Big Questions, Simple Answers: A Review of God Made Easy by Patrice Karst

Title: God Made Easy: A Simple Guide to Connecting with the Divine

Author: Patrice Karst

Publisher: Worthy Books

ISBN & Price: 9781546008989, $16.77

Buy book here.

God Made Easy: A Simple Guide to Connecting with the Divine by Patrice Karst, bestselling author of The Invisible String, is a “divinely inspired invitation” for readers of all walks of life and faith to discover a personal connection with God, whatever shape or form that may take, “regardless of religious affiliations, spiritual associations, or outer identifications.”                 

Recently, my seven-year-old son has been asking big questions.

Is God real?

What’s the point of life, Mom?

How did we get here?

Do you believe in God?

If God is real, why can’t we see or hear him?

Is there actually a heaven and a hell?

I’m usually at a loss for how to answer. I’m not religious or even very spiritual; I don’t believe in “God” per se, but I do believe in energy. So I offer him the most honest answer I can: that I don’t know… and really, no one does. That we’re all on a journey to find those answers through life, and maybe that journey is the meaning of it all. I always add that, regardless of what I believe or don’t believe, he is on his own journey and will have to choose what feels true to him.

This book touches on all of these questions—the kind a seven-year-old might ask, or a seventy-year-old. We’re all searching for meaning. Patrice recognizes that, offering something to hold onto in this chaotic, scary, and unknown world we live in. And yes, I called her Patrice. Because somehow, after reading this book, I feel like we’re on a first-name basis.                 

The book is written in short phrases, almost poetic in nature, allowing the reader to glide right through. It can be read in a single sitting, and the language is easy to follow and digest. Celestial drawings appear throughout, adding a touch of whimsy to the reading experience. Patrice does a really great job of catering to all readers. She doesn’t force one specific idea of God, but instead offers the possibility that God may be a he, she, or it, allowing the reader to make their own choice.                 

I really liked how she reintroduces God at the beginning of the book. The word “God” carries a lot of worldly connotations, whether positive or negative, and this reintroduction gives readers a chance to see it from a new perspective. She places all religions and spiritual ideologies alongside one another, making it apparent that at the heart of them all is the same universal truth of “God.” It almost makes you feel silly, recognizing that what humans spend so much time fighting and arguing over is, at its core, the same thing.                 

Patrice emphasizes that, in order to get close to God, you have to step away from the noise, people’s words, expectations, and definitions of what He is, and instead get out into nature. She posits that the voice of “intuition” we all have stems from, yes, you guessed it, God. She reminds us to find God in all the beauty in the world, whether that’s the great outdoors, the smell of a newborn baby, being cuddled up with loved ones, or creating art. But it’s not all about beauty. When we have questions about God, one of the biggest that comes up is: what about all the horrors in the world, all the pain? She offers that it’s all part of a universal plan: karma, balance, and lessons to be learned. As she writes, “Perhaps a lot of it remains a mystery till the end; perhaps we can’t understand it all right now with our limited human minds. You have to trust that there is order in the universe and that everything will make sense eventually” (38).                 

Lastly, she explores the question of, well, what do we do while we’re here? It all comes down to trying to be a good person—learning, growing, loving, creating, experiencing—because that’s all we can really do, and maybe that is the whole point. This little book truly does make God “easy,” expressing what feels like simple, almost universal knowledge for humanity, something that, if we could collectively grasp, might help us collectively heal. I’m feeling grateful that this little book found its way into my hands right now, so I can read it to my little one, who just might find some answers to the questions in his soul within its pages.

Review by Britain Powers.