Honestly, this is one of the best books I have ever read, and I know I will return to it often, revisiting the many notes I’ve made. It’s clear to me that God’s hand was at work in how this book was written. Father Walter J. Ciszek’s story and testimony serve as a profound guide, drawing readers closer to God through his example. In many ways, this book is a manual for living the Christian life, highlighting the vital importance of cultivating a deep and personal relationship with God. Ciszek delves into the struggles we all face: doubting God’s will, second-guessing ourselves, and letting our reasoning cloud divine guidance. He shows how easily we can miss God’s voice amidst the noise of our own fears and desires. Yet, through his journey, we learn powerful lessons about surrender, faith, and trust in God’s providence. Among the many impactful passages, I want to highlight two that resonated deeply with me: 1st Passage Had I come to Russia because I wanted it? No I came because I was convinced God wanted me there. And my coming, my following of the will of God, had meant sacrifices. It had meant leaving behind my own country, the Jesuits I had known and worked with, my family and friends and everything that had been familiar to me in the thirty years of my life. In a word, it had meant breaking with all I had known and done before, in order to adapt myself to an entirely new, strange, difficult and strenuous life of hardship in which to carry on an apostolate. It is the same sacrifice demanded of and made by so many people : missionaries, servicemen, married couples, young people leaving home for the first time. Such sacrifice is the first test of any vocation, any calling to follow God's will. " In the head of the book it is written of me" the prophets had said of Christ " I come to do your will" that was to be the keynote of his life and of his vocation, as it is the keynote of every Christian vocation and it was only in the light of that faithfulness to the father's will through sacrifice and pain and suffering that one should hear Christ's words on the cross, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit " 2nd passage That Grace is always given to us, but we must learn to recognize it in the people and circumstances presented to us by God's providence, in the thoughts and inspirations that tug at our minds and our hearts. We know that we do not always respond to God's grace, for his grace always demands of us sacrifice, renunciation of self-will, effort and an untiring spirit of dedication - and the practice of these things does not come easily to the young, or the tired adult, or the old. Yet that is what the kingdom of God is all about. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is a spiritual compass for anyone seeking to deepen their faith and walk more closely with God.