For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards Paperback – April 10, 2018

This is the best book I’ve read in ten years! I wish I could buy a thousand copies so that I could give a copy to every person I know!Freedom is found in these pages! Reading For the Love felt as though Jen Hatmaker had invited me to her porch to talk with her over a cup of coffee. Jen put words to realities that my heart has been feeling but couldn't fully express. This book made me laugh as much as it made me cry, stirred my soul, and left me feeling like Jen was patting me on the back, encouraging me to step into all that God has for me in this one life that I get. Everyone needs to read this book!In fact, the most important parenting chapter you could ever read is found in this book…and it’s not even a parenting book! Every parent needs to read the chapter, “Jesus Kids.” The parenting wisdom found in this chapter is unprecedented. If you buy the book to only read this one chapter, it will be money well spent (of course, you won’t be able to stop at just one chapter, once you’ve started reading).“Run Your Race” is a phenomenal chapter for anyone. Any person who reads that chapter will find herself wanting to fully embrace and express exactly what she was put on this earth to be. Read this chapter and find yourself empowered!The only chapter I didn’t love with all my heart was “Hope for Spicy Families.” While there was so much truth in it about us as mothers needing to not being so hard on ourselves (excellent!), the idea that “mostly good [parenting] produces healthy kids,” felt a little hollow to me. I’ve spent a fair amount of time processing with adults who grew up in “mostly good” homes and yet have significant wounds from their upbringing that still need healing. I do, however, still firmly believe with the overall message Jen was trying to communicate: Mamas, stop being so hard on yourself and start seeing the good you are doing.Lastly, if you’ve ever encountered a “difficult person,” you’ll feel right at home in the midst of reading the chapter “Difficult People.” The words on those pages are some of the best advice I’ve ever been giving on dealing with difficult people. Anyone who’s ever had a difficult person in her life (…and haven’t we all?) will walk away from this chapter feeling stronger and clearer than ever before.The mix of theological depth combined with some SNL-style humor was refreshing and life-giving! The insight and raw honesty found here is so incredibly freeing. If you want to be empowered, refreshed, and freed, read this book. You will find yourself wanting to start it over again just as soon as you turn the last page!

I started this book yesterday at the pool (full of people and kiddos), not realizing that I would only make it to PAGE 4 before crying. For the love! But when I read this paragraph it was like a healing balm to this overachieving heart of mine, and I just couldn't hold back the tears..."Back in the day, women didn’t run themselves ragged trying to achieve some impressively developed life in eight different categories. No one constructed fairy-tale childhoods for their spawn, developed an innate set of personal talents, fostered a stimulating and world-changing career, created stunning homes and yardscapes, provided homemade food for every meal (locally sourced, of course), kept all marriage fires burning, sustained meaningful relationships in various environments, carved out plenty of time for “self care,” served neighbors/church/world, and maintained a fulfilling, active relationship with Jesus our Lord and Savior. You can’t balance that job description . Listen to me: No one can pull this off. No one is pulling this off. The women who seem to ride this unicorn only display the best parts of their stories. Trust me. No one can fragment her time and attention into this many segments. The trouble is, we have up-close access to women who excel in each individual sphere. With social media and its carefully selected messaging, we see career women killing it, craft moms slaying it, chef moms nailing it, Christian leaders working it. We register their beautiful yards, homemade green chile enchiladas, themed birthday parties, eight-week Bible study series, chore charts, ab routines, “10 Tips for a Happy Marriage,” career best practices, volunteer work, and Family Fun Night ideas. We make note of their achievements, cataloging their successes and observing their talents. Then we combine the best of everything we see, every woman we admire in every genre, and conclude: I should be all of that. It is certifiably insane."Ladies... GO BUY THIS BOOK. I am now at page 44 and I just keep telling my husband over and over, "I just needed to hear this... my soul needed to hear this!" (That is, in between snorting and giggling over Jen Hatmaker's fashion advice.) This is the most life-giving thing I've read in a long time. Bravo Jen. Bravo.