Restless: Because You were Made for More by Jennie Allen
This was our first book club reading and this book really set the tone for me. It was perfect! This book discusses the topic: How do I know what God’s plan for me is? She guides us through a process that helps us to see God’s hand in our story. Jennie Allen delves into that nudging / restless feeling deep in us that alerts us when it’s time to move into something else. She has a workbook style that requires readers to reflect on each chapter.
My Top 3 Takeaways
- Don’t be afraid to dream BIG
God has given us permission to dream BIG, but until we surrender ourselves to Him we are only capable of dreaming our own small dreams (19).
This book helped me to see that I was afraid to dream. I was afraid to dream because it meant facing the possibilities of failure, the possibility of completely relying on God because the dream was bigger than anything I could accomplish on my own.
2. Stop overanalyzing and let God’s Will be done
“God’s will is moving, and if we will just jump, his will is going to catch us. Let him be God; move on with what you know and quit overanalyzing what you don’t” (123).
I realized that I cannot allow fear to keep me from moving and to keep me from doing the things that God has placed on my heart. Starting the blog and the book club are examples of things that I started off overanalyzing. What if no one wants to read along? What if it fails? What if I’m not good enough? I’m so glad I jumped in and trusted God!
- God is using every part of my life for His good
One chapter of the book focuses on the metaphor of God as a master tailor who is using the threads (the details) of our lives to create beautiful things. Aaaah! Because I sew, this thought of God using every area of my life (my hurts, my pains, my past, my gifts, my places, etc) to create something beautiful resonates with me.
