Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Reflections on "Uninvited" by Lysa TerKeurst


Brief summary (Amazon)...The enemy wants us to feel rejected . . . left out, lonely, and less than.
In Uninvited, Lysa shares her own deeply personal experiences of rejection--from the perceived judgment of the perfectly toned woman one elliptical over to the incredibly painful childhood abandonment by her father. She leans in to honestly examine the roots of rejection, as well as rejection's ability to poison relationships from the inside out, including our relationship with God.

My thoughts...Let me be honest...I really don't read a lot of Christian non-fiction books. When I have spare time to read, I want to escape my own reality. I love getting lost in new places, time periods, the drama of a story line. So I tend to be very selective when it comes to reading books about growing spiritually. I also know that I have struggled in the past with making people and their thoughts on God, the Bible, and spirituality the authority in my life instead of God Himself. The Bible itself. I am now very mindful to keep that in check.

With that said, when I read the summary of Lysa TerKeurst's newest book, Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely, it was like God was sending up all the flags...good flags...that said, "READ THIS." I'm generally an outgoing person that loves to socialize, pour out my heart with my trusted girlfriends, and find a way to be a part of social gatherings. But like many others, I have felt the sting of rejection. I try to keep my protective shell up so I won't have to experience it, but it happens. And I get devastated. Why do I take rejection so hard? This book was not about going back and analyzing past hurts, blaming people for things they had said or done, but instead it was about believing truth and walking forward with God as I did some self-evaluation....some soul evaluation.

I practically underlined the whole book, but here are a few lines that really stood out:
"Pain is the invitation for God to move in and replace our faltering strength with His."
"Because instead of Him being our hope, we misplace our hope in people who can't wholly love a desperately broken version of us. Only God can do that."
"Wisdom seeks to see someone else's vantage point even if I don't agree with that person's perspective."

This book is one that I will revisit...I've just skimmed the surface. So many humbling truths here that speak straight to my heart. If you struggle with loneliness, rejection, or feeling less than....pick up this book. You will be blessed!

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in order to give and honest review, which I did.*

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