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A review by brice_mo
Waiting Isn't a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life by Mark Vroegop
2.5
Thanks to NetGalley and Crossway for the ARC!
Mark Vroegop’s Waiting Isn’t a Waste is a slight book, better attuned to day-to-day impatience than it is to deus absconditus, which means that its merit is almost entirely contingent on reader expectations.
I know Vroegop’s previous writing on lament was really resonant for many people, and there’s a possibility that the same will be true here, but it felt fairly insubstantial to me. Waiting Isn’t a Waste is not a challenging read, and I mean that both in terms of density and its ability to provoke reflection. Personally, I found it frustrating how rhetorically beholden it is to the format of a 45-minute sermon. Each chapter opens with an anecdote, which then introduces a main point, which is then supported by a few Bible verses and the occasional quote, which is then supplemented with reflection questions. It’s palatable to a fault, and it feels like a missed opportunity to dive deeper.
The following will sound like a harsh critique, but I don’t mean it as such—this is where audience expectations come in. This book feels tailor-made for evangelicals who are so steeped in their subculture that they are at least a little disconnected from the realities of the world. You could only give this to someone who feels comfortably at home in a Baptist/non-denom community because it’s so dependent on that shared lexicon and so disengaged with any concerns outside that demographic. I know a book can’t be all things to all people, but I do wonder if such a strict dichotomy between “sacred” and “secular” audiences promotes an unhealthy insularity. At the very least, the book felt ill-equipped for the existential and spiritual questions that implicitly motivate discomfort with “waiting.”
All that said, I accept that these quibbles are a reflection of me as a reader more than problems with the text. I have relatives who would adore this as a supplement to their morning coffee, and maybe it doesn’t need to inspire thought as much as it needs to be a conversational centerpiece for people who might not otherwise know how to broach its themes. If that’s where you’re at, maybe this is a perfect book for you!
Mark Vroegop’s Waiting Isn’t a Waste is a slight book, better attuned to day-to-day impatience than it is to deus absconditus, which means that its merit is almost entirely contingent on reader expectations.
I know Vroegop’s previous writing on lament was really resonant for many people, and there’s a possibility that the same will be true here, but it felt fairly insubstantial to me. Waiting Isn’t a Waste is not a challenging read, and I mean that both in terms of density and its ability to provoke reflection. Personally, I found it frustrating how rhetorically beholden it is to the format of a 45-minute sermon. Each chapter opens with an anecdote, which then introduces a main point, which is then supported by a few Bible verses and the occasional quote, which is then supplemented with reflection questions. It’s palatable to a fault, and it feels like a missed opportunity to dive deeper.
The following will sound like a harsh critique, but I don’t mean it as such—this is where audience expectations come in. This book feels tailor-made for evangelicals who are so steeped in their subculture that they are at least a little disconnected from the realities of the world. You could only give this to someone who feels comfortably at home in a Baptist/non-denom community because it’s so dependent on that shared lexicon and so disengaged with any concerns outside that demographic. I know a book can’t be all things to all people, but I do wonder if such a strict dichotomy between “sacred” and “secular” audiences promotes an unhealthy insularity. At the very least, the book felt ill-equipped for the existential and spiritual questions that implicitly motivate discomfort with “waiting.”
All that said, I accept that these quibbles are a reflection of me as a reader more than problems with the text. I have relatives who would adore this as a supplement to their morning coffee, and maybe it doesn’t need to inspire thought as much as it needs to be a conversational centerpiece for people who might not otherwise know how to broach its themes. If that’s where you’re at, maybe this is a perfect book for you!