Book Review: When Wallflowers Dance by Angela Thomas (Pharr)

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This is one of those books that I think I’ve read in the past but I’m almost certain that I didn’t, even if the library card says otherwise. However, I’ve always been intrigued by the title, being a little wallflower myself so I checked it out again after going to a conference in which Angela Thomas Pharr presented. Let me tell you, sister is a kindred spirit! She understands that life is not as glamorous as we would like and while most of us dream of being the leading lady, we often end up struggling to even fulfill a supporting role when we were born for so much more. She understands that desire for so much more or as she says our desire to dance.

I’ve always felt like a wallflower, both figuratively and literally, spending 98.7% of my school dances self-consciously dancing with a group of friends or lingering in the shadows but never chosen… never desired. As I began reading this book, I was in the midst of a season when my confidence had taken a significant hit and I felt like all the ground I had conquered in this struggle was all but gone. I was looking for light and hope from a sister wallflower and that is exactly what I found.

Angela’s writing, much like her speaking, is comedic, heartwarming and real. You feel like you are just sitting and chatting with a girlfriend and I’m almost certain that’s what she intends. In this book, she gets real and frank about her struggles and the struggles she has witnessed while traveling across the country with her ministry. She recognizes the difference between a saved woman and a spiritual woman which she expands upon in the hope that we will all be freed to dance with the Father. She especially focuses on the waiting seasons required of the Christian life which is exactly what I needed to hear.

“God gives us many desires that require a determined wait. The longing for romantic love. The desire to improve and use our gifts. A home that becomes a haven for family and friends. A strong physical body. The blessing of children. But the journey of desire is not a rocket ride. It’s a spiritual marathon and, maybe even more than the desire itself, what matters is how you run toward it.”

Seasons of waiting are necessary for us all but that doesn’t make them any easier. Angela has learned to find the beauty of all seasons in this life which has led her to expectantly wait for her chance to dance. Seeing her speak 18 years after writing about her moments of waiting to dance, I can say that she truly seems to be waltzing now which gives me such hope and expectation for when my turn comes. I can only hope that my seasons of waiting will reflect such a beautiful testimony of expectations to those around me as hers clearly has done for others.

(Amazon)