For the Love of Friday

So anyone who knows me, knows that I am over the moon to be in the launch group for Jan Hatmaker's new book, For the Love, Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards.  I have been reading and rereading this book since March, and I cannot get enough of it.  I am so excited that soon it will be in the hands of everyone, so we can talk about it!!!

One of the ladies in the launch group has started a Friday Five post, and this Friday she has chosen to to do top 5 quotes from the book.  Mrs. Disciple has actually opened it up to all the For the Love Launch team to connect our blogs to hers, so we can have one large blog event and get to see everyone's take away from the book.

I wasn't sure I was going to be able to blog today due to my son's birthday party this evening.  He planned quite a night that kept us busy all evening, but now they have retreated upstairs to play Catan, so I am taking a moment to breath and write. :)

It's so hard to just pick 5 quotes.  I have about 5 quotes underlined per page in some chapters.  Thee is just so much goodness here.  It's like picking a favorite ice cream.  Really???  I just like them all.  Ice cream is my favorite ice cream.  That being said I made the painful cuts, and here are my top 5:

1.  "Folks who thrive in God's grace give grace easily, but the self-critical person becomes other-critical."  Guys this is just in the intro.  You haven't even dived into the chapters yet, and she hits you with this one!  I love and hate this at the same time because I constantly swing back and forth on this.  I never cared to look for the cause until I read this.  So much truth.  It opened my eyes to how I am receiving God's grace and how that directly relates to how I give grace to others.  Talk about "aha" moment.

2.  "Balance.  It's like a unicorn: we've heard about it, everyone talks about it, and makes airbrushed T-shirts celebrating it, it seems super rad, but we haven't actually seen one.  I'm beginning to think it isn't a thing."  LOL!!  This one came from Chapter 1: The Worst Beam Ever, and it had me rolling for a little while.  I love how she puts it.  The 80s girl in my could totally visual the unicorn jumping through the air, mane blowing in the breeze with the rainbow in the background.  I am sure I had one of the shirts.  This balance thing we constantly talk about, strive for, and think others have achieved.  It's all imaginary.  As soon as you think you have all your ducks in a row, something falls out of place, and you are starting all over again.  Maybe it's time to start a new goal.

3. "You are smart and able, and getting older is not a tragedy."  This comes from Chapter 6 - Not Buying. In this chapter, Jen talks about how the world is trying to sell us things based on the fact that we need them to make ourselves beautiful, make life easier, or keep us from aging.  The commercials fill our heads with how each product will make our lives better with their product.  It also gets in our kiddos heads.  My own daughter looking at my face the other day said, "Mommy you should get that cream from the commercial.  It will make your skin flawless!"  Nothing like a child's honesty to humble your perspective, but it also shows that this commercial taught her that if mommy's skin isn't perfect (not that I thought it was too bad), it can be made "flawless" with their cream.  Wow.  How did our grandmother's ever survive?   We should celebrate our abilities and not take the easy way out each time.  We should also celebrate aging and getting older.  It is taken so for granted, as this is not a guarantee for anyone.

4.  "Every parent blows it.  Every kid comes unhinged.  Every family goes off the rails.  That doesn't mean we are ruined: it means we are ordinary." This quote from Chapter 9 - Hope for Spicy Families is right on for me and my family. My poor son is the only sweet member of our crazy foursome, and I think we have corrupted him a little bit.  Yelling, losing patience, and fits are a daily struggle, but so is apologizing, cuddling, and saying, "I love you."  Sweet with the spicy means our family is not dysfunctional, we are normal, and the sooner we accept this and stop putting on the perfect front, the sooner we can stop placing guilt on ourselves and just enjoy being who we are, spiciness and all.

5.  "Ironically, the more responsibility people take for their own spiritual development and their neighbor, the healthier they become - also, less resentful of the church, less dependent on the programming, and less reliant on the pastors."  In chapter 22 - Dear church...Jen writes to both areas of the church, the leaders and the congregation.  This quote hit me right between the eyes because truly for most of my life I looked to my pastors for spiritual guidance and growth.  Not to discredit this, as pastors serve as great shepherds, but at some point I need to take some responsibility in my walk with Jesus.  I had never pondered such things before. Taking responsibility for this ended up helping me to feel free instead of burdened.  You mean I can look outside my church for studies?  I can go to the bookstore with no recommendation and find a book that speaks to me spiritually?  Talk about feeling empowered and re-energized.

Like I said, this is really just a sip of what is the fire hose of life changing, laugh inducing, tear jerking goodness that is in the book.  The book released August 18th and is already on the shelves in Barnes and Noble, so For the Love go get it!!!