Since I knew I would have more time to read over Christmas Break, and knew I'd be getting some new, exciting books, I had planned to make today's post a book review.
What I hadn't planned for was getting a ton of amazing books... and being sick, which gave me quite a bit of time to read.
So instead of just a book review, I'm going to be giving kinda two book reviews, which will, as always, turn into some sort of encouragement and random ramble of thoughts the Holy Spirit has put on my heart.
But before we get into all that, let's just start with the book review.
How A Book I Got For Christmas Turned Into A New Favorite Author And A Very Encouraging Book I Couldn't Put Down
The book I got for Christmas, because I know you're so terribly curious after that amazingly long header - my apologies - was one of many, but was definitely the one I was most excited about.
It's a book a friend recommended quite some time ago and I had been meaning to read for a while, and finally read the sample on Amazon a few weeks before Christmas... and I was instantly hooked, literally laughing out loud in the card.
Of course, I wanted to buy it right away - I mean, Amazon is just so easy! A click and it's yours! But, I practised my shelf-control and asked for it for Christmas, forcing myself to wait a few days.
And finally, I got it, two days after Christmas.
Let me just say it was worth the wait.
What is this hilarious, riveting, emotional and just plain amazing book?? A Cross-Country Christmas, by Courtney Walsh.
Yes, it is a Christmas romance novel. Yes, it is a Christian Christmas romance novel. And yes, it is one of my favorites... of all time.
So worth the wait.
But while it was amazing and hilarious, was one of my faovrite books I got for Christmas, and is definitely going on my favorites shelf, and while it was full of awkward moments and ADORABLE moments and literally made me die laughing... that's not the book that encouraged me and inspired me.
The characters, Lauren and Will, were very well done and I am so definitely in love with Will. He was cute and adorable and perfectly smiley and fun, and drew out all the quirks and laughs from Lauren. And Lauren was wonderfully deep and complex and so so very relatable - and they just clicked, perfectly.
The setting and concept were GOLDEN - seriously, take a girl who hates the guy, but definitely still has a crush on him after all these years, and a guy who is desperately in love with the girl but doesn't really know it, and throw them into a car together for a week long roadtrip during Christmas time?!?!! I mean that is epic in and of itself!
And on top of it all, Walsh's writing style and humor are just... above par. Beautifully done, weaving in such strong messages while not preaching at you, and somehow leaving you on the edge of your seat while still thinking it's adorably cute.
But... that was the book I got for Christmas. And Courtney Walsh is the new favorite author. The very encouraging book I couldn't put down is a whole other book entirely.
Just Look Up
The book I really want to talk about - the book that encouraged me and inspired me and really spoke to me, is Just Look Up, by Courtney Walsh. Which I only read because I loved A Cross-Country Christmas so much and right away went on Hoopla and saw how many of her books I could get for free.
So, A Cross-Country Christmas turned into me adoring Courtney Walsh, which turned into me stalking her on all book-places available, which turned into me getting Just Look Up because it was free... which turned into me finishing it in pretty much one sitting and falling in love with a cast of characters and people I connected to far more than the characters in A Cross-Country Christmas.
Now, for the record, A Cross-Country Christmas is still one of my favorite reads and was definitely funnier than Just Look Up, had a more intereting concept, and most people would probably like it better.
But Just Look Up really... spoke to me and I instantly connected with Lane.
There were a lot of aspects about Lane that I related with - like choosing not to eat certain foods even when everyone else is, and wanting to work obsessively to shove your way into success.
But the main thing about her that just pulled me in was her journey from being literally attached to her phone and having her life dictated by work, to choosing to *spoilers!* quit her job and focus on real life and real relationships over a demanding to-do list.
People were constantly telling her to "just look up" and "get that phone our of your hands," among other things. And as the book progressed, she learned to choose her family and friends and relationships over the obsessive goal to prove her worth.
And that's something I've really struggled with since starting Author. I talk a bit more about it in this post, but I've really had to train myself and force myself to not be on my computer and phone all the time and really focus on the real life people around me. And I still have a lot to learn.
Like Lane, I constantly have to remind myself to pick my head up, look around, and love on the people God has placed in my life.
I think we all can get caught with our heads down, tuning out the world, shutting ourselves up in our own little boxes and forgetting that there are people around us who God has specifically put in our lives, at this time, for us to love them.
We can so easily forget to look up and find joy in the simplest things around us, find laughter and ligth in people and baking cookies and enjoying popcorn together (I'm a real foodie if you couldn't already tell!!)
But for real, it's so important to look up. Remember who God is, surrender control of our tiny little lives and look to Him to find the big picture, the better view, the eagle's eye.
It's Not About You
I've heard people calling this year 202Me around Instagram and other social media, and that's great and all... but 2023 is not about you, or me, or any of us. Not in any way, shape, or form. And if we have our heads down, focusing on only us and ourselves and our plans and our dreams, we are going to miss out on so much of the beauty and adventure God has planned for us this year.
If we go into this new year planning out our way, and our goals, and our life, those plans are going to get messed up and we're going to fail because we are not enough!
We can't do it alone!
And if we think we can we have no clue Who created the universe and put the stars in place and is holding every single drop of the ocean in His hands.
2023 is not about you, or me, or anyone here on earth. It's about the God who gave us His Son to die to save us. It's about the God Who deserves all glory and praise. It's about the God Who has every step of not just your year but your life planned out.
It's about Him and giving Him glory and honoring His name and doing everything for Him and Him alone. That's what 2023 is about, and we need to all look up and remember that.
A Word For 2023
Another New Year tradition is picking a word for the coming year.
I was going to go with something life Brave, or Adventure, or Courage, or YOLO, but as I was reading a chapter from Daring To Hope, one of THE best books of all time, I decided to go with something different.
Blind Trust, and Surrender.
Surrendering my plans for this coming year into the hands of a Father that cares about me far more than I can even imagine. Blindly trusting in the King of the universe who chose me and redeemed me and forgives me every single day.
Because when we surrender our plans and blindly trust, we are going to be met with a whole lot of adventure and excitement, all hand in hand with the only Friend we will ever need. And anything that comes our way we can face with a smile, knowing our Father is right beside us, and we have surrendered our plans into his far more capable hands.
So whether your word for 2023 was Love or Fight or Forgive or Live Purposefully, don't forget to surrender your plans. Don't forget to trust blindly.
Because when we let go of everything and let Him take control, we can open our eyes to the beauty and love and adventure He has waiting for us. When we look up, let our hearts embrace His everlasting, unchanging love, we will be met with a year overflowing with joy, no matter its circumstances.
So like Lane, let's look up and find the Savior waiting for us to run into His arms, and surrender.