones to pursue women. When we're constantly bombarded in our culture about how women need to step up and take the initiative, it's nice to hear godly wisdom from ones who have gone before me. Women are supposed to be feminine and wait for men to pursue them like Christ pursues the church. I love that picture. Maybe because I'm a sappy, sentimental girl who has been planning my wedding since my oldest sisters were planning their weddings. (I was nine years old.) But the idea of a marriage being an earthly picture of the relationship that we have with the Father is so incredibly beautiful to me.