The Apple of His Eye (by Bridget Plass)

(Amazon UK link)

Although her husband Adrian is better known, Bridget Plass is an excellent writer too. She hasn’t published many books and most are out of print. But her first one, ‘The Apple of His Eye’ is still available. It’s one I read every few years during Lent, and I appreciate it very much each time. The last time I read it was in 2014.

There’s a picture on the front representing the Prodigal Son being welcomed by his father, as a parable for ordinary people being welcomed by God - and at the same time the image looks something like an apple. We use the phrase ‘apple of my eye’ to refer to someone precious to us, and that’s the theme of the book: that each of us matters immensely to God.

It’s set out as a series of short devotions: a Bible passage, a couple of pages of Bridget Plass’s thoughts and commentary, and a brief prayer at the end. The first section doesn’t seem, at first glance, to have anything to do with Lent - it looks at passages, mostly from the Old Testament, that explore some aspect of who God is.

The author’s commentaries on each passage are light-weight and entirely non-preachy. Many times they begin with a family anecdote, some of them involving her husband, or children; some of them relating to friends or people they had met on their travels. Each incident has a relevant point, or something which Bridget Plass realises as a result.

She recounts some of her own struggles, too, some of them quite severe as she brings up four children, and goes through some difficult times: financial difficulties, her husband’s serious depression, and then his sudden rise to fame as a writer. She’s refreshingly honest about how very difficult life can be at times, and how important it is to have supportive and non-judgemental friends.

As Lent progresses, the focus changes: to saying ‘yes’ to what God wants of us, whether it’s exciting or dull; and looking at some people who were ‘apples of his eye’. Then it moves in the last weeks to some of Jesus’ final discourses in the Gospel of John, and during Holy Week the story of the Passion, and - on Easter Sunday - the Resurrection.

I don’t read this book to find out anything new but to think again about God’s love, and what Jesus went through. I’ve been reading one small piece per day, as Lent progressed, and have found it encouraging and poignant.

Very highly recommended, if you'd like a few relevant devotional thoughts to read over a six week period. While the last week specifically refers to the events of Holy Week, the book could be read at any time of year.

Review copyright 2021 Sue's Book Reviews