Also by this author: Mental Health and Your Church: A Handbook for Biblical Care (A Ministry Guide to Mental Illness, Anxiety, Depression, Trauma and Addiction), 5 Things to Pray for a Suffering Friend: Prayers That Change Things for Friends or Family Who Are Walking through Trials
Published by Good Book Company on June 1, 2021
Genres: Non-Fiction, Christian Life
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Whether mildly, moderately or severely, feeling anxious is something most of us experience at some point in our lives. At its core, it's a fear--a sense of worry or tension--about what is or what might occur, but it's not one that helps. It drags us down--it doesn't enable us to thrive--and it leaves us unequipped for the day ahead.
This short, sympathetic and warm book will help both Christian and non-Christian readers understand anxiety better, learn some useful techniques to cope with it and, most importantly, show how the living God can liberate us from its grip.
Whether you are used to reading about God or not even sure if he really exists (or if he cares about your anxiety in any meaningful way), this book has precious words of encouragement for you.
"As you read, it is my prayer that you will come to see real hope and take the first few steps in a lifetime of change." Helen Thorne, author.
Ideal for giving away to those who are feeling anxious--whether Christian or non-Christian.
This small book is about a hundred pages long, and shares succinct encouragement for people dealing with anxiety. Helen Thorne writes to an audience of both Christians and seekers, and explains how core Christian beliefs can help us in the midst of our struggles. In the first four chapters, she writes about what anxiety is, how we can understand our struggles within a Christian framework, and how we can find hope day by day through practical exercises and following Jesus. The remaining chapters counter anxiety’s lies with biblical truth, showing how we can respond when we feel alone, feel like everything is out of control, and think that we can’t carry on.
Hope in an Anxious World: 6 Truths for When Things Feel Overwhelming is a short, encouraging, and practical read. Whether someone’s struggle is because of a chronic disorder or is mostly situational, they can find perspective and encouragement here. However, even though this book is appropriate for people with varying levels of anxiety, the downside is that it is somewhat general and vague. I would have appreciated additional material and more information about the author’s personal experiences. She writes some about her thoughts and feelings, and refers to past abuse and struggles with addiction, but she never goes deeper than that. Even though this isn’t a memoir, I think it would have been helpful for her to share more of her own story.
I personally wish that this book had been longer and more involved, but it has great advice and spiritual encouragement for anxiety sufferers. It validates our experiences, and encourages us to find hope in God even as we deal with something that may never fully ease on this side of heaven. I appreciate this book’s encouragement, and its simplicity will appeal to people who don’t have the mental energy to read something longer, or who are looking for brief encouragement while working through more complex elements of their anxiety elsewhere. I would recommend this to anxiety sufferers and their loved ones, and it can also be a helpful read for church leaders.