SeattleEastsideFam

Hopeful perspective from a Christian Therapist!

Revisado: 03-16-22

The experience of listening to this book, read by the author herself, has given me so much peace. Her voice is calming and when I need a reminder to dig for what is good and find some peace in my day, I listen to a chapter!

Reading this book has been life-giving and has strengthened my hope and faith. I’ve noticed a shift in my daily perspective around moments of peace and goodness that I might historically label as insignificant. Themes from the book even have found their way into some meaningful car-conversations with my teen kids; turning scenarios of discouragement into areas of potential growth. I’ve also realized how much of our future joy and ability to be present is stolen when our brains are busy thinking up worst-case scenarios and preparing for the worst!

Nicole, a licensed marriage and family therapist, invites the reader into her life and shares her faith through relatable stories woven with scripture, compassion and current psychological research. She shares practical ways to train our brains to help us greet life with more hope, gratitude and thankfulness.

Life gives all of us situations that are incredibly wonderful and at other times terribly awful. But I deeply believe the truth I learned while reading: that even amidst pain we can find peace. This book does NOT ask us to push pain out of the way and ‘get happy’. Rather, it encourages us to consider how what we go through might grow us or even re-order the focus of our hearts toward what matters most. What we can see is not all there is, and it’s worth becoming curious about where God is in both our harder times and when life is going well.

I’m beginning to view the idea of celebration in a new light—as a *practice* that helps us connect to hope and joy. Nicole explains that, for the human brain, feelings follow actions. Digging for joy or good things doesn’t require anything significant to change in our lives; it can be as small as noticing an ounce of progress even if we’re not where we had hoped we would be yet. So simple, but powerful!

Perhaps most importantly, this book challenged me to think about what it could be costing me to minimize celebration and goodness… that was huge! This message has been a blessing in my life already and I know it will be for many!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 3 personas