About two years ago I read the book You’re Already Amazing: Embracing Who You Are, Becoming All God Created You to Be by Holley Gerth. My Kindle is full of highlights from the book and I’ve often referred back to them for inspiration and encouragement during the roughest times of my infertility journey. Here were some of my favorite:
“[God] doesn’t just restore; he transforms. Beauty from ashes— or brokenness.”
“When parts of my heart or life don’t measure up to my expectations, I tend to hide them. But what if someone would be blessed by what I have to share and they miss out because I hide it?”
“When we look in the Bible, we see the full range of emotions— especially in the Psalms. David expresses everything from wild joy to deep sorrow. And all of those honored God. Remember what we talked about earlier? It’s what we do with our emotions that matters. For example, “In your anger do not sin” (Eph. 4: 26). So give yourself permission to feel and to find the right “emotional fit” for your heart. It’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to be happy. It’s okay to be mad.”
So I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to be part of the launch team to help celebrate the release of a new study guide, the You’re Already Amazing LifeGrowth Guide. After spending some time going through the study and watching the accompanying videos, I can honestly say this is one of the best studies I’ve done in a long time.
Why It’s Awesome
The LifeGrowth Guide can be used as an individual study or a group study, and it aims to help us discover who God made us to be. By “us,” Holley means “you” and “me” as individuals, not “us” as all women in general. Through a variety of questions and activities, readers go through a process of discovering our unique talents, skills, abilities, and callings. This self-discovery is crucial because “being disconnected from who you really are leads to depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, and a host of other troubles” (page 16).
I know from experience (and I’m guessing you do, too), that infertility often makes us feel like we’ve lost sight of who we were before our struggles. The LifeGrowth Guide is the perfect tool for re-focusing and remembering who God made us to be. And “knowing who you are beyond your current circumstances can actually help you better serve those in front of you today. Because then you can remember that [your circumstances…are] not your identity” (page 66).
“You’re a warrior and overcomer. You have more strength than it may seem like right now. And you serve a God bigger than you can see” (page 17).
Click here if you can’t see the video.
You’re Already Amazing and the LifeGrowth Guide are available on Amazon, Holley’s website, and DaySpring.
I was not compensated for this blog post, but I did receive a free LifeGrowth Guide and DVD in exchange for my honest opinion.
Connect with me on {Facebook} | {Pinterest} | {Twitter}| {Instagram}