On my bookshelf: 5 books that changed my life
“What should I read next"?” has got to be one of my favorite questions as of late! In the past few years, I have found myself deeply enthralled whenever I come across a piece of writing that can offer further wisdom & guidance toward my becoming a kinder, more accepting version of myself. Though this list may shift and change over the years, I wanted to compile a reading library of all the books that have changed my life in these 22 years so far— I hope you’re encouraged to pick one of these up & take a read. If you’re interested in picking one up, you can click the book cover for a link to purchase! Enjoy :) xx
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
John Mark Comer
Not to be dramatic, but—this book changed my life. Well, all of these books have :) In this piece, John Mark Comer authors the world’s greatest vice, hurry-sickness, and brings readers to the reality of the way society has conditioned us to think that restlessness is a thing to brag about. I love reading from Comer because he’s extremely educational, yet makes his concepts easy to comprehend. The book offers both a disheartening revelation of the truth & helpful practices to integrate in order to eliminate hurry in our lives.
The Book of Forgiving
The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves & our World
Desmond Tutu
This book is different than most in that it requires materials from you before you begin reading. While every book is a journey, this one asks you to actively participate in order to truly soak up all that Reverend Tutu has to offer his readers. It wasn’t until I began engaging in the prompts in this book that I truly realized both how difficult & how essential forgiveness is for the wellness of the world. Desmond Tutu theorizes a fourfold path to forgiveness & invites his audience to join him on this never-ending, soul healing journey. I would argue that this book is for everyone, & the world would definitely be a better place if everyone put these rhythms into practice.
Turn My Mourning Into Dancing
Finding Hope in Hard Times
Henri Nouwen
This small book is woven with Nouwen’s greatest insight into the posture of mourning in order to find hope. I honestly believe this piece was a God-send, as it quietly caught my eye in a season where I was desperate for a way out of the anguish I faced. Though cheesy, it’s true: the only way out is through. Nouwen walks his readers through the necessity of mourning, especially when we find ourselves in the darkest times of life. Reading this felt like holding someone’s hand when there was nothing left to turn to.
The Inner Voice of Love
A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom
Henri J.M. Nouwen
Yet another book that is quite unlike the rest! His publishers write it best, “This is Henri Nouwen's "secret journal." It was written during the most difficult period of his life when he suddenly lost his self-esteem, his energy to live and work, his sense of being loved, even his hope in God. Although he experienced excruciating anguish and despair, he was still able to keep a journal in which he wrote a spiritual imperative to himself each day that emerged from his conversations with friends and supporters.” Before turning a page, Henri pens the importance that readers are not to read too many of these spiritual imperatives at once: “They were written over a long period of time & need to be read that way too…these spiritual imperatives are meant to be like salt for the meal of your life. Too much salt might spoil it, but a little at a time can make it tasty!” — I love using this piece as a tool for quiet time, meditation, & contemplation.
The Enneagram of Belonging
A Compassionate Journey of Self-Acceptance
Christopher L. Heuertz
If you’re new to the teachings of the Enneagram, I would first suggest Heuretz’s book, The Sacred Enneagram. If you’re familiar with this practice, then I’ve got to be honest—I grew to hate the enneagram. Not because I didn’t want to face what it taught me about myself, but because of what modern society turned it into. In this piece, Chris Heuretz deconstructs the frilly-instagram-able-swipe-through-able “shorthand psycho slang” that modern society (and honestly, the modern church) made of this ancient & sacred principal. I am enamored by the way Heuretz gracefully peels back the layers & brings readers into the history behind the teachings of the Enneagram. Rather than barring readers behind common personality patterns, this book opens readers up to rich & meaningful growth beyond one’s dominant type. I feel as though I can’t accurately describe how important this book has been to me in my journey to self-acceptance, but I’ll end with this excerpt:
“What the general population wants is an accessible Enneagram that describes quirks & caricatures of individuality plotted against temperaments & dispositions. But what we need is a map showing us how to knit together the fragments of our identities that we’ve allowed to lay claim to the whole of who we think we are. What we are desperately yearning for is an Enneagram of Belonging, pointing us back to an integrated experience of radical self-acceptance. The Enneagram backfires entirely when we use it to box ourselves or others in. Rather, when we practice radical self-acceptance, we find our path to personal growth.”
