Freedom From Performing - Book Review

I want to live a life of godliness  - REAL godliness – not one measured by how well I follow rules or meet expectations or by how nice of a person I am, but a life of transformation.  I want to live a life that is not about protecting an image, but instead, a life of authenticity.  I want to be someone who knows when to be silent as well as someone who is not afraid to speak the truth in love.  I want to learn to pour God’s grace on others while internalizing it myself.  I want to be free from performing and free from the desire for accolades except for a delightful nod from my Heavenly Father.

Becky Harling showed me how to be an image bearer instead of protecting an image in her book Freedom from Performing.  In order to illuminate the truths of God’s grace, she shares her own stories about peeling away the layers involved in living for the applause of many, and instead, internalizing grace to accept only the applause of the One who already loves, regardless of performance. 

Freedom from shame, living our passion and purpose, release from perfectionism, and putting away the measuring stick – these are just a few of the themes that Becky Harling develops to show how an understanding of grace impacts our lives in practical ways.  In each chapter, she shares what God has shown her using a parable or other biblical passage as the foundation. At the end of each chapter, she summarizes truth as a message spoken to the reader from God, provides a prayer for conversation with Him, and includes a Bible study with reflective questions for the week.

This book seems to be very specific toward a particular personality type.  If you are a high-achiever, multi-tasker, people-pleasing, or Type A personality, then this book may be a great fit for you.  If you are relaxed, easy-going, and never have a sense of urgency, perhaps you will find this book harder to relate to.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan to keep it in an easily-accessible location on my book shelf so that I can periodically read the ‘message from God’ and the prayers at the end of each chapter until they are ingrained as truth in me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."