Review of "The Blessing Book" by Francis Shaw

Score: 95+/100 (9.5+ out of 10)

We were pleasantly surprised by The Blessing Book by Francis Shaw!
It's eloquent, impactful, inspiring, and deeply comforting—offering thoughtful reflections that gently encourage readers toward greater self-awareness, gratitude, and emotional healing.

This is so much more than the paint-by-numbers, formulaic Christian non-fiction book we were expecting. This is a phenomenal self-help book that emphasizes healing, authenticity, and self-compassion, inviting readers of all backgrounds to confront their inner struggles, celebrate their journeys, and discover transformative meaning in everyday experiences. Oh, yeah, and it has a lot of unique and interesting things to say!

For example, the author highlights a fascinating observation about birds not bumping into each other even after 100 or more flights, drawing from research conducted by Queensland University in Australia. Birds naturally follow two key guidelines to avoid collisions: they fly at different heights, instinctively adjusting their altitude to pass safely above or below each other, and they consistently veer to the right approximately 84% of the time, creating predictable movement patterns.

Shaw metaphorically applies these insights to human interactions and internal struggles, suggesting that people could similarly avoid conflicts by consciously adjusting their emotional "altitude" to rise above disagreements or negativity. Additionally, when dealing with inner conflicts, consistently making positive and predictable choices—like metaphorically turning to the right—helps individuals steer clear of destructive emotional collisions. In essence, Shaw advocates for emotional mindfulness and intentional decision-making, emphasizing that harmony, both within oneself and with others, comes from thoughtful adjustments and cooperative behavior.

Shaw also expertly and eloquently confronts how we view and approach challenges and problems. Shaw says:

"How we interpret is powerful. If we see life as a maze, we believe everything the maze contains. We make choices, have experiences, and accept much we find unsupportive, because the message of the maze is always that we must get lost and we believe it’s part of why we are here. If we see life as a labyrinth, we believe everything the labyrinth contains."

This says a lot about the importance of framing our challenges and problems in a productive (rather than destructive or inhibiting) way. Speaking of framing, this book also tells us something along the lines of: “When you change the questions you ask, you change the answers you get.” In other words, you can get better, more fulfilling results by pursuing a better, more fulfilling state of mind.

This is important because so much of this book is about solving problems and overcoming challenges/obstacles.

One of our other favorite quotes in this regard is: "...avoidance hadn’t proved to be a beneficial tactic and I needed to change resistance into existence; one, not just of being and accepting, but growing and embracing my lessons like a long-lost friend."

This is a beautiful simile.

The analogy of the "long-lost friend" is a recurring metaphor Shaw uses to describe the author's relationship with life's lessons, struggles, and inner truths. When Shaw refers to life's challenges and painful experiences as "long-lost friends," they're highlighting a perspective shift from seeing difficulties as threats or unwanted burdens to embracing them warmly, with curiosity and openness, as if reuniting with someone familiar yet distant.

This metaphor emphasizes the idea that our hardships and personal lessons, though often uncomfortable or difficult, can offer profound value and insight when accepted willingly and openly, much like the unexpected joy, comfort, or understanding one experiences when reconnecting with an old friend after a long separation. Rather than fearing, avoiding, or resenting these difficult moments, Shaw encourages the reader to embrace them, recognizing that they provide essential opportunities for personal growth, self-discovery, and emotional healing.

Shaw repeatedly alludes to the "long-lost friend" as something familiar that keeps returning to remind us of a positive part of ourselves and our lives. The way that we interpretted this is the idea of being grounded and tethered in something that brings us comfort and security while being willing to venture out to take on the unusual and unfamiliar things in life.

A "long-lost friend" could be God or his son, Jesus. It could be a parent, grandparent, husband, or wife. It could be a memory or an epiphany, like the moment you decided to never smoke, drink, or do drugs.

One small thing we really appreciated about this book is how it acknowledges that people and lives aren't one-size fits all. Yes, we need some of the same things (like food, air, and water), but we're all individuals. The author provides a great analogy about how a burger can mean different things to different people. It depends on who they are, what their tastes are, and what their preferences are. Some people love ketchup on their burgers. Some hate ketchup. Some want tomatoes and lettuce while others don't. Some don't even want the bun (we've encountered a few on low-calorie diets who actually don't eat the bun). You wouldn't try to force a vegetarian to eat a hamburger, right? Or force someone who hates pickles to put pickles on their burger?

We have to be sensitive and sympathetic to the wants, needs, and preferences of others. It's a great skill.

The author also talks about the concept/concepts of "Catalyst and Curiosity." It's what gets a toddler wandering off to explore the world. It's what gets people thinking about what major or career they should pursue. We loved how the author talked about the power of imagination in this regard:

"...remind yourself now…that unlike structure,
imagination is a messy business"

The author blends Catalyst and Curiosity with a third concept in this trio: Compassion.

Catalyst, Curiosity, and Compassion—together, they form a powerful framework for growth, discovery, and connection. The catalyst is what stirs us to move, to change, to question the status quo. Curiosity drives us forward, urging us to seek, explore, and understand. But without compassion, the journey can become self-centered or disconnected. Compassion is what grounds our growth in kindness and our exploration in empathy. It’s what allows us to not only pursue our own path but to walk alongside others as they pursue theirs. In Shaw’s view, this trio invites us to live more awake, more aware, and more human—always learning, always feeling, always caring.

Another part of this book that was a pleasant little surprise was how the author talked about the different kinds of time that the Ancient Greeks supposedly believed in: Chronos (the linear, measurable time that governs clocks, schedules, and deadlines) and Kairos ("opportunity time"--the time of meaning, presence, and divine timing; the kind of time that can’t be measured by a watch but is felt in the heart). Kairos is the moment when everything aligns, when insight strikes, when you're truly there in an experience. Shaw uses this distinction to gently remind readers that not all time is created equal, and that the most important moments in life aren’t necessarily the ones that show up on a calendar, but the ones that show up in the soul. It's a call to shift from merely counting minutes to making moments count.

If there are areas in which this book could be improved, it's the formatting and overuse of things like ellipses, which just don't look professional. Other than that, this is an outstanding book!

Check it out on Amazon!