A Different Kind of Love Story: How God’s Love for You Helps You Love Yourself
By Landra Young Hughes
The voices in our head are realer and more convincing than we think.
Whether they are heard as whispers or shouts, they can tell us both lies and truth and are hard to ignore. If you’re anything like me, the voices in my head tend to have power over what I think, say, do and believe. They have been both destructive and restorative in my life and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit they have even shaped how I view and define myself.
A Different Kind of Love Story: How God’s Love for You Helps You Love Yourself by Landra Young Hughes is a book with an inspiring message about overcoming the lies we believe about ourselves by being able to discern the voice of God. Written by the daughter of well-known pastor of Fellowship Church, Ed Young Jr., A Different Kind of Love Story is a beautiful testament of authentic faith persevering through a very vulnerable journey.
A Different Kind of Love Story tackles identity issues, perfectionism, the fight against control and the feeling of inadequacy. Using her personal story of battling an eating disorder, the author encourages the reader to pursue a life of unconditional love and freedom, both found and received at the cross and maintained through a growing relationship with God.
Whether or not you have fought an eating disorder or any other type addiction, A Different Kind of Love Story meets the reader where they are at in their struggles while providing a message that can benefit all walks of life and steer even the most wayward wanderer back on course.
The message is simple – give up! Give up your need to be in control of your life and how other people see you. Instead, surrender control to the Lord and allow His words to define you. God’s words (seen throughout scripture) speak light into a world of darkness and life into a broken soul, thus filling a heart with redeeming love and unending grace. Without acknowledging and receiving the power of God’s truth, a person will fall prey to believing the lies that infiltrate the world.
But how do you discern the voice of God over the shouts of the world?
Landra does a fantastic job of weaving her personal story together with biblical truth to establish a very relatable connection with the reader. She reminds us that no one is ever too far gone to receive God’s love while firmly rooting every topic or advice with scriptural support. Likewise, Landra encourages relational accountability as she communicates the importance of seeking help when needed and doing life together in community.
The voices in our life, whether in our head or from the outside world, directly influence who we are and who we will become. A Different Kind of Love Story will challenge you to tune into God’s voice and be guided by the Spirit’s direction as you learn to see yourself through the eye’s of our Creator. Not only will you find yourself feeling loved and accepted by the Maker of the universe but you’ll also discover a new love and appreciation for yourself and the person God created you to be.
*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
