I believe many of you reading this may know what it means to not feel good enough. Some of you may have even explored the depths that feeling can take you to into depression. I have experienced this book first hand from the day I was born and then twice over after the birth of my wonderfully brave sister. Depression runs in our family and while I have never had my own fight with depression, I have seen its depths and lived the fears in a very real way.
My sister and I are only 15 months apart, and our personalities are worlds apart. We grew up together yet we faced completely different situations in the course of our lives, but everything we went through we shared together. I have played the role of protective sister, of worry-wart, of instigator (I know, none of you believe I would EVER instigate an argument), of traveler, of translator (my chief talent when it comes to both languages and the feelings of others). But this book is about my sister AND about me.
Today is a big day for us-- a HUGE day. My sister has been working so hard to put this book together for a long time, sacrificing opportunities to pour herself into this book which I believe will be a life changer for many. My preface to this review was not to make any one person come out on top, but to illustrate what this book so clearly does-- that we have fear and we all want courage. But my hope is more that you will see my sister in this book not only as the author, but as the incredibly brave fighter she is.
I will admit that she is my sister, and that may add bias. But she is talented and organized and practical and her personality came out in this book in a way I couldn't have imagined. Her blog and this book take us to depths that take extreme courage and grit to expose, but she believes as I do-- that God has forgiven our sins and that perfect love drives out fear, so our struggles and our fights and most of all our fears are places where we might see God revealing Himself and the courageous people He has made us to be.
As you read Courageous, and I indeed hope you will, you will find that the first three chapters are very practical. If you ever read a book and wanted someone to just come out and tell you the actions you need to do to get to where you want to be, this is a great start! And then you hit the fourth chapter, and the soul of the book begins to be revealed. The transformation is unveiled and tears wash through the practicality and uncover the heart of the matter-- the depths to which this book can take you.
I can't stress enough the importance of reading this book in its entirety. It's like having a sister (for me, literally, but for you as well) beside you helping you get past your fears from a perspective that not only says "I've been there too," but also getting vulnerable and saying "I'm still there sometimes, but we're here together." It combines action with affairs of the heart, to make not only a well-rounded book, but a plan that has depth and reaches us from the inside out and back again.
