*This giveaway is now closed. Thanks so much for your interest! The winners are Lindsay and Theresa Handwerk!
“Not-yet-there” is as familiar to me as my own name. I know the contours, depth, and breadth of this waiting place because I have spent years running my hands along her borders. I know what it is to wait for all manner of things, and to grow weary as I wait. When I feel as if I’ll never find the door to a more spacious place, it’s easy to turn increasingly inward, to focus on my desires and my needs, and to assume that somehow, I am the key.
I read a book (that shall remain nameless) this past year that encouraged me to place myself as the hero of my life story. This book told me that I design my destiny, I determine what happens to me, and I decide how I experience the world. I need to work harder, plan harder, mantra harder, and pray harder, and this will lead me to the life I’ve always dreamed of living. I’m all for hard work and hard prayer and hard planning, but this is not the message most of us need. Especially if we find ourselves in a perpetual “Not-yet-there” place of waiting or suffering.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t need more encouragement to focus on myself as the hero of my story. This is my natural default position–the elevation of self above all things. I need encouragement to look upward and outward, to look to God as the true source of all that is good and holy and redemptive in my life.
When I chose Michelle DeRusha‘s new book, True You as my final read of the year, I felt confident her story would leave me feeling encouraged to pursue God over self. And I was right, it was the opposite of my previous read. True You is about seeking intimacy with God rather than striving to create a life focused solely on our ambitions.
The two words that repeatedly came to mind as I read Michelle’s book were “gracious” and “gentle”. At the start of a new year, this is exactly the approach I need as I reflect on the previous year and look ahead to the new one. I need a gracious and gentle companion to walk beside me and continually point me in the direction of Christ. True You is filled with simple spiritual practices designed to bring readers to a place of rest even when we sit in an uncomfortable place. I can think of nothing better than beginning the year in a posture that encourages quiet, stillness, and a receptive spirit.
I want to press this story into the hands of all my friends and encourage them to sit with Michelle’s words as they enter 2019. I know from your messages, emails, and comments that many of you find yourselves in a “Not-yet-there” place. I’d love to press this book into your hands too, so I’m pleased to give away TWO copies of True You this week.
To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below. I’ll choose two random winners of one copy each on Monday, January 14th. In the meantime, do yourself a favor and download a free copy of a sample chapter on Michelle’s website. Better yet, order yourself a copy. Be gentle with yourself. Begin the year with words that offer grace.
