We’ve all experienced that moment where we wish we could start all over again. Failed marriages, lost friends, addictions, lost jobs. This is not the life we imagined. Yesterday can sometimes leave us stuck, sad, shamed, scared, and searching. Sheila Walsh encourages readers to face the pain head on and then start again, from right where they are. She shares that when she discovered “I’m not good … good enough and I’m good with that,” everything started to change.
In It’s Okay Not to Be Okay, Walsh helps women overcome the same old rut of struggles and pain by changing the way they think about God, themselves, and their everyday lives. She shares practical, doable, daily strategies that will help women move forward one step at a time knowing God will never let them down.
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It’s like sharing great conversation over hot tea while reading this book. Sheila does an excellent job of putting the reader at ease while sharing the encouraging truths of God’s Word. Honest, heartfelt, and encouraging. I highly recommend this book!
I love this book! In my first read-through, I highlighted dozens of passages. She challenged my thinking and spoke healing words to my heart. When she told me I wasn’t enough, my heart looked at the words hopefully, like maybe I wasn’t failing as badly as I feared. When she lovingly told me I was never supposed to be enough, my mind came to a screeching halt, desperate to know where she was going with this. And then, with words that felt as gentle as a loving momma putting her arms around my shoulders to draw me close, Mrs. Walsh reminded me that if I were enough, I would have no place for, no need of God.
And deep in my soul, I felt a sigh of relief.
Step by precious step, Sheila draws the reader into dumping the shackles of high expectations and perfect lives, She challenges us to look at the maxims and behaviors we hold dear to see if they line up with what God communicates to us within the pages of Scripture. And she lovingly reminds us “that although life can be very painful, pain and loss have a shelf life, suffering and struggle have an expiration date. They will not last forever.”
While we put forth stories from the Bible like the boy with his loaves and fish as examples of what Jesus can do when we offer what we have, we also tend to behave like Jesus won’t do the same for us. We act as if we must first go buy, barter, or borrow more loaves and fish before we allow Him to see what little we have.
In this book, Sheila Walsh fights back with the truth that the children of God need only present to Him what we actually have in this very moment. Because when God’s children depend on God’s provision, our lack is never a hindrance. It is a showcase for His glory.
Sheila Walsh‘s testimony has always resonated with me, because like her, I battled with a mental health issue. To explain, I gave my life to Jesus when I was a patient on a psychiatric ward over three decades ago. Knowing that Sheila‘s ministry is a favorite, my husband picked up this book as a gift simply to be a blessing. He couldn’t have realized how greatly it would comfort and encourage my heart.
Let me say first, this lady minister is such a brilliant writer, her stories can cause you to laugh hilariously, then also cry with compassion and empathy. After all, in “It’s Okay Not To Be Okay,” the author transparently allows the reader to view some of the moments of her life where she struggles with her own insecurities, disappointments, and failures.
Although Walsh never wallows in her circumstances, instead she has a gift for pointing the reader to Scripture and a practical application of the Word as an antidote to overcome challenges, especially if we should find ourselves in a similar situation. Besides, Sheila is an amazing Bible teacher whose vast knowledge of the Word enables one to dig deeply into the truths of Scripture. There is great healing in this book in an emotional and spiritual sense.
I am beyond grateful my thoughtful spouse spotted this book on a store shelf and felt led to purchase it for me.“It’s Okay Not To Be Okay” is worthy of 5 stars and anyone who occasionally struggles (and don’t we all) needs to put this on their must read list!
It reminds us that God loves us just the way we are!
Very inspirational and thought provoking
This book is a inspirational read. Shelia shares her heart as she shares real life happenings and situations that life has brought along her path. As she struggled with things God was always there just waiting for her to surrender.
Awesome book, I would highly recommend it!
I truly think that this type of book is going to change how we view mental illness/struggles in the church community. Sheila does such a great job of sharing her story, peppered with biblical stories of those in Scripture that also dealt with depression or other issues. At times I found myself crying, others laughing out loud at some of Sheila’s true stories of her family. She is most definitely an encourager and I loved the way she gives both hard truths and the permission for us to seek, ask questions, even grieve in our own ways.
Just because mental illness is ignored or hidden by those inside the faith community does not mean that it doesn’t exist. Being able to be open and honest with our feelings is paramount for healing and allows hope to break through. Sheila lays out the way in which we are to go: to admit we aren’t perfect and have struggles, remember how God sees us, even in our despair, and to keep getting up when we fall. No obstacle is too tough for our God. One day at a time. One step at a time. One moment at a time. He sees and He longs to comfort us in our sorrows.
I received an early reader copy and chose to review. I appreciate the opportunity to read this book early, as I think it will be a great help to many. Thank you, Baker Publishing Group, for allowing me to enjoy Sheila’s work!