Winged Life

by Hannah Hurnard

We can find freedom to enjoy the Christian life by allowing God to transform our thoughts, specifically through an attitude of praise, selflessness, and pure thinking.

Genres: Christian, Fiction, Christianity, Spirituality, Christian Living, Theology

173 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 6, 1975

About the author

Hanna Hurnard was a twentieth century Christian author, best known for her allegory Hinds' Feet on High Places.
Hurnard was born in 1905 in Colchester, England to Quaker parents. She graduated from Ridgelands Bible College of Great Britain in 1926. In 1932 she became an independent missionary, moving to Haifa, Israel. Her work in Israel lasted 50 years, although she would later maintain a home in England as well.
Hurnard's early writings (especially Hinds' Feet on High Places and the sequel Mountain of Spices) were embraced by the mainstream Christian community, but later on in her life she seems to have departed from orthodoxy.

Reviews

[Amy Litzelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Hannah Hurnard because of her child-like faith and love that is so steeped with wisdom if we have a heart to see.

I just finished reading "Winged Life" for the second time, and have opened it to read or quote passages many, many times. I love this book! Hannah gives deep understanding and hope to the heart that is weary or broken by circumstances. She helps us to see that suffering is in fact an invaluable, treasured part of our journey to know our Creator, and will actually make us stronger and more like Him.

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first read this book as a young woman, it helped me to see how some of my daily habits and choices were keeping me from growing in my relationship with God.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are not enough superlatives to describe this book! I would recommend reading this book with a pen, unless you take a dim view of writing in books. In that case, use sticky notes because there is so much that is worthy of a highlight. This book, along with other Hurnard books are treasures of mine. I can't wait to read it again!!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winged Life by Hannah Hurnard (1975)

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Hannah's work..

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about allowing the Holy Spirit of God to work in us to transform the way we think. By ourselves we are slaves to sin, defeating or destructive thoughts and wrong habits. By surrendering to God's Spirit, we can rise above and learn to love. To overcome, we must allow the Spirit to control our thoughts just as Christ did when He was on Earth (pg 32).

Hannah goes on chapter by chapter to discuss how God's Spirit can make us creative, transform our thoughts from disparaging and negative to loving and accepting of others, even forgiving.

She also discusses living in harmony with the law of love. Love is one of the signs of God's Spirit. If we are able to set aside self-love and love others, we are becoming like Christ and choosing oneness of love. This includes not separating ourselves from those we disagree with as Hannah states in Chapter 11. In the past, Christian's were tortured, burned at the stake, and killed for differing beliefs. The scriptures don't give us liberty to divorce others for disagreements, but only for deceptive practices as stated in 2 John 10:7.

The final chapter is Hannah's witness and understanding of the gospel. She encourages her reader to see that salvation is once and on-going day by day. God bore our sin and now daily bears our crosses and suffering until the end comes as described in Revelation's last verses.

[Rhubarb · Rating 5 out of 5]

For such a old book, and such a slim volume, I wasn't expecting much. I was surprised to discover in theses pages such profound and insightful reflections. With every page, I expected to find a narrow approach to Christianity, and even when I momentarily though I had hit it, I continued reading only to discover Hurnard opened out ideas with such humility and insight and wisdom that there was nothing narrow or dogmatic about her words. She quotes Julian of Norwich, which feels appropriate, since, while not a book of visions, Hurnard's book is in many ways offering insight akin to Julian of Norwich.
A book I had been planning to read and then get rid of, I will now be proud to add to my theological bookshelves permanently.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It’s probably my second favorite book (#1 being Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard). It encompasses and illuminates the importance of walking in love. Being a follower of Christ is allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us in ALL things. The things we think about and dwell on, are the very things that affect the way we react to life.

I will end with a beautiful quote from the end of the book:

“How strangely and beautifully God illumines our understanding and gradually develops our capacity to see and understand more, so that the Scriptures seem constantly to unfold to us new and richer conceptions of the truth as we are able to bear it.”

[Saphraneet · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating is actually more like 3.7 as I was not sure what the author was saying towards the end of the book. But otherwise, her advice on how to control our thoughts and then commit our thought life to the Lord was very helpful.

[Charis Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second Hannah Hurnard book after Hinds Feet in High Places.

Underlines and brackets in almost all pages are a testament to how much the book spoke to me and encouraged me. I’ll definitely be reading it again.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just wrote a long, much better than average review and then clicked on “I’ve finished this book!” and my review disappeared. :-(

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent fiction

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love Hannah Hurnard’s writing but this is not my favorite things she’s written!

[Janis H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it is astounding - and also tragic - that this book has been in print for over 40 years and is not much more WIDELY RECOMMENDED for Christian believers (or wantabe believers!) who, as I have done for many years, suffered from ignorance about God's true nature, particularly how He SUFFERS WITH US.

I began reading this book quite some time ago, and reading through several chapters, I was very impressed with the steps that the author directs us to, in order to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

However, it wasn't until I came to the LAST chapter, "Revelation Made by Jesus Christ" that a huge lightbulb came on. As Hannah herself described, it is "one of the most transforming conceptions about the revelation of God given to us... which has been shining in my mind with a glory and radiance beyond anything understood before."

That said, I'd recommend that this last chapter in "Winged Life" be read FIRST. Because it illuminates all the rest of the chapters, giving a truly ENLIGHTENING explaination as to the Reason and Purpose that - if we are serious about following Christ - our way of thinking (and speaking) needs to change and align with God's eternal spirit of Love.

To any Believer, or would-be Believer reading this review, if you haven't already - do not hesitate to get and read this book! But be prepared for it to revolutionize your concept of God, from One who is watching the human race suffer, to One who is on the Inside, suffering with us, infinitely more than we can even comprehend.

[JennanneJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a little gem of a book! I picked it up for a quarter at a library book sale, thinking, "How can I miss when it's 25c?"

I thought Hannah's challenge to love was right on. And also her challenge to take our thoughts captive. I've never heard anyone expound on this area before and explain why it absolutely makes sense and is not just a random instruction. Much of her book explained Biblical principles in a very logical, yet simple, way that appealed to my reason.

“No wonder that we need to learn the lovely transforming secret Of a thought life brought completely and unbrokenly under the control of the Holy Spirit of Love. For love does really and truly begin in our thoughts and not in our feelings. Our feelings follow our thoughts and, according to our thought habits, so will our feelings be.“