As kids we long to be adults for it seems life is so much easier for them. Once adults, we realize life is harder than we could have ever imagined.
In her latest book, The Struggle is Real, Nicole Unice brings a practical and applicable word for us all. Each page is filled with encouragement to keep us moving forward, getting stronger in our faith and free from the stuff that keeps us stuck and entangled.
In the introduction, she brings the challenge:
“I hope we will resolve to believe the struggle is real and the struggle is good.”
Along life’s journey we face disappointments, frustrations, and challenges which set our insides in a tailspin. Yet we often fail to recognize they point to something bigger in our souls:
“The little struggles are often related to something much more important: Let’s call that the Struggle. The Struggle is about something much deeper that the everyday challenges. It’s about the disconnect between what I believe and how I act, how I understand the promises of God and my actual experience with God. The Struggle is the frustrating place between who I want to be and who I actually am.”
(from page 8)
The Struggle is to bring us to the place of authentic transformation and purpose. It is good because it serves a purpose beyond the immediate, deeper than what our eyes can see, or our hearts understand. The Struggle helps us to believe in God’s promises, see ourselves through the lens of our identity, and quiet the voices in our head.
The Struggle equips us to live our story.
The real story.
The one written by God.
The book is broken down into two parts:
- Part One: The Struggle between the Stories
- Part Two: Living Into the New and True Story
Each chapter includes a “Keeping It Real” section where the author provides thought provoking questions to engage the reader in conversation (prayer) with God. The questions are designed to make us think more deeply about each chapter, applying what we read.
The book delivers encouragement and hope in each chapter. Nicole brings us back to the truth that God is good and all He does is good.
“In every moment, between every line,
may your new story point to Jesus,
who holds every hardship and orchestrates every joy.”
Today I am joining … Trekking Thru the Week and #RaRaLInkup and Grace Full Tuesday and Tell His Story and Booknificent Thursday .
This looks like a great resource. I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for sharing! Your neighbor at #raralinkup
My son recently sang lyrics in a church service that have stuck with me: “We’re not struggling to be free. We’re free to struggle.” I’ve got a post coming up soon that documents my musings on this important difference, and I’m loving that you’re reading and writing about struggle too!
I think we all struggle with “the frustrating place between who I want to be and who I actually am”. But in this case, I think the struggle is good. It means that we are thinking about the process and doing some self-reflection.
Any book with an ice cream cone on the cover has got my immediate attention!
Sounds like a great book, Joanne! Thanks for sharing!
Yes, I want my story to point to Jesus!
Joanne, this book sounds insightful and thought provoking. As Christians we always want to point our lives towards Christ but often get distracted. I pulled out my old “Experiencing God” workbook and am going through it again. Another wonderful reminder to look for Him, join Him and let it be about God rather than me.
Char, while I don’t have the workbook, I do pull out my book, Experiencing God, from time to time. It is such a wonderful reminder of how God invites us to join Him in the writing of His story.
Thank you for sharing this book, Joanne! It seems like a great resource.
The book sounds great. laurensparks.net