Sick of Me | A Review
Have you ever felt sick of yourself? I know I have. Sick of trying to be someone I’m not or trying to be real about my problems but staying stuck in the realness and not progress toward true change to be better.
Fortunately, Whitney Capps understands that struggle all too well herself and digs deeper than the surface in her book Sick of Me. Whitney calls us beyond trendy transparency and into something better: true transformation.
DISCLAIMER: I received this book from B&H Publishing in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. Want to be a B&H/LifeWay blogger too? Apply at bhbloggers.com.
Our world is filled with fake façades, from the unrealistic filters used on social media to the “holier than thou” personas seen in in certain hypocritical believers.
To combat those fake trends, a new trend has emerged–one that fights the façade with transparency and vulnerability. Instead of being filtered or super-spiritual, we’re told to be real and honest. And rightly so. We should be getting real with each other about our junk.
But should we stop there? Should we gather to simply commiserate about our current version of “me”? Is community about more than just feeling understood by one another in our hard paces, or does God have actual change in store for us beyond brokenness?
In Sick of Me, Whitney Capps shows us that spiritual growth means being both honest and holy–that we can come to Jesus just as we are, but we cannot stay that way. While virtues like vulnerability, honesty, and humility are desperately needed, we should fight for more. After all, the gospel is a change agent.
Whitney calls us beyond trendy transparency and into something better: true transformation.
If you want to be honest about all your junk, but are also sick of staying there– Sick of Me is for you.
How often have you ever caught yourself saying “I’m so sick of (fill in the blank)”? I find myself saying that far more than I’d like to admit. But you know what’s worse? I’ve said it before about myself too. I get sick of myself. And I bet you do too!
The beautiful news though, is that we don’t have to stay that way. In fact, we can be truthful about our brokenness, but allow Jesus to completely change us from the inside out and not stay stuck in that place of vulnerability without transformation.
In “Sick of Me” Whitney gets brutally honest about her struggles. She lets you in on the messy parts that often aren’t talked about. And, she takes you on her journey from transparency to true transformation and it will encourage your soul.
This journey is a hard one. But, one theme throughout the entire book that will stick with you is this:
Separate is hard, hard is good, God is best.
Sick of Me is a book about learning to be separate. As Christians, we are called to “be in the world, not of it” (John 15:19), separate. Being separate is hard because we want so much to be like everyone when we have been called to be separate. Hard is good, though. Whitney says that:
Our hard things aren’t meant to make life easier; they are meant to make our faith stronger. Suffering is a significant part of sanctification. And like most sanctification, suffering includes us but isn’t about us.
Whitney is flat out honest about her thoughts toward what it means and looks like to be on a journey of sanctification. And, she specifically notes the difference between self-help and sanctification. I have to tell you, that kinda of slapped me in the face because I’m definitely one that turns to self-help rather than the Ultimate Help–Jesus–when I am facing any kind of difficulty.
God is best though. Even when we try to do things on our own and say our way is best, it is quickly realized that it very much not true. Most of the time when I do something that I think is best, it ends up going horribly wrong and I regret it completely.
Going back to the being separate thing, Whitney puts it plainly like this:
God calls His people to be separate. Separate is hard. Hard is good. But God is best. God is our treasure and portion. God is our highest aim and supreme joy. Our singular passion must be an intimate friendship with Him, or we miss the point.
She also says that “the greatest promise of Scripture is that God has a plan for the chosen people to enjoy Him forever. That’s the point of heaven. Him. Him forever”.
It’s not easy learning to think differently than the world, especially when the world is filled with so much that’s in contrast to the teachings of Scripture and it’s appealing to us sometimes. The Christian life as a whole is not an easy one, but one that requires, no, demands our sacrifice. But, the life is also rewarding because Jesus laid down His life for ours, and we are expected to do the same. It’s humbling and also completely freeing.
The process of becoming separate is hard. But hard is good and God is best. This also means that God’s plans are best even when we don’t fully understand them. It means that learning to be separate is hard, but in being separate we are completely fulfilled in Christ. When we become “sick of me”, it’s a clear indication of the state of our hearts and minds.
We spend too much time and effort on ourselves instead of our focus being on Christ. When we focus on Christ, we lose the focus of self, which frees us from the burdens we place on ourselves and rightly put them where they should have been all along, and that’s on Jesus. When we don’t do this, we will become “sick of me”.
Sanctification is the process of making us holt, set apart for God. It is the only cure for me being sick of me. Only God can do what is needed to make us whole and healthy. He prescribes the medicine, but we have to take it.
Whitney’s journey, though hard, is encouraging to me on so many levels. This book has encouraged me to begin the journey of sanctification and shift my focus from me to He who is the Author and Finisher of my faith.
I encourage any woman like myself, who is in experiencing the “sick of me” lifestyle to pick up this book and read it and be encouraged and equipped. This book is available through LifeWay or wherever books are sold!
