Live Fearless: A Call to Power, Passion, and Purpose
By: Sadie Robertson
Publication: February 6th 2018 by Thomas Nelson
224 pages
Genre: Self-Help, Christian, Non-fiction
Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)
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Goodreads description--Sadie Robertson, bestselling author and star of Dancing with the Stars, has an important message for her generation: you don’t have to be held back by fear, anxiety, or loneliness anymore. In Live Fearless, Sadie takes you on a thrilling personal journey toward power, passion, and purpose as you live at the center of who God created you to be!Dear friends,
I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty tired of the struggle. You know which one I mean—fear, loneliness, not knowing who I am or what I’m meant to do. . . . Sound familiar?
I struggled with insecurity, comparison, and isolation for too many years, from thigh gaps to eyebrows to the lifestyles I felt I had to live up to. I was so afraid of being “found out,” that everyone in my life would somehow figure out that I was fearful and small and that I struggled to make my faith a reality and to be secure in who I am. It took a major perspective shift from staring at comments on a screen to really digging into the pages of my Bible to see what God actually says about overcoming fear.
Setting aside the fear, anxiety, and comparison to become the joy-filled person God created you to be is exactly what God is inviting you into. To really be seen and known. To be an agent of change by choosing compassion, connection, and acceptance for everyone you come in contact with. Inside this book are ways to find your power, passion, and purpose—and reach for your dreams. Plus, there are places to jot down notes, fun lists, practical ways to make changes, and thoughts on how living fearless can change everything.
Are you tired of the awful comparison game? Are you exhausted from trying to keep up, from feeling small and afraid that people will find the real you and be disappointed? There is so much more for you. No matter who you are, where you come from, or what your fears are, freedom is available to you. It’s just a matter of saying yes. You in?
Hope you’ll join me on this wild adventure as we learn to Live Fearless together.
Love,
Sadie
I really enjoyed Duck Dynasty when the show came on. While my family isn't big into hunting, I liked how their family dynamic and culture wasn't too far off from what I'm familiar with. I grew up in the country. We had one caution light (not even a full red light) in my home town. So I related to their country living lifestyle. Also being a Christian it was so refreshing to see a family with similar morals and beliefs who weren't afraid to speak about their faith. Plus the Christian faith isn't something we get much from television these days--especially in any kind of positive light. That being said I always liked what I saw of Sadie on the show. I was glad to see that she was taking her opportunities to be a role model for other young adults of this generation.
I don't feel like I've had too much trouble with fear in my life. Of course I have fears but I've never felt controlled by them. Yet while reading Live Fearless I did realize that I'd let fear stop me from doing a few things throughout my life that might have been really fun (going to summer camp as a kid for instance). But I've not experienced the level of fear that Sadie discussed in this book. So I wasn't reading this for personal help so much as curiosity.
From a writing stand point there were a few too many "I'll talk more about this later" type of statements for my taste. In my experience the reader doesn't really need these statements. I don't know how much of that was Sadie's idea or perhaps an editor's. Either way it happened too frequently for my preferences.
One thing I absolutely loved about this book was that Sadie did a great job showing how a Christian can be struggling with a particular area of their life yet still have a vibrant and rich relationship with God. He still uses us and works on us. Because let's be honest... There are no sinless or perfect people. Only Jesus filled the role. So imperfect and struggling with the flesh people are there only people God has to work with because that's who we are. Yet God can still use us for His purposes. And one thing my brother always says is that God is always working on more than one person at the same time.
I also appreciated that while Sadie was open about her struggles with fear she didn't find it necessary to inform the readers about the specifics of the sin she might have experienced in every example she used in this book. She does talk about confession and confessing your sins and struggles to someone you trust, but God doesn't instruct us to confess every sin to every person. It isn't necessary for the reader to know the specifics of every sin she's struggled with in her life.
Favorite quotes:
-If you fear amything other than God, you're giving it too much power in your life. - My mom
-"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him."
-Our job isn't to figure out what the picture will ultimately look like; it's to walk where He leads.
-Don't let shame or regret steal your future the way fear has stolen your past.
I feel that Live Fearless is a great book for the young adults of this generation. I took plenty away from it even though this book reminded me that I'm no longer in that phase of my life (the young adult part even though I still think of myself that way). I think if fear is something you struggle with this book would be helpful for you no matter your age. Live Fearless gets 4 Stars. Have you read Live Fearless? What did you think? Let me know!
