[Book Review] Getting To The Place Where You Can Trust God With Anything: Even This by Emily Belle Freeman

Getting To The Place Where You Can Trust God With Anything:

Even This

by

Emily Belle Freeman

Blurb:

"In Even This Emily Belle Freeman shares her own deeply personal experiences of feeling forgotten by God--from the fear of abandonment in a dark hospital room to the desperation that followed months of unanswered prayers. In a moment of honesty, she found herself asking the question she had been afraid to consider: 'Where is God in this?' Through biblical insight, genuine realness, and beautiful prose, Emily will help you discover how to:

• Diminish the power of doubt by coming to understand why the place of deepest asking is where the believing begins.
• Stop letting fear dictate the depth of your belief through daily reflections that will restore your confidence in God.
• Let go of your need to control by discovering what is holding you back from being completely vulnerable to God.

Trust that God may have something different in mind for you--something better."

My Review:

This book could not have come at a better time! Many of my readers may know that my 15 year-old son has been very sick since last April. He's been to two ERs, enjoyed a four day hospital stay, had a feeding tube for over a month, has been to countless doctor appointments, and tried way too many different kinds of medicines. Nothing has really helped, and everyone seems clueless as to what is going on. This past week we finally got a few results and think we may now be on the right track to getting him better. However, if it's what we think it is then it will be a very long, slow process to recovery. The poor kid missed the last seven weeks of the last school year, and hasn't been able to go this year, so luckily he has an amazing home and hospital teacher that comes and helps him with his school work twice a week. Honestly, this has been the most difficult 5 1/2 months of my entire life. We are all exhausted. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted. All the time. Watching your child suffer so much for so long is heartbreaking. Our other three children have been champions through all of this. They are amazing, and I'm so proud of them! They are patient, loving, empathetic, and resilient. This trial  has definitely humbled me, and I've spent hours on my knees in prayer. I have to admit that there have been some dark days where I have wondered where God is in all of this. I've been able to trust God with lots of things in my life, but this one--this one I have tried to control. I hate not being in control of this situation!! Why can't I fix this? Well, after reading this book I know that I need to trust God with Even This situation. While my kids were fishing at a nearby lake yesterday, I was reading. There were several passages that I wanted to remember. I fished (haha!!) through my purse and found a post-it note. This is what my book looks like now:

I would have more, but I didn't start actually bookmarking the parts I liked until I was half way through the book. When I first started reading, the different chapters seemed random and unconnected; I was a tad bit confused. However, as the book progressed it all kind of came together, and I loved how Ms. Freeman explained everything. Her insights and examples are very personal and touching. It's easy to get caught up in your trials and think that everyone else has it good, but when you read her book you realize that everyone goes through difficult things. I thoroughly enjoyed learning from Ms. Freeman. She does a great job of breaking down well known biblical stories and helping you see the application from the story in your life. Here's an example from the book. The biblical story she is referring to is Joseph. His brothers threw him into a pit and eventually he was taken to Egypt as a slave. He was thrown into prison and ended up interpreting the Pharaoh's dream. Pharaoh was so impressed that he put Joseph in charge of storing the food during the good times in preparation for the upcoming times of famine. Joseph's brothers came (not knowing who he was, of course) and asked for food. Joseph was able to provide for his long-lost family because of the experiences he had been through.  

Joseph being able to provide for his family after many years was the miracle. So "the truth of it is that the trials are what enabled Joseph to be in the exact place God needed him to be. To provide the rescue. To prepare for the deliverance. To orchestrate the miracle God had in mind from the very moment Joseph was thrown into the pit." Looking at my (your) trial from this point of view puts it in a whole different perspective. I loved this book. It is a bit random at times, seemingly jumping from one experience to another, but in the end it gave me a better insight into the trial I'm going through, and it allowed me to realize that I'm not in control--thank goodness!!--God is in control, and he can see the whole picture. As a mom it's hard to let go of that control, but if I (we) can, then I'll (we'll) be able to see the miracle at the end. Thank you Ms. Freeman, for helping me see this long ordeal in a better way, and for helping me to trust God with Even This. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is suffering or going through tough times. Have faith! God is good, and he will take care of us if we put our trust in Him. 

Rating: PG (It's clean!)

Recommendation: YA and up

Disclosure: I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 

Also by Emily Belle Freeman: