The world promises recognition and promotion if we “hustle harder,” but at what cost? Join the counter-cultural movement of choosing surrender over striving. Throughout scripture, we encounter individuals who had to face the hard reality that their dreams and time lines weren’t God’s best plan. By exploring these biblical narratives alongside her own personal stories of radical obedience, author … of radical obedience, author Malinda Fuller encourages readers to respond to the questions God asks each of us: “Will you trust Me? . . . Will you do what I’m asking you to do?”
Fuller’s challenge to all of us is to yield to God’s voice—no matter where He leads or what He asks, whether it’s complicated or straightforward, accepted by others or challenging to understand, and regardless of how it makes us feel (even if it appears foolish). May we have the courage to surrender to His plan and His timing—to choose obedience over hustle.
more
Nice, but not as useful for me as “He sat down (so you can too)”
While this book does tackle the idea of hustle, mainly it is about obedience. The story is packed with biblical truth. And I agreed with almost all of it. (The only thing I was not too sure about was her idea that serving in other ways can take precedence of church service – I am not sure that is biblical). Plenty of personal ancedotes are a part of the book, but even more are passages taken directly from the Bible. Commentary indicates that God always expects us to surrender to Him. I was challenged in my own approach to following God. This book is convicting and thought provoking. The discussion questions are relevant and challenging as well. While sometimes those parts of a book are added as an after thought, these two groups of questions (found after part 1 and part 2) were deliberately crafted. This book would make an excellent personal Bible study as well as a great read for a book club. (But two weeks are definitely recommended for proper discussion!) I did not enjoy every sentence of this book because I felt convicted – am I truly obeying God in every part of my life? I do plan on following this author because I know that her thoughts reflect biblical truth. Thank you to Net Galley and Baker Publishing for allowing me to review this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own!
Obedience Over Hustle: The Surrender of the Striving Heart, by Malinda Fuller is a profoundly thoughtful book abounding with wisdom and truth. It gently whispers encouragement for those who desire to honor God through their choices, actions, desires, and dreams. Through well-written, focused chapters, it reveals how obedience to God is not only a good thing; it is truly the best thing.
With authentic vulnerability, Ms. Fuller shares her insights, practical thoughts, and compelling questions that give the reader the opportunity to pursue personal reflection and soul-searching growth. Filled with grace and hope, this book is inspiring, refreshing, engaging, and very helpful.
Obedience Over Hustle is heart-felt and sincere. It is grounded in a love for the life-giving truth of God’s Word and his unconditional love for all people. It is memorable, practical, and wholly uplifting. I plan to re-read this book often, and recommend it to others whenever I have the opportunity.
*I was given a copy of this book from the publisher. A review was not required. The review I have written is voluntary and contains opinions that are entirely my own.
It was God’s perfect timing for me to win this book via a Goodreads giveaway and I will be rereading it again and highlighting verses and marking phrases. I already have a slew of bookmarks and post-it and will probably spend quite some time writing down all the Keepers in my quotes book. God used this author to continue teaching me many thing He has been pruning me and leading me through for a few years so she had me at the title, that’s for sure. I have also been able to be used by God in how people have either seen me reading it or I have had opportunities He’s provided me to teach or just share on friend, stranger or mamma conversations. I am very thankful for this book and will continue to read it and my Bible and let God teach me this kind of heart’s surrender. Malinda, thank you for sharing some of your journey. Thank you for obeying God and writing this book. I will continue doing the workbook part of it and the group discussion part. I have read the book but am not at all done with it yet. Very exciting!
Back in first grade, we had to design a T-shirt about what we wanted to be when we grew up. I wanted to be a writer. That dream got sidetracked for a few years during and after high school, and although I thought I was working toward my career goals, God had other plans. Less than a year after graduating from college I started having health issues, and before long I became chronically ill with a laundry list of conditions that grows with each passing year. I kept stubbornly waiting for healing, and it wasn’t really until this year that I accepted that I am likely not going to get better, although of course nothing is impossible with God! In the meantime, I had started writing book reviews, as I have always been an avid reader, and several doors opened. I don’t get paid, but I do get free books, which is a bibliophile’s dream! As I commit to reviewing more and more books, of which the vast majority are specifically Christian, I realize that out of pain and loss God has brought me back to the dream that He planted in my heart as a young child, allowing me to glorify Him through reading and writing. I do not have a big following on social media, but I do have the contentment of knowing that I am doing what the Lord created me to do, and that I am hopefully planting seeds that He will water and grow.
This encapsulates much of the message of Malinda Fuller’s “Obedience Over Hustle” and is partly why this book resonated with me so strongly. The book is divided into two segments: “Confronting the Hustle” and “Choosing Obedience.” As Fuller points out, our culture builds itself around doing more, being more, beating out the competition and being at the top. While I’ve never been very competitive, I am a perfectionist, so I am always striving. Being chronically ill has added another layer to this, as there are many things that I can no longer do, so I push myself harder in those things that I can do. Reading this book, I realized that this is hustling, and that while society promotes it, God doesn’t. “Hustling is chasing after a goal at any cost. It’s the pushing that comes from a heart focused on what others have and what others are doing, rather than choosing contentment and listening for the voice of God.” That’s the crux of the issue: hustling is about what “I” can do, rather than about working with God and relying on Him.
On the other side of the coin is obedience. In order to be obedient, we have to acknowledge that God is in control, and often it isn’t easy to hand over the reins to our lives. We want things to happen in our way and according to our schedule, but submitting to God “means that we surrender not only to His plan but also to His timeline”. We have to acknowledge that His ways are always best and that He is sovereign. If we are walking with Him, we can expect Him to ask us to do things that are outside of our comfort zone and that seem to fly in the face of reason. Think of Joseph, Noah, and Moses, and so many others from the Bible. Obedience is “living with the knowledge that His opinion is the only one that matters and that seeking Him first is a command worth following.” What He calls us to do won’t be in accordance with popular opinion and what the world tells us, but what blessings flow forth when we obey!
“Obedience Over Hustle” has an interactive framework. Most chapters open with an account of a Biblical character demonstrating either hustling or obedience, with contemporary examples of obedient women throughout the chapters. At the end of both segments, divided into and corresponding to the chapters, are questions to discuss, journal about, or ponder, as well as Scripture verses to look up. This is therefore ideal for both group and individual study, and while it is geared toward women, I think that it would be appropriate for men as well. We all need to learn how to slow down and obey God more fully!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.
The world values hustle, tells us that’s where we’ll find our significance, where we’ll do the most good. But what God wants is for us to be obedient, in the big and the small things. To be obedient even when the results don’t look like we thought they’d look like. When things happen at a different pace then we thought they would. When it takes more courage, or seemingly more ability than we have. Michelle Fuller deals with all these issues and helps make clear that God is more interested in us following His plan for our lives than in doing great things. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. All thoughts are my own.
Obedience Over Hustle will certainly hit home with millions of women who are trying their best to keep up with all the responsibilities of their busy days. Malinda Fuller writes very openly about her own journey to keep up with it all while still having quality relationships with her God and her family. As with many of us, she reached the point where something had to give.
This book reminds us that we need to question what we’re doing and why? Several quotes really stood out for me:
“Focus on what I’ve asked you to do, Malinda; stop the striving and obey.”
“If you don’t have time to do the things God has called you to do, you are doing things He didn’t intend for you to do…”
“You’re focused on the wrong things; slow down; trust Me I know a better way.”
“Relationships are always the most important things.”
“The right thing, at the wrong time, is the wrong thing.”
After listening with her heart to what God was telling her, and questioning why her need for the approval and validation from others was so important to her, the author made a big change in her life. Her obedience required a large leap of faith, and she took it.
I really enjoyed this book. I easily related to the feeling of running in circles, being busy, busy, busy, and questioning my priorities. Fuller writes in an easy, flowing manner and presented many things to think about. Well done!!
My thanks to NetGalley, Shiloh Run Press and the author for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.