Giving Up

Do you know the icebreaker question “if you could meet anyone, who would it be?” Usual answers seem to include famous historical people, Bible figures, and celebrities.

But for me, one of my top answers is Laura Story… Elvington. The singer, yes. But also the writer, mom, wife, and friend. 

God has used her words (sung, spoken, and written) to encourage me with the faith of a messy, straight-shooting, genuine, goofy kindred spirit. The sweet timing of God’s work through her work in my life is more than I can share here- and her latest book, I Give Up, is no exception.

“Giving up” sounded like faithlessness to me a few months ago. But God’s been teaching me to revel in surrender. What reinforcement when, in ­I Give Up, Laura Story talks about how God is glorified when we give up on doing it ourselves in order to trust Him to do what He wills.

Combining stories from her life and God’s Word with thoughtful, wise reflections, Laura Story leads a charge to surrender that readers can get behind.

The titles of several chapters demonstrate some of what she explains about Godly giving up:

• Surrender by Choosing to Believe
• A Great, Good, Trustworthy God
• When I Surrender, I Worship

Between humorous quips, stories, and Biblical insight, Laura Story also makes some memorable, straightforward points:

If my God is worthy, then he is trustworthy too. –Laura Story, I Give Up Share on X Surrendering our lives to him makes sense when we see him for who he is. –Laura Story, I Give Up Share on X It’s in that space between 'I will and 'I have' that relationships are tested and faith is strengthened. –Laura Story, I Give Up Share on X In between is both a hard space to live and a necessary part of letting go. –Laura Story, I Give Up Share on X Every surrender to God involves choosing to believe him. –Laura Story, I Give Up Share on X If there’s anything more dangerous than waiting on God, it must be refusing to wait and taking your future into your own hands. –Laura Story, I Give Up Share on X Not only does God prize my surrender- Jesus models it. –Laura Story, I Give Up Share on X You can’t grow beyond what you haven’t grieved. –Laura Story, I Give Up Share on X I’m not unambitious. I’m ambitious for the Gospel. –Laura Story, I Give Up Share on X Surrendering doesn’t lead us into worship; our surrender is our worship. –Laura Story, I Give Up Share on X

One of the most helpful points Laura makes (and proves throughout the book) is how much surrender is a constant choice. She highlights the number of times “surrender” is sung in the beautiful hymn “I surrender all.” She shares story after story of Biblical surrender. She exemplifies her own need for surrendering to Christ- in theology, parenting, friendship, big decisions, and daily gaffes.

What I read in I Give Up is helping me quit- in the best way! I would recommend this book to anyone who isn’t dead yet- but especially to living, breathing women.

((I received an advanced copy of the ebook to write this honest review in a timely fashion))

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