It's Okay Not to Be Okay: Moving Forward One Day at a Time
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 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.
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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Community Reviews
Sheila Walsh is an absolute gem.
I had no idea who she was prior to picking up this book. I don't even know how (or when) I came to buy a copy of this, but a few days ago I saw the title on my bookshelf and started reading. I planned to read a couple pages and put it back but instead ended up breezing through it.
A few things to know about me:
1. I do not read a lot of Christian books (non-fiction or otherwise). The ones I've read up to this point, I found to be a) uninteresting, b) too preachy, and/or c) unrelatable. I have started the Bible more times than I can count but have never stuck with it long enough to finish or to be knowledgeable.
2. I am a rocky Christian. I don't go to church nearly as often as I should. I don't pray on a regular basis. I don't spread the word of the Lord. My mom would love it if I did any (or all!) of these things, but I think at this point she's just happy that I'm not worshipping Satan. I'm a quiet Christian (if that's even a thing...).
3. Despite #1 and #2, I will tell anyone and everyone that I truly believe God got me through my divorce. It was the lowest I had been in my life and was the most worthless I had ever felt - which was saying something considering all the low times and worthless feelings I'd had up to that point. My family and my friends were absolutely there for me, but there was only so much they could do. No matter how badly they wanted to heal my hurt, it wasn't something they had the ability to do. At a certain point after my divorce, I wanted to give up. I wanted to actually just give up and not exist. My daughters were the only thing that kept me from doing something really, really stupid. And so when I realized that I couldn't do something really, really stupid and also realized that I could not handle anymore (there is a point when you are SO broken you cannot believe you haven't physically split in two), I gave it to God. I would journal nearly every day. When I wanted to say something to my ex (who did not give a rat's patootie about my thoughts or feelings or hurts or anything of the sort), I put it in my journal instead. And when the tears were falling and my handwriting was barely legible from shaking so badly, I would write, "God, help me." And He did. One day at a time, He did. I would ask for help - in my journal and out loud. I would listen to "God Only Knows" and "See the Light" on repeat - the ONLY two songs I could bear to listen to for the longest time.
BOY, I JUST GOT REALLY SIDETRACKED.
My point - yes, I sort of have one - is that there is a great relief that there is someone like Sheila out there who understands these situations and the pain. She talks about her own struggles (not with divorce) but also always acknowledges other "common" struggles as well and her empathy is so genuine that it's like a warm blanket. This is not Christianity that burns the sinners. This is the Christianity of forgiveness and love and grace.
She is refreshing and sweet and funny (I could not stop laughing at her skiing story). I loved that this wasn't a methodical self-help book - those never seem to actually help me with anything at all - but was instead a combination of her own stories, stories of those she has met over the years, stories from the Bible, and conversations with the reader that sometimes include advice and sometimes just include empathy and an acknowledgement of not knowing that exact feeling.
I am past my divorce (mostly - it's a wound that has been scarred over, healed but still always there) and not having any issues in my life right now where I am desperate for help, but I have been there. And I wish Sheila had been there with me at that time. But it's okay. This book was one I loved even during this relatively peaceful time in my life, and there were many lines that I highlighted - many for future reference, whether it be tomorrow or five years from now.
Grace is the opposite of karma. We get what we don't deserve: the love, mercy, forgiveness of God. Grace is unmerited favor. Grace is here for you right now, in the middle of what is hard or not working.
Do it afraid. The what-ifs that so often hold us back usually have their roots in a flawed belief system. We believe that if we're going to take a step out, we have to be sure that whatever we're attempting will be successful. I don't think that's what we're asked to do. I believe we're asked to step out in faith and leave the results to God.
I never thought I'd say this about this type of book, but...
5 Stars
I had no idea who she was prior to picking up this book. I don't even know how (or when) I came to buy a copy of this, but a few days ago I saw the title on my bookshelf and started reading. I planned to read a couple pages and put it back but instead ended up breezing through it.
A few things to know about me:
1. I do not read a lot of Christian books (non-fiction or otherwise). The ones I've read up to this point, I found to be a) uninteresting, b) too preachy, and/or c) unrelatable. I have started the Bible more times than I can count but have never stuck with it long enough to finish or to be knowledgeable.
2. I am a rocky Christian. I don't go to church nearly as often as I should. I don't pray on a regular basis. I don't spread the word of the Lord. My mom would love it if I did any (or all!) of these things, but I think at this point she's just happy that I'm not worshipping Satan. I'm a quiet Christian (if that's even a thing...).
3. Despite #1 and #2, I will tell anyone and everyone that I truly believe God got me through my divorce. It was the lowest I had been in my life and was the most worthless I had ever felt - which was saying something considering all the low times and worthless feelings I'd had up to that point. My family and my friends were absolutely there for me, but there was only so much they could do. No matter how badly they wanted to heal my hurt, it wasn't something they had the ability to do. At a certain point after my divorce, I wanted to give up. I wanted to actually just give up and not exist. My daughters were the only thing that kept me from doing something really, really stupid. And so when I realized that I couldn't do something really, really stupid and also realized that I could not handle anymore (there is a point when you are SO broken you cannot believe you haven't physically split in two), I gave it to God. I would journal nearly every day. When I wanted to say something to my ex (who did not give a rat's patootie about my thoughts or feelings or hurts or anything of the sort), I put it in my journal instead. And when the tears were falling and my handwriting was barely legible from shaking so badly, I would write, "God, help me." And He did. One day at a time, He did. I would ask for help - in my journal and out loud. I would listen to "God Only Knows" and "See the Light" on repeat - the ONLY two songs I could bear to listen to for the longest time.
BOY, I JUST GOT REALLY SIDETRACKED.
My point - yes, I sort of have one - is that there is a great relief that there is someone like Sheila out there who understands these situations and the pain. She talks about her own struggles (not with divorce) but also always acknowledges other "common" struggles as well and her empathy is so genuine that it's like a warm blanket. This is not Christianity that burns the sinners. This is the Christianity of forgiveness and love and grace.
She is refreshing and sweet and funny (I could not stop laughing at her skiing story). I loved that this wasn't a methodical self-help book - those never seem to actually help me with anything at all - but was instead a combination of her own stories, stories of those she has met over the years, stories from the Bible, and conversations with the reader that sometimes include advice and sometimes just include empathy and an acknowledgement of not knowing that exact feeling.
I am past my divorce (mostly - it's a wound that has been scarred over, healed but still always there) and not having any issues in my life right now where I am desperate for help, but I have been there. And I wish Sheila had been there with me at that time. But it's okay. This book was one I loved even during this relatively peaceful time in my life, and there were many lines that I highlighted - many for future reference, whether it be tomorrow or five years from now.
Grace is the opposite of karma. We get what we don't deserve: the love, mercy, forgiveness of God. Grace is unmerited favor. Grace is here for you right now, in the middle of what is hard or not working.
Do it afraid. The what-ifs that so often hold us back usually have their roots in a flawed belief system. We believe that if we're going to take a step out, we have to be sure that whatever we're attempting will be successful. I don't think that's what we're asked to do. I believe we're asked to step out in faith and leave the results to God.
I never thought I'd say this about this type of book, but...
5 Stars
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