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A review by lbgandhi
Four Gifts: Seeking Self-Care for Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength by April Yamasaki
4.0
I am not one to read, or even like, self-help books. Especially religious self-help books. I don't like feeling like I'm being preached at. I go to church on Sunday for sermons. And regular "self-help" style books I find often are really unrealistic in their advice and what you need to do in already super busy life to make things better. So let me go ahead and say this is not a self help book.
I was intrigued by the notion of self-care in a religious sense. That idea goes against everything I feel we are raised to believe in church. You give to others, you do for others, you sacrifice your time and energy for others. Never have I been told to stop and put me first. So I really wanted to read what the author had to say about this. We are all overly busy in our lives, have more than we can handle on our plates. Whether you are a parent, work a full time job or both, there are not enough hours in the day or days in the week to get done what's on your to-do list. This book explores four gifts that come from one of the greatest commandments - "to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength" and to "love your neighbor as yourself". (Mark 12:30-31). These are gifts you give yourself to enhance your relationship with God and strengthen who you are as an individual.
"Somehow, simplifying my life turns out to be more complicated than I'd hoped. Instead of relieving my already to do list, self care becomes just one more thing to do."
Amen! That is normally how it is. April Yamasaki talks through how you give these gifts to yourself without adding more actions on your already busy day. In fact, she recommends taking things off your list. Learn how to stop saying yes to everything. What an incredible concept! And she interweaves these ideas with real life examples from her life (she walks the talk!) and she does so in a manner where you feel like you are having a conversation with an old friend. It's comfortable, warm, and nourishing to the soul. I enjoyed this book and the concepts it presents.
My thanks to April Yamasaki, Herald Press, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was intrigued by the notion of self-care in a religious sense. That idea goes against everything I feel we are raised to believe in church. You give to others, you do for others, you sacrifice your time and energy for others. Never have I been told to stop and put me first. So I really wanted to read what the author had to say about this. We are all overly busy in our lives, have more than we can handle on our plates. Whether you are a parent, work a full time job or both, there are not enough hours in the day or days in the week to get done what's on your to-do list. This book explores four gifts that come from one of the greatest commandments - "to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength" and to "love your neighbor as yourself". (Mark 12:30-31). These are gifts you give yourself to enhance your relationship with God and strengthen who you are as an individual.
"Somehow, simplifying my life turns out to be more complicated than I'd hoped. Instead of relieving my already to do list, self care becomes just one more thing to do."
Amen! That is normally how it is. April Yamasaki talks through how you give these gifts to yourself without adding more actions on your already busy day. In fact, she recommends taking things off your list. Learn how to stop saying yes to everything. What an incredible concept! And she interweaves these ideas with real life examples from her life (she walks the talk!) and she does so in a manner where you feel like you are having a conversation with an old friend. It's comfortable, warm, and nourishing to the soul. I enjoyed this book and the concepts it presents.
My thanks to April Yamasaki, Herald Press, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.