By the River Piedra, I Sat Down and Wept

By the River Piedra, I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho

The days after i finished By the River Piedra, I Sat Down and Wept, was very difficult for me because we, all book lovers, know that after turning that very last page of the book you really love was like saying goodbye to a friend that has been a part of your daily life. 


A journey about finding someone's self or someone's personality. For me, knowing who you are is the hardest thing in life to know. We can talk about chemistry the whole day, or talk about how many are the cute boys in campus all week. But talking about who we really are and what to do in life? Nahh, just do it yourself man. Because sometimes we pretend that we really know ourselves, but we always end up eating our own words. 

Pilar's journey to find herself. Finding yourself is better if it's done with a friend, especially with the one's you love. That's what she did. Her childhood friend, a person who's close to God and spent he's ten years travelling around the world, learning about different cultures, religions, and the representation of the feminine side of God in those different cultures. Someone who is fit enough to help her find herself, in a good and better way possible. 

Bury the past and move on. Pilar, a woman who has many struggles throughout her life and has been hurt by people in the past. She has failed the societal rules and struggles to suppress her happiness to cut here and there in order to fit into the societal mold. Throughout the book, she eases up, then turns back in fear of the unknown and the uncomfortable, even though it is more uncomfortable to live in her current skin, than take a chance to find true happiness. When the past has been taken away in your heart, it's the right time to let the happiness in life to fill in the spaces in your heart that has been filled with pain all your life.

Pilar changed herself in a good way when she surrender her old self into a better version of her to God. And everything else follows after which. That is because God is guiding her every step of the way. Sometimes, we are thought that God has abandoned us, when in fact, those days we are the one who is abandoning him in those situations. We keep on chasing different things when supposed He should be the one we are chasing. When Pilar began to chase who God is, that is the moment she made her life wonderful and worthy. 

Listen, God always have answers. Just know how to listen. Her childhood friend, who professed his love to her, and that she also loves, is still at seminary. They have to make a big decision between their love and his childhood's missionary. Good thing, Pilar made a good choice and learned the most special thing in life. That it is not enough to simply follow societal and religious rules, a person has to believe in God, or they will never know spiritual happiness.

Choosing between seminary or love is the hardest thing to do. But God always have an answer to every questions we have. Religion and love is fighting in your heart. When in fact religion and heart should be the one who is tandem in every way. We doesn't need to be at seminary when we want to serve God. But we can serve God in many ways. Like glorifying Him in your everyday life, It is a simple yet powerful of serving for God.

The moment we seek love, love begins to seek us. AND TO SAVE US. With their love, Pilar discovered who she is , and accept what she wants and how to get it. 

Love + God = Eternity