Hallelujah Anyways
In her most recent book, Hallelujah Anyways, Anne Lamott writes in such a transparent way that one is immediately swept along in the spiritual struggle to remember mercy daily. She does a wonderful job intertwining moments of incredible spiritual and biblical insight with the absolute humor of life. She works from the start of the book to make it clear what her purpose for writing is when she reveals, “I’m not sure I even recognize the ever presence of mercy anymore…but I have come to believe that I am starving to death for it, and my world is, too” (9). How many of us can remember the last time any of us showed real mercy to
another person? Even more, when was the list time you showed mercy to yourself?
Lamott immediately strikes a chord with each of us when she opens up in her first chapter about how pride and the world have turned us off from extending mercy. In fact, as she reflects, it’s not just that we lack compassion for others but that we actually hope for their doom as well. She comments that, “Some days the only thing that can cheer me up is something bad happening to someone I hate” (9). We have allowed ourselves to fall away from being people who should exude loving-kindness to others for people who want to see others actually fail and lose. This isn’t, as Lomott describes, a softening of our hearts but a hardening. In order to renew our lives with charity we have to be both willing to accept the mercy of God for ourselves and soften our hearts “ever so slightly, so that we don’t have to condemn others for being total s****, although they may be that…(okay, are)” (11-12).
Perhaps my favorite part of Lamott’s book was her chapter title, “Impatiens.” In this chapter she reflects on the story of Mary and Martha after Lazarus has passed away. Chances are, Mary and Martha were quite upset when Jesus finally showed up because they knew that, if he had shown up early, then Jesus would have been able to save Lazarus. But he didn’t. And sometimes, in our own lives we feel that if Jesus had just shown up, then we wouldn’t be in the mess that we are in. In that moment, we, and even Mary and Martha, get angry at God for the injustice of it all. Lamott describes the scene as Jesus shows up, “They (Mary and Martha) are the ultimate believers, and yet everything feels awful. And how does Jesus react? He gets pissy. He wants them to come all the way into faith” (93). I believe Lamott’s insight here brings us to an important truth: at the root of mercy is our faith in the sovereignty of God. “Okay, so the s*** has hit the fan – do you still believe that I am the Resurrection and the Life? Even when you don’t get what you want? Even when nothing makes sense” (93)? Our answers to these questions will determine the amount of mercy we allow ourselves to experience through Christ and the flow of mercy we share with others.
Overall, I would highly recommend Lamott’s book, Hallelujah Anyways, to anyone who wants to feel refreshed in the mercy of God and might need encouraged to show mercy to others. The only warnings that accompany Lamott’s book is her optional use of colorful language and slight embrace of different spiritual walks. She is very determined to press the importance of intimate and valuable friendships and the forgotten miracle of nature - things in which all of us can relate to. While it was hard for me to connect to her upbringing, I was, nonetheless, drawn into her story due to her wit and humor. To leave you with a thought, here is, perhaps, one of my favorite lines: “Love mercy – accept the acceptance; receive the forgiveness, whenever we can, for as long as we can. Then pass it on. We are bread to be served to the poor and the hungry and sometimes it is we who need the bread” (135-136). The greatest thing about the mercy of God is that it is always there - it's there when we need it for others and, especially, when we need it for ourselves.