It's Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lysa TerKeurst is a book written from the midst of suffering but told as a story of hope in who we are in Christ. She writes very honestly and from a place of real and raw emotion. Her hardship that she writes about stems from marital issues and major health issues, none of which were expected which left her severely disappointed and devastated. As she tells her story, she saturates it with Scripture and Biblical reflection and the book shows glimpses into her healing process. She uses her own personal shattering to help others who are dealing with the same feelings but not necessarily the same situation. This book is applicable to anyone who is going through some type of suffering, pain, disappointment. This book shows that there is hope even though we suffer, and there is hope especially when we feel as though there is no way to recover what was once considered normal. This book is definitely a must read if you have ever felt disappointed, disillusioned, broken, betrayed, or weakened by something or some event or someone in your life.

Almost everyone has had times in their lives where they think, "It's not supposed to be this way!" This is what makes Lysa's newest book so relatable. Lysa shares from her own story of walking through her husband's infidelity, and shares Biblical truth and wisdom for those who are also struggling through a challenging time. Each chapter includes a personal story, practical advise, and a section called "Going to the Well". The "Going to the Well" section includes a summary of the chapter, Bible verses, suggested scripture to read, and a prayer.

Some of my favorite quotes from this book included:
1. Some things won't be fixed this side of eternity; they just have to be walked through.
2. If the enemy can isolate us, he can influence us.
3. I know I must walk through God's process before I see His fulfilled promise.
4. I hope for the good I know God will ultimately bring from this, whether the good turns out to match my desires or not.
5. God loves us too much to answer our prayers in any other way than the right way. And He loves us too much to answer our prayers at any other time than the right time.

I really got a lot out of reading this book, and I would recommend it for anyone who is going through a difficult time.

Through this book, we can see the author Lysa TerKeurst wrestling with the events of her life. Things just did not go according to plan. There has been much brokenness in each of our lives, but we learn God can use "the dust" of our lives. The broken things that we might have discarded long ago. We serve a Mighty God, and He is able to demonstrate His power through the things we didn't plan for.

As always, Lysa TerKeurst delivers. Filled with spiritual truths and heart-wrenchingly familiar scenarios, this book is one I'd highly recommend to any of my friends.

Lysa shares her heart when you are in the middle of a place you didn’t want to be or ever thought you would be. How does the Lord meet us there and how does he reveal more of himself to us? Whether our prayers are answered the way we want them to be or not - we find the Lord in ways we would never have imagined otherwise. I appreciated her raw story and bravery in sharing in the middle instead of just on the other side.

Absolutely wonderfully written book. I like all her books, but this book is more open and honest. She has a trust in God that is so inspiring.

Thanks to Lysa Terkeurst for sharing her heart and the truths she learned through so many disappointments and hurts that she has experienced. This book, "It's Not Supposed To Be This Way", opens your eyes up to how God works in our lives and never leaves us, even through the hardest days of our lives and how He can use our hurts for His glory and for our own good. Lysa gives us so much scripture that helped her to also help us. I am now doing a Bible Study with the book and a video that Lysa does, as my guide, that I highly recommend.
Here are a few quotes from the book that meant a lot to me:
"Disappointment isn't proof that God is withholding good things from us. Sometimes it's His way of leading us home".
"God loves me too much to answer my prayers at any other time than the right time and in other way than the right way".
"Harsh realities aren't the end, but rather a temporary middle space. Not the place where we are meant to wallow and dwell. Rather the place which we will have to learn to wrestle well. To wrestle well means acknowledging my feelings but moving forward, letting my faith lead the way".
This is a book that I will keep and review many times.

It's Not Supposed to Be This Way
Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered
by Lysa TerKeurst
Nelson Books
Thomas Nelson
Christian
Pub Date 13 Nov 2018


I am reviewing a copy of It‘s Not Supposed to Be This Way through Nelson Books and Netgalley:

In It‘s Not Supposed to Be This Way New York times Bestselling author Lysa TerKeustreminds us that although life Often looks very different than we expected, that some events will catch us off guard for a moment while others shatter us.


TerKeust helps the reader to understand that though events may make us feel dissapointed and disillusioned some of these things can be the divine appointments our souls need in order to radically encounter God.


Lysa TerKeust writes this book from a deep and personal place and I would recommend it to all who have experienced the challenges in your life that make you wonde.


I give It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Lysa TerKeurst verteld openlijk in dit boek over haar scheiding en ziek zijn. Ze neemt je mee in haar tocht van onbegrip en groot verdriet. Want het leven zou toch niet zo moeten zijn.

Toen ik het boek las en al haar leed opzoog vanuit het boek moest ik denken aan Job. Het lijkt net of God ook haar veel ontnam maar ook weer gaf.

Het mooiste stuk vond ik dat zij bad dat de pijn in haar buik weg zou gaan toen zij in het ziekenhuis lag en dat dit niet gebeurde. Dit is overigens een van de nare dingen die haar in de afgelopen jaren is gebeurd. Zij snapt niet waarom God haar gebed niet verhoorde. Later bleek dat als God haar pijn had weg genomen zij mogelijk nu niet meer had geleefd omdat dat de artsen er nooit achter waren gekomen wat haar mankeerde.

Dit boek is echt een aanrader als je zelf moeilijk zit of wanneer je God zijn handelen niet snapt.

Ik mocht dit boek lezen via #netgalley en ben daar erg blij mee.
Je kunt het boek hier bestellen .

Wow, this book. I’ve followed TerKeurst’s journey and read her books for the past several years, and the raw, vulnerable honesty and elegance with which she writes are unmatched. I knew this book would be one written from a place of pain, but one that would bring hope, and I wasn’t wrong. It’s a lifeline, one from a person in deep pain to a person in deep pain. Its honesty is unparalleled and so, so appreciated. I admire the courage and authenticity it took to write such a manuscript, and even more so to write with such hope and faith. It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way is a moving read, one that I would recommend to anyone who has ever experienced pain or disappointment in their lives, so, to anyone. There are parts that made me laugh out loud, and parts that spoke to the deepest parts of my soul. I loved that the chapters ended with a recap, some questions to apply the material to the reader’s personal life, and verse references to read. It was practical, helpful, and beautiful.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Net Galley for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and were not required to be positive. I received a copy of this book for free. I was not required to post a positive review and the views and opinions expressed are my own.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion – which I’ve done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

My thoughts... The tagline of this novel couldn't be more relevant to myself or my family. We've been through a lot of difficult circumstances: cancer, loss of loved ones, financial debt, difficult job situations, isolation, depression, sadness, fear....and the list goes on. Sometimes it's hard not to feel like we live in a never ending survival mode. There are so many truths presented in this amazing book, I couldn't begin to unpack them all in a short summary. I literally felt like it was so personal, and I know other readers will as well. Lysa's compassion, honesty, hope, and trust in God really reached across the pages right into my heart...because she's not just giving us her word that everything is going to be ok. She's using her heart-wrenching experiences to share God's Word and His promises.
In one chapter Lysa talks about a physically painful situation she went through. For several days she begged God to relieve the physical pain she was experiencing. She didn't understand why God was not giving her relief from her suffering. Later, after doctors discovered the problem and did surgery, her surgeon came and spoke with her. Basically he said that Lysa's survival was a miracle, as her body had already started to decay on the inside. The truth God revealed to her through that situation was that if He had answered her prayer for relief, she would've given up trying to find the solution to her issue. She would've died thinking that the problem was solved, when in fact it was killing her. God uses our pain, our suffering, for our good. We may not always know the reason at the time, but with time we will see that He truly does "work all things for the good of those who love Him."
Lysa has an amazing testimony, and she openly shares it with her readers as an encouragement through the very difficult circumstances of life. I'm recommending it to everyone I know...because I think we've all whispered the words, "it's not supposed to be this way" in our hearts in one season or another.

**I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in order to give an honest review, which I did.**

What an amazing read! This book spoke to me so powerfully about the nature of suffering, disappointment and God's place in it. Lysa weaves her personal story with Scripture and solid teaching to make impactful points about God being at work in our disappointments. Reading this book feels more like sitting and having a coffee with a dear mentor than being lectured or preached at or taught. I recommend this book to anyone facing a trial or difficulty or who has... it will be refreshing and encouraging.

Hooray for another Terkeurst book that’s become a favorite of mine!

This book focuses on difficult, grief-filled seasons of life that it seems as if you’ll never pull through, and bring to it the light of Christ and how his plans, purposes, and ways are for you, for your good, and because he loves you. The author mainly speaks of her failed marriage as the talking point of her own grief while writing the story, and this brought to it an authenticity that I could 100% stand by and glean from. Though let me say, I don’t think you have to be going through a particularly hard situation to appreciate the wisdom and take to heart the encouragement that fills these pages.

I love Terkeurst for the realness and honesty, humor and heart, and overall grace with which she writes. She isn’t afraid to lay it all out and say the hard stuff in her books... so while it isn’t always easy to hear, but is always truth-filled and 100% needed. Whenever I finish one of her books, my highlighter is almost spent because there are so many great nuggets to walk away with, and this one was no exception.

If you’re into Christian non-fiction, this is definitely a book you’ll want to tuck away on your TBR!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the free review copy.

Grab some tissues and join Lysa as she opens up her heart. She lets you in on her struggles with her marriage and health, but with the comfort of God. I was personally so touched by her book and how she is open and just so raw and real. I love that she writes from her personal experiences knowing that she is touching other people's hearts, even through her own heartbreak. I wasn't able to keep a dry eye!

I am so grateful this book exists. Lysa has walked an incredibly difficult road with her family, facing her husband's betrayal, his addiction, and his restoration. Lysa absolutely has stake in this game and I think it only enriches her content. If you'r life looks different than you designed... if God didn't come through the way you thought He would, this book will be balm to your soul.

Brave and brutally honest, this new book deals with "oh crap" moments from a faith perspective. I'll give the author a lot of credit for writing this book as she went through both a relationship crisis and a health scare. The theme of the book is how God uses bitter disappointments to re-mold us and turn us into better people, eventually. I found the book tremendously helpful, both in getting through difficult times and in making sense of past disappointments and heartbreaks.

Progressive Christians may find Terkeurst's language about temptation a bit too conservative for their tastes, but hear her out. Whether you attribute temptation to the devil or not, her points about sinfulness and the slippery slope of giving into temptations are both sound and based in reality.

Highly recommended, especially for those going through a tough time.

Lysa Terkeurst books always seem to speak to me. Lysa has gone through some hard things in her life yet always trust in God. Reading her books help me to learn to trust also. i am so glad I was able to read this book. It was needed in my life right now. I will purchase this book for the library.

I'm going to be honest, I rarely read Christian books and I'm a Christian, but I took a chance on this book and am I ever glad I did. I did not expect this book to affect me like it did. I loved the author's honesty and I found myself relating to almost everything she said. Thank you Lysa for using your pain to encourage others and to let them know that God hasn't forgotten them in their disappointing circumstances. I highly recommend this book. Thanks to Netgalley an publisher for this ARC.

This book is an honest and vulnerable teaching on walking through hurt, disappointment and pain. It is not just trite words that it “will be okay”, but rather how to wrestle through those deep valleys with the Lord. This book came at just the right time for me. It’s words and reminders are truly water for my dry soul.

If you feel like you are going through hell on earth and there is no hope, PLEASE read this book. It is so raw and full of emotion. This book is for anyone who has experienced the total heartbreaking pain of rejection or deep trauma of any kind. Lysa TerKeurst has been there and this book proves it. Reading this book is like having a best friend who has felt the same pain you are going through and holding your hand along the way to recovery. God is the only one who can take all of your brokenness and make you whole. This is a book I will be reading again and again. In my opinion this is the best book she has written. I ordered the hardback when it came out, but the writing was to small for me to read and I found it on NetGalley and requested a copy. A huge thank you to Nelson Books Thomas Nelson via NetGalley for the free copy.. This is my honest opinion and I highly recommend this book.