I didn’t intentionally start out the summer with a reading list. I kind of just fell into it thanks to Amazon’s Prime Day and eight book purchases later. I started reading You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero back in the spring and just kept going with my nonfiction addiction.
Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis was a book I’d been hearing a lot about by friends. It was the second of the eight that I read and I got so much from it, I immediately passed it along to a friend (so fast I didn’t even take any cute photos of it). A couple of things I got from the book:
- Rachel shared her journey of basically starting out on ground zero of becoming a runner, starting her own media business, and growing her family. I think it’s easy to get caught up in the journey of trying to achieve a goal or dream. You know, the journey that means things won’t be easy and you’ll be pushed to the edge of what you thought you could handle. I think she said it best: “Your dream is worth fighting for, and while you’re not in control of what life throws at you, you are in control of the fight.”
- Stop waiting for that ONE thing to make you happy. The “if I could just get____, then I’ll be ____.” Just stop. Be grateful and give thanks for the NOW. Use what you have and stop focusing on what you don’t have. “God has perfect timing, and it’s highly possible that by not being where you thought you should be, you will end up exactly where you’re meant to go.”
- I have a whole new appreciation and understanding of families that participate in foster care. I (again) was reminded of the importance of remembering people are often fighting battles we know nothing of and kindness can go a very long way. “Life is not supposed to overwhelm you at all times. Life isn’t meant to be merely survived—it’s meant to be lived.”
Next up on my list was Everybody, Always by Bob Goff. I’m not even sure where to begin with this book. I guess the only thing I know is that it came into this little world of mine at the perfect time. I randomly saw it as one of my recommended products in Amazon one day. I thought it looked interesting (was digging the cover art) and saved it to my wish list. A couple of days later, a photographer I follow in Charlotte (Emily Chidester) posted a photo of the book on her Instagram with a pretty emotional review. So, I said ok, “Add to Cart.”
I loved every single chapter. Every single one. Some had the waterworks going more so than others, but I felt very moved by the book:
“I’ve heard a lot of people say they wish they could hear from God about this or that. Maybe they mean they want to hear His audible voice. I’m not sure. I don’t think literally hearing something is what most of us are after. What we actually want is that extra nudge of confidence from God and the opportunity to move forward courageously to do those things we already know how to do. What a shame it would be if we were waiting for God to SAY something while He’s been waiting for us to DO something. He speaks to me the loudest on the way. Simply put, if we want more faith, we need to do more stuff. ….He speaks most clearly in the stillness desperation brings.”
“But we can be so busy trying to get the approval of others that we forget who Jesus said we are. Here’s the problem: when we’re busy getting our validation from the people around us, we stop looking for it from God. You’ll know this is happening when you go with what’s popular rather than what’s external, when you settle for what feels good right now rather than opting for what will make a good and lasting impact a decade from now. If we let our heads turn towards the shallow waters offered by wrong relationships, the rest of our lives will follow where our heads have gone. When we do, we’ll crater instead of create, and we’ll drown in the places where we ought to be swimming.”
Currently reading: She’s Still There: Rescuing the Girl in You by Crystal Evans Hurst. This one started out GOOD!
