I randomly stumbled on her old blog posts and some You tube videos two years ago. I love a good story about the struggle of life. So naturally when I discovered a copy of the book at Aristoc I bought it. I was not disappointed. The lady can write!! It is HER voice. She sat down and put her OWN pen to paper, I snift no ghost writers while I was reading. I am not an expert book reviewer so instead I'll share some of my favorite quotes from the book and what I learnt from reading it.
"At a young age I learned that people smile big, hug tight and then go home and drown in their tears. I learned that sometimes you go to church to be healed, but if you aren't careful, people's approval can become more important than the message."I appreciate the honesty of this statement. I mean I don't think Sarah's the only Christian who feels like this. I think that this is one of the reasons she stumbled so many times a long the way. The teenage and quarter-life reflections she writes about in the book gives the reader so many 'food for the soul ' moments. Some days I had to stop to take time to internalize the wisdom. Her voice was so refreshing for me because it was authentic and insightful, definitely not the ordinary cookie cutter preacher's kid book. She may have felt she was alone but many young people struggle with their path and their faith.💜💜💜
"Our insecurities create holes inside us that make us believe we can't be used."We make mistakes as humans, and some of us punish ourselves for what can seem like an eternity. Given Sarah's background, most people may be a little stunned at her life story. She's a pastor's daughter, and not just anyone's but Bishop T.D Jakes! She found herself pregnant at thirteen. I guess many people had written her off but all these experiences helped make her who she is today. For one , It helped her write this great book. (I promise you this girl can write! 😁😁😁)
"You can't ask directions from people who are lost themselves"The quote above speaks for it self...🙌🙌🙌
"So often we look for Him to calm the storms of our lives . But there are times when the storm can't go away because we need the rain."Sometimes our worst moments bring out the best in us. I hate typing that sentence because it is hard to always see the bigger picture. But I can honestly say some very challenging moments changed me for the better. Sarah gives us the impression through her book that her life at one point consisted of her walking from one bad decision into another. I think Sarah just draws this point out effortlessly in her writing. She doesn't' make her relationship with God perfect. She struggles to find purpose like everyone else. She eventually has to take responsibility for her messes and clean them them up one by one. Near the end of the book we see her ' Come to Jesus' moment manifesting in her making better decisions for herself and her children. If you follow her on social media you'll see she is using her experience for the good of others. I enjoy watching her preaching sessions every now and them. Once again her style is her own not like father's or her mother's. she knows who she is.
"I am convinced how you handle a set back will determine the strength of your come back."And we know this life will throw things at us that we never dreamed of, good and bad. But I totally agree with this statement. How we handle the challenges will not only determine how we come back but who we are. I can't tell people I am a grown up if I don't display maturity in my actions.In the book Sarah has to accept that her marriage has failed and start healing herself. Not easy with so much pressure around her to get it right all the time.
I loved reading this book. As I mentioned throughout the post , I was so surprised and how well Sarah Jakes Roberts can string her words together. Her storytelling is almost poetic for me. The vulnerability in telling her story is the cherry on the cake because it makes it all so very real. No superficiality here. I can't lend this book out because I have underlined almost every sentence.😄😄😄 I think she says the things most of us think but are afraid to say when we discuss faith.
That said I recommend this book to anyone who may be struggling with their faith.
Thank you Mrs Roberts!
Have you read any good books about faith lately? Comment below.
(Btw find me on Twitter @mariajulietrose 😀)
(Btw find me on Twitter @mariajulietrose 😀)
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