I don't know what to say about Glennon's heart, LOVE WARRIOR. So much of her words resonated with me in every fiber of my being. So much of her story is so very different from mine, but yet so very many of her FEELINGS are MY feelings, too. What makes LOVE WARRIOR so incredibly amazing, as has already been discussed greatly, is the power of Glennon's TRUTH--her willingness to be vulnerable. (It's no surprise at all that she is teaming with Brene Brown to teach about being Love Warriors!)
Truth is something we have been studying in my Sunday School class, specifically as it relates to Priscilla Shirer's ARMOR OF GOD, and how we must take EVERYTHING and compare it to the Word of God--the TRUTH. It has been quite powerful studying the belt of truth of how truth gives us Freedom. The more we acknowledge TRUTH and allow TRUTH to be our guide, the free-er we are.
Glennon says the exact same thing, but in her own way, using her own personal experience. I heard Glennon say that she was more nervous about the release of this book than she has been anything else she's written because of the fact that she has shared so much of herself--she has exposed so much of her own TRUTH. I admire her so much for being willing to lay her heart before us, not asking us to love her as she is, but saying that regardless of whether we love her or not as she is, she loves herself--and she loves.....
As I have been sharing my story in my blog and with people around
me, I hear over and over again how these people find me "brave" in being so vulnerable in sharing my own personal truth. I don't feel that I'm being brave. To me, it's sharing my own Truth and telling others that I love myself exactly as God has created me, and I love.....
We hide behind our masks and only reveal our true selves when someone else shares her truth. Well, who is going to be the first one to open up if we all hide?
Like Glennon Doyle Melton, I am choosing to be unmasked and face the truth of my hurts, pain, sorrow, joys, love, life, friendships, faith, and on and on. I will sit in my "hot lonliness" and FEEL and become the LOVE WARRIOR I am meant to be.
Will you?
I did not have high expectations of enjoying Shauna Niequist's PRESENT OVER PERFECT, but I was definitely very interested in reading it. The back cover and reviews sounded great. Happily, the book exceeded my expectations and I am so much the better for having read it!
My absolute favorite part is the chapter called "Agency." It's as if I've been waiting for someone I respect to tell me that I "get to decide how [I] want to live"..."[I] get to make [my] life" (103)!!! This is something I have been struggling with for years. My counselor has told me over and over that I have to take care of Polly before I can even begin to consider taking care of anyone else--or even caring about others. If I'm not whole and healthy, I am not who I need to be for those I love.
It reminds me of how we are told on a plane that if there is danger, we must put on our own oxygen mask before helping our kids because we can't help our kids if we've passed out. I don't know why it's so empowering to have someone tell me that I get to decide when deep in my soul I already know that truth, but empowering it truly is.
Thank you for sharing this journey, Shauna. Thank you.
"The world will tell you how to live, if you let it. Don't let it. Take up your space. Raise your voice. Sing your song. This is your chance to make or remake a life that thrills you" (104).
My very sweet friend, Kim Ray, told me about Brene Brown's book DARING GREATLY and I immediately bought the book and started reading it. The only reason it has taken me so long to read it is because there is so much that Brene gives the reader to think about! Her book is full of the research she has conducted and the results of her research that all proves that we are much better off in life when we do choose to Dare Greatly and to have the courage to be vulnerable.
After reading a few of the other reviews on Brene's book, I have to admit that the book is a bit of a challenge to read. But it's because she presents a thesis and then proceeds to share several examples to illustrate her thesis. It's challenging because she has so much wonderful information to share and as a reader, I want to absorb everything she's saying and not miss anything!
