Last month I read a book focused on seeing the blessings in the midst of suffering. I was lucky enough to read this book next, and it provided a nice procession of moving from seeing the “sweet side” of suffering to making it through the tough times.
Reading Holley Gerth’s You’re Going to Be Okay: Encouraging Truth Your Heart Needs to Hear, Especially on the Hard Days felt like a really powerful Biblically-based counseling session. Indeed, Holley is a licensed counselor and her experience working with women in difficult times is apparent. She also struggled with infertility for seven years.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
On Our Identity in Christ
“You’re going to make it through this because of who you are and who you belong to. You are a woman of strength. You are a daughter of the King. You are made for a Promised Land.”
“We lean into God’s heart and ask, ‘Who am I in spite of this? Tell me what’s true about me no matter what happens.”
On Opening Ourselves to What God Has For Us
“Dare to open your arms and heart to what life brings. And know that the parts that are painful, someone else has opened His arms to take the worst of that blow for you. Jesus stretched out on a cross in the ultimate acceptance of change so that He could walk with you and give you life in the middle of everything that comes your way.”
Questions for reflection and white space to record your responses are scattered throughout the book. I didn’t take advantage of those journaling prompts, but I did whip out the highlighter when Gerth starts talking about worry.
“Worry transformed turns into hope and faith.”
“Worry is an attempt to control what we can never control.”
“Worriers place their faith in their ability to ‘control’ the future. Jesus asks us to place our faith firmly in him instead.”
“Worry and fear come from believing a lie about who God is.”
“…Not worrying doesn’t mean we don’t think about the future or that we aren’t concerned. We are to wonder about the future. That means considering what may be ahead so we can plan wisely. We are also to love one another, and that means we will feel concern for our brothers and sisters. The difference is that concern ultimately releases people to God, while worry places the burdens of their lives on our shoulders. If you’re not sure whether what you’re doing is wonder or worry or concern, then pause and ask this: ‘Am I thinking from a place of fear or a place of faith?’”
Good stuff, right? If you’re looking to find some strategies for surviving a difficult time, I highly recommend this book.
Disclaimer: I received a free digital review copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
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