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I am a worn out woman and I don’t have nearly all the responsibilities of most women my age. I don’t work outside the home (I write but that’s a subject for another time). My kids are married and off on their own, and my husband is a terrific cook, so he does most of the meals. As I read this book, however, I realized that even those of us with limited physical responsibilities can get worn out from carrying too much in our emotional/spiritual chore list. To say that sounds as if I might be indicating that I a super sanctified spiritual soul filled woman. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am the go-to person when someone needs an absorbent shoulder, a listening ear, or an open heart, and I do pray. But, I realized just today, I tend to not give those prayers to my Father in heaven. Instead I carrying them around with me pray/worrying about them. Chapters 14 and 17 brilliantly deal with these issues. I have a plan to fix my problem. I can see this book will be a blessing to anyone who reads it. And, I’d venture to say that would be about 95% of the women I know.
THE WORN OUT WOMAN (When your Life Is Full and Your Spirit is Empty) is genius in the manner it is put together. Authors Dr. Steve Stephens and Alice Gray understand the woman who NEEDS this book doesn’t have a whole lot of time to study so they’ve set the chapters into subjects. You certainly can read the book through, as I did, or you can read the chapters and do one or two in and out of order as you feel led. The chapters give us real life situations, testimonies if you will, from worn out women. There are inspirational quotes, short quizzes, poems and at the conclusion of each chapter a list of things to try. You can choose to do all or just one.
Chapters include such headings as these:
What’s Going On?
How’d you get to be so exhausted?
Playing to Your Strengths.
Find your strengths/spiritual gifts and work in those areas.
When your Lamp Burns Oil.
How to get more oil!
The Gift of Forgiveness.
Ow. I had to read this three times to get over something that’s been bugging me for eight years. Now, I need to follow up on what I did.
Soul Nurturing
The title says it all
Worry Is A Rocking Chair.
Ain’t it though?
Sleep Tight.
When was the last time you actually did? Sleep tight, I mean.
Those are just some of my favorites. When I say favorites I mean the chapters that spoke the most to me, made me evaluate things in my own life, made me realize I have some things to contend with. Favorite does not mean easiest.
When I received this book to review, I thought it wouldn’t pertain to me at all. Now, my daughter, who has three boys under the age of five, a husband who is a Staff Sgt in the United States Marine Corps and about to ship to Iraq, and who is moving to the Mojave Desert next week, she should read a book called The Worn Out Woman….but no one needs it more than I. (Both my daughter and my daughter (in-law) will receive a copy for Christmas with a nice pen and a journal, too). That’s another thing. The authors suggest we journal. Oi! Who has time to journal? How to journal? What to journal. They actually give you permission to journal occasionally! How’s that?! My kind of journaling!
Ideas for a Friendship Study Group. This is the last section made to discuss the chapters and gems gleaned while reading the book. I think it would be wonderful to have the opportunity to read this as a book club selection, or just with a group of friends, or even as a study in church. I honestly believe every woman will find value in the pages of The Worn Out Woman.
Looking for a way to get back in touch with God? Need some direction on how to simplify? Want to be reminded how much God loves YOU? Get a copy. Take your time. Do the suggestions. It’ll make a difference.
Highly recommend.
Reviewed by Linda Mae Baldwin
for The Road to Romance
November 21, 2004
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