You're Already Amazing: Worth a Second Look

My daughter hauled an agate boulder out of the rock pile the other day. It was covered with dirt and I told her I didn't think it was an agate. She abandoned it in the yard, and the rain washed it clean. Lo and behold - the biggest agate I've ever seen!

Sometimes the eyes of innocence see hope where we do not, see beauty where we do not. Jaded by experience, we occasionally miss the wonder of this world.

This was my experience reading Holley Gerth's book, You're Already Amazing. The first time I read through it, I was using my jaded eyes to do so. In some ways, suffering can wreck you if you're not careful. I notice I sometimes assume that people who haven't suffered are too shallow or too naive to understand the world fully. I felt this way reading Holley's book the first time through. It is a very readable how-to guide that takes you through your position in Christ and uses check-lists and journaling suggestions to help you more fully explore your God-given identity and use it well.

But I picked up the book again after finishing my dissertation. I was in a happier place, and ready to think more positively about life. Out of the suffering season, the book was a welcome companion as I rethink my identity (I am no longer a cancer patient. I am a cancer survivor!). I found Gerth's personable and common-sense approach to this important topic both engaging to read and practical to implement.

Christ commands us to have faith like a child (Matthew 18:3). Gerth encourages us to use our adult understanding to explore our own role in the kingdom of God, yet demonstrates an innocent devotion to our Savior that is refreshing in a world of pain. I admire both her relationship with God and her writing on this important topic.

• Book: You're Already Amazing (Holley Gerth)
• Topic: Our position in Christ
• Sub-topics: Finding your talents and skills and putting them to work wherever you are
• Suggested audience: teen to adult readers, new and experienced Christians
• Cost: $10-13 on Amazon
• Recommendation: 3-4 stars