It was no accident that this book, written by Ken Shigematsu (Senior Pastor of Tenth Church in Vancouver, BC), was mailed to me to read before it’s officially released next week on August 7^th. Recently, I had a meeting with Pastor Art and he gracefully pointed out several obvious examples of how I’ve tried to earn value (i.e. love) through achievement (i.e. work). The embarrassing thing is that this wasn’t the first time someone has pointed that out to me.

In my heart I know that I am loved by my Heavenly Father and that His love is the only love that will fulfill me. But in my head, I somehow convince myself that if I just get one more hour of work done, one more household chore, teach my kids one more skill, impress my husband with an amazing feat… I will be overcome with an everlasting feeling of accomplishment. But that never happens. I just wear myself out and flop into bed at the end of the day feeling overly tired and defeated.

So what did I learn from this book? In two words: a lot! I’ll let you read the book for yourself to get the complete story, but here are the top three lessons I learned:

Rest is best. As I stated earlier, I constantly push myself to get one more thing done. In this book I loved this reminder: “According to the Genesis poem, God rested on the seventh day. This means that our first full day on the planet as the human race was a day off. We began our existence on the Sabbath. God created us to rest before we work. If we violate this order, we damage ourselves and deprive those we love.”

Friendship is essential. And most importantly, a friendship with Jesus. “As we deepen our friendships with Jesus Christ, we become the kind of friend our hearts long for and receive the friends God has for us.” We weren’t meant to live our lives alone, but we must be careful that we surround ourselves with friends who will positively influence us. “God can use our friends to transform our desires, so that we aren’t ambitious for ambition itself, but rather ambitious to serve a higher calling.”

I must surrender. “Surrendering our lives to Christ not only radically recalibrates our desires, it also brings us into a more – not less – fulfilled life. When we look back, we find that God’s ways are far better than our own.” In the final pages of the book, the author writes about a passage of scripture he is drawn to at the end of John, after Jesus’ resurrection, when Jesus is walking on the beach talking to Peter (John 21:18-22). Ken Shigematsu writes “When I am tempted to compare myself to someone who is more successful than I am, who seems to have an easier path, I hear Jesus saying, “What is that to you? You follow me.” This really resonates with me, and I sense that I will be reminded of this same passage repeatedly as I learn and continue to fully surrender.

If you’d like to get your hands on a copy of the book, visit www.survivalguideforthesoul.com. When you pre-order the book, you’ll receive a sneak peek plus a free study guide for individual or small group use.

#survivalguideforthesoul #kenshigematsu

Book Review by Sarah Biggerstaff