This last week, I read the book “Even This” by Emily Belle Freeman. My mom had given me the book at Christmas, and I finally picked it up and started to read.
And guess what? It was good. Like, transformationally good.
First Impressions
My first impression was that I didn’t like her writing style. It was kind of awkward and clunky. She was writing in the present tense when obviously she was talking about experiences that had happened in the past. And she kept using “the learning” or “the asking” in a weird way that took some getting used to. But, once I got past all that, the content that she was trying to convey is fantastic.
Becoming tethered to God
The best part of the book is her telling you how to come closer to God through her daily prayer ritual at the end of the day. She introduces this ritual one piece at a time and shares personal experiences of how it has worked in her life.
Her prayer ritual goes like this:
- First, she traces the goodness of God. She asks herself: “Where have I seen thy goodness today?”
- Then, she expresses gratitude for all the goodness and tender mercies she has received that day.
- Third, she thinks about the times when she messed up or let her fears and weaknesses cloud her faith. Then she tries to visualize letting that go and renewing her trust in God.
- Fourth, she asks: what do I need God to be in my life? She thinks about all of his godly attributes and picks a few that she wants to focus on.
- Fifth, she asks: what do you want me to do?
I’ve been doing this for a few weeks now, and it is incredible!! It has really transformed my prayers and my relationship to God.
Tracing the Goodness
Before I read this book, I was trying to thank God for at least 5 different things in my daily prayers at night. It was a good habit, but I was amazed at how much more powerful it was to trace his goodness. Before I was just trying to be grateful for what I have. But now, I am listening to hear what he has specifically done for me in my life each day.
I have been shocked by how much God does for me. At how much he orchestrates my life and is in control. This practice has greatly increased my faith in Him. It has made my gratitude practice become a lot more personal and sincere.
And it all starts by asking the question: “Where have I seen thy goodness today?”
Letting go of my weaknesses
The next part of her ritual is remembering when she has faltered and letting that go. She thinks of these questions: what is hindering me from trusting God completely? What is blinding me?
Then she tries to let it go. Put that behind her and lean into trusting God even more.
Asking God for what she needs Him to be
In her scripture studies, she has focused a lot on the attributes of God. At this point in her prayer, she goes to her list of attributes and asks God to be that in her life. She asks herself: “What do I need God to be in my life right now?”
Asking God what He wants me to do
This part has been my favorite. It is so exciting to see what thoughts come and what God wants me to do the next day.
It’s like God is giving me a to-do list instead of me giving him a list of things to fix in my life.
Conclusion
Overall, I thought this book was fantastic. It is short, pretty easy to read, and very helpful for developing a better relationship with God.
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