Posting over with Five Minute Friday today, and boy… is today’s theme a good one.
You know what? God’s funny. He likes to teach me stuff, every once in a while, and generally… well I’m kinda slow… So, usually His method of instruction?
The “whack you upside the head” kind of instruction.
Recently… some of you might have heard… I published a book.
Yep. It’s right here:
Interested in taking a look at the book? Click here.
I KNOW. It’s very exciting. And now… I am in full throttle marketing… which means I need to do a lot of things: get my blog all up to date with the book (haven’t done), get some more interviews set up (not yet), and write about it (the book) a LOT on the blog so much that I probably annoy all my readers (on the way to that)…
And really? I just wanna take a long nap.
And really also? Sometimes?? When my dear friends tell me, “Hey! I ordered your book! I can’t WAIT TO READ IT!” my very first reaction is that my brain gets a bit wonky and I cringe.
This is what I’m working through: I wrote a book about my recovery, and now it’s OUT THERE and sometimes my friends? I still feel a little bit shy about the whole thing. In fact… I think?? I feel a little bit of shame. Still. After all this.
Shame.
Shame is NOT a God thing. Shame is straight up Satan’s department.
And you know what? Shame is NOT what this book is about and it is NOT what I am about ANY MORE.
Take THAT, wonky brain!
So, I am writing this post, as quickly as my little stubby fingers will type, to get it out there:
HEY! PUBLIC! AND FRIENDS! DID YOU KNOW?
I am an alcoholic in recovery. And for a while there my life was all kinds of crazy. Like batshit crazy (that’s for my Southern friends.) and I then took a big huge breath and wrote this book and am like, unfurling that past crazy on all of y’all that are gonna take the time to read the thing.
And I am CELEBRATING that today! Because… well… It’s a big deal! And I am not drinking today! and the book might help someone else! AND THAT IS THE POINT!
Phew. Just had to get it out there. Thank you for supporting my crazy. It’s a lotta work, I know. Cuz it’s a lotta crazy. BUT IT’S SOBER CRAZY.
YEA! *Happy, celebratory dance*
Thank you, God for the smack upside the head. And thank you, Kate Motaung, for the topic choice. Thank you for reminding me that shame can be turned around. Let it be a calling card to get closer to God, and then let it go. Take shame and turn it inside out, and let it teach you something about claiming God’s love. This makes the great deceiver really, really mad, because he would like you to fixate on the shame and just hunker down in it for a while…
I am taking shame and turning it into Celebration of Him and His promises instead.
Amen?
Amen!
Galatians 5:1. Forever.
Dana Bowman 
Amen, for sure! Congratulations on your book AND your ongoing recovery! I think it’s a precious part of faith when we can let go of our shame and trust in God, then go on to help other people who are going through the same thing. Together with the Lord, you’ve got this!
We are FMF neighbors today. Have a wonderful weekend!
There’s no shame in admitting you are human and have faults & weaknesses. We all have ’em. You just chose to turn them around so you could face them head on! I know I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, I am so proud of you! And as one who’s read the already book, cover to cover, with only pee breaks to keep me from reading non-stop, I cried, I laughed, then I cried some more. I relived some of those moments you captured with your brilliant choices of words, and it stirred up a lot of “stuff” for me, personally. Now I’m waiting for you to make an appearance in LA to promote your book, and I’ll be there cheering you on, then whisk you off for sushi, but I promise you it won’t be one of those conveyor belt places, unless you want it to be for old time’s sake. 😉