A Look at a Book
by Breda Sunderland

BOOK REVIEW:
The Key To Everything by Norman Grubb

Focus on the title of this booklet for just a moment-it’s not "A Key to Everything" nor "The Key to Something or Other" but "THE KEY TO EVERYTHING." At the outset, Norman Grubb poses the rhetorical question, "Have we got something genuinely transforming to transmit to others? Have I?" Answer: Yes, He has.

Autobiographical in its inception, Norman relates his desperation when as a missionary he realised he didn’t have love to give to the Africans; and the rev-elation and relief when he realised that "God is love." Love is a Person. We are vessels and our basic function is receptivity. When we are born again Jesus becomes our indwelling operator; and once we recognise and live from the fact of "Another living His life in me," as Norman so succinctly puts it, "you’ve got your key to everything"! Even a "tough spot" "becomes a chance to enjoy the luxury of seeing Him deliver us out of it." Are you enjoying the luxury of the "tough spot"? If not, you must read this book.

In Part 3, Norman shares a powerful insight into humility-and its opposite, pride-when he writes of the "human nothingness and the divine union." Jesus Christ is absolutely humble: "His basic self-consciousness as a human was awareness of His nothingness in Himself." (I mention this particular point because in recent weeks I have been repeatedly fascinated by humility-but that’s another story.)

A theme running through the book-let and one repeated a number of times word-for-word is that "activity is secondary to receptivity" and "no one was more active than Jesus Christ." This reminds me of an incident which took place some years ago when I was a young Christian beginning to walk in the freedom of the total truth of Christ indwelling me. I asked a mature Christian in our fellowship if she were going to relax. She answered sagaciously, "I am relaxed." I love how this wise statement shifts the emphasis from relaxing as an activity (something to do) to the "I"-the Christ/I-who being but a vessel is perfectly relaxed. In Norman’s words: "An outstanding characteristic of the life of Jesus was His relaxed attitude….You see, that relaxed attitude is a normal attitude-because a vessel hasn’t anything except the capacity to contain. So relax!"

I just want to keep quoting from this short four-part booklet. I know that’s not quite what a reviewer should do…so if you want to find Norman’s answer to the intriguing question, "What was the most important conversation ever recorded?" you’ll find it on page 36.

The transforming truth unlocked in this short book is so seamless and whole that it is remarkably difficult to focus on one aspect without wanting and needing to relate everything. That’s why its compact size is such an advantage. You can pop it in your pocket or purse and read it or share from it anytime, anywhere.