Bold statement, huh? I know. But truly, Pete Wilson’s latest book, Let Hope In, is one of the most truth-filled, grace-filled, books I have ever read. I wrote a little bit about it on Hope for the Weary Mom last month … but I have so much more to share. In case you are wondering if you should read this book, ask yourself these questions:
Do shame and regret regularly influence my thoughts about myself and my life?
Do I struggle with surrendering my plans to the Lord?
Am I focusing more on doing for Christ than I am on becoming like Christ?
Do I feel as though I may have missed out on God’s plan for my life?
Do I spend more time hoping for something than I do hoping in Christ?
Is it hard for me to forgive those who have hurt me?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, Let Hope In is for you! Pete’s conversational tone and honest sharing of his own struggles offers the reader an opportunity to evaluate four big choices faced by all of us if we are to fully live in the hope we have in Christ.
- Choosing to Transform Instead of Transfer
- Choosing to Be Okay with Not Being Okay
- Choosing to Trust Rather than Please
- Choosing to Free People Rather than Hurt Them
My copy is full of underlining, circling, exclamation points, and notes in the margins. More than once I had to stop reading, pick up my journal and my Bible, and sort through what God was revealing to me.
Here are just a few of the sentences I underlined:
- God is bigger than your history and more concerned with your destiny. {p. 12}
- Shame is not produced by past events. Shame is produced by what we believe about those events. {p. 25}
- Time doesn’t heal all wounds; God heals wounds. {p. 31}
- Anything God leads us to do will initially involve some level of fear. {p. 44}
- Throughout life we face one situation after another that will be completely beyond what we can handle. {p. 72}
- There is strength in letting go. There is radical power in surrender. {p. 78}
- We will not know God’s power until we give up on our power – which is actually no power at all. {p. 102}
- Every other world religion is about do, while Christianity is about done. {p.105}
- Even if you can’t have a brand-new beginning, you can have a brand-new ending. {p. 119}
- I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear and worry. Fear is not true to the way I’ve been wired. Faith is. {p. 171}
- Focusing on sinning less doesn’t guarantee you will love more, but focusing on loving more will always guarantee that you will sin less. {p. 180}
- We can’t live without hope. When we keep hoping, we keep living. {p. 206}
Perhaps that gives you a taste of what this book can teach you. Here’s what I know, we are all facing something hard. Whether it’s financial, relational, spiritual, mental, physical, emotional … we all have those places in our lives where we desperately need hope to shine.
Let Hope In is an invitation to trust the hope we have in Christ, the goodness of our God, and the freedom we have as believers. I can’t think of anyone I know who doesn’t need at least a little bit of that.
Which of the quotes I shared from the book resonated with you most? Why?
Hoping in Him,
Teri Lynne
{I was provided a free copy of this book for the purpose of review. All opinions are strictly my own.}
[…] a few months ago when I read Let Hope In {a fabulous book I truly believe everyone should read!}? One of the most challenging concepts Pete introduced in the book was the idea of being here. […]