Story of a Soul by Therese de Lisieux

"Because your soul is extremely simple, but when you will be perfect, you will be even more simple; the closer one approaches to God, the simpler one becomes."

I never heard of St. Therese before this until I was looking for any advice or suggestions on how to deal with toxic people and I found this page: How to deal with that toxic person in your life, according to St. Therese. Recently, I started to develop an interest in reading stories about saints. I tried to look for any books about her or from her, and I found this autobiography. I was so looking forward to obtaining more guides from her in dealing with other problems especially dealing with difficult people. However, I was tempted to read any other books first before this, but at the same time, my mind keeps persuading me to read this autobiography book.

St. Therese's story reminds me of one of the common sayings "Sometimes love is so simple". Her simple and innocent way of showing her love for God is inspiring, and there were so much for us to learn from her. St Teresa's love for God is more philosophical and requires deeper thoughts from us whereas St. Therese's love is simple and straightforward. Her God's love was as simple as a child, it reminds me of this verse from the Bible:
And said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3).

The words which she used to describe her pure love were so beautiful and inspirational. Her expressions, thoughts and actions in showing her devotion to God were so encouraging, and through her, we can learn how to have faith like a child and never forget in loving God every day.

For me, the climax is not when she joined Carmelites. The story came to a peak when she was reaching the ending of her life. It was astounding to read that she still remained cheerful during her period of suffering for her illness. She believed her suffering moment is a gift from God and she cherished the moment by claiming her love to God. The epilogue can easily bring any readers to tears as if you're experiencing the suffering with her and at the same time, you have a deep affection and respect for her noble love to God. Sometimes, I wondered what other great things that she will do or we can learn from her if she wasn't departed from this world at such a young age.

Rating: ★★★★★
More reviews can be found on Goodreads: Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux.