There are books that make me laugh, books that make me cry,
and ones that never fail to bring a smile to my face no matter how many times I
have perused their pages.
And then, there are those books that completely turn my world
upside down. This is one of them.
A few months ago, I attended a women’s event at my church
where a message by Lysa Terkeurst was broadcasted to our church’s different
campuses. She spoke on women’s emotions and the way we react to different
situations and different types of people. The topics she was speaking about
were from a book she had recently published titled Unglued.
The thought crossed my mind to go buy the book. She was a
great speaker. She made me laugh, and I left feeling challenged. However, the
thought slipped away, and I forgot about my intended trip to the bookstore. A
few weeks later I was perusing through Instagram, and an image of the book
popped up on my feed.
Now, I need to be completely transparent with you. I may or
may not follow the majority of the Bachelor and Bachelorette participants (past
and present) on Twitter and Instagram. Emily Maynard may have been the one
plugging the book on Instagram through her post. And that may have been the
final straw that caused me to go buy the book. Glad that’s off my chest.
Regardless of what caused me to purchase this book, I am so
glad I did.
Lysa Terkeurst is like a true friend that isn’t afraid to
give you a good slap in the face when you need it. If you are looking for good
honest truth, weaved in with scripture, this is a book for you.
If I am being truly honest, honesty probably isn’t what I am
looking for most of the time. I would much prefer for you to tell me the things
I am doing well, the right things I have said at the right time, and shower me
with comforting words.
However, what I want isn’t always what I need. Like Lysa
says in this book, “Knowing what you need doesn’t always translate into wanting
what you need.” If one of you confronted me with the things in this book, I
probably would have gotten defensive, offended, and interrupted you before you
had the chance to finish. Luckily, Lysa is a stranger (is it ok that I feel
like we are on a first name basis after reading this book?). There was no way for me to interrupt her. And
each moment I became defensive, she met me with scriptural truth. Who can argue
with that? Lysa tells the truth in love, confronts honest emotions all women
deal with, and tells it like it is.
The book confronts the topics of soul integrity, a woman’s
daily battle with emotions, and the difference between Godly honesty and our
“honesty”.
If you are a woman or know a woman, you can’t tell me that
emotions aren’t a huge part of our make-up. I think most would consider me to be
a fairly even keeled person. Even so, I would be lying to say that emotions
aren’t a struggle. Whether they are about a conversation we had or something
that someone didn’t say but should have, emotions are emotions. And most often they
are there even if we don’t want them to be.
So often, we have an experience, the emotions flood in, and
we just run with it. We justify the way we feel saying that we are just being
honest. We try to win others over to our side so we can dive further into the
emotional pit we have created.
Reality check. (courtesy of Lysa Terkeurst)
“My honest feelings may not be truthful assessments of the
situation…Honesty that isn’t true isn’t honesty at all. We need Godly honesty.”
James 3:17 says “But
the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving,
considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
My emotional reactions would drastically change if I matched
them up with the Godly honesty described in this verse.
Is my emotion pure?
Is it peace loving?
Is it considerate?
Is it submissive?
Is it full of mercy and good fruit?
Is it impartial and sincere?
If I took the things that I dwell on and tried to match them
with the characteristics on this list, I often would be able to check off two
or less. Before I get down on myself I need to remember another truth. Another
topic Lysa discusses in this book is imperfect progress. It’s not wrong to have
emotions. God gave them to us for a reason. However, we choose the way we react
following them in our daily lives. I am a work in progress as we all are.
I am thankful that the Lord takes me as I am, emotions and
all. I am thankful for people who aren’t afraid to speak Godly honesty and
truth into my life. I am thankful for imperfect progress. I am reminded every
day that I am nothing without the Lord. I am a sinful, selfish, and emotionally
driven person on my own. Thankfully, none of us have to walk alone. With the
Lord, we have the opportunity to turn our emotions, thoughts, and actions to
bring glory to the Him. He is there to pick us up and teach us every step of
the way.
Ladies, read this book. You won’t regret it. I promise. Here's the link. Now you have no excuse.
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