This book encaptures what it is that we may live through we are not alone. God is with us in all our struggles. All about keeping our eyes on God, regardless of the circumstances we are currently in. We are not guaranteed a life free of struggle,trials, and hard things. Lisa reminds us to reach out to God instead of shutting down in these hard trials. I loved how Lisa talks about how we must listen to our bodies and surrender to God in those moments. We show up in hard moments only because God guides us. We must have the willingness to let God heal our minds.


I really liked this book and how much it talks about turning to God. The bible verses in this book are spot on and should be our guidance for our lives. Lisa writes from her own truths in a raw and powerful way! Such great wisdom and practical applications to live by. I loved the part about not comparing our ‘hard times’ to others ‘hard times’. To not minimize our own pain ‘pain is pain’ and stop comparing to ourselves or others. Living our pain and accepting that helps us empathize with others. Very accessible to new believers, as encouragement in these hard things we walk through. As well as to those that have walked with Christ many years, great reminders to continue to turn to God.

Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas Nelson Publishing, and Lisa Whittle for this digital copy.

It is as real and raw as she is on her Instagram account and in real life. She holds nothing back and does not hide the Truth. "Our hard places are teaching us invaluable lessons while we are looking for a way to push them away." She starts the book off with a story of her Dad and how he was sick and died. And that is the hard good...just one of the stories that she shares about from her own personal experience, from the stories and experiences of others as well as from the Bible. Lisa shows us that sometimes our circumstances can be hard but they had also be good. It doesn't have to be one or the other. When we choose to sit in one place and ignore the other part of it, we can deny allowing God to do a work in us. If you have been in a space of a challenge with lots of obstacles that may bring you to lessons and times of stretching your faith and growth in your journey, this is the hard good that is happening and The Hard Good is a perfect read for you.

I recommend this book to those seeking to find good in the hard things. And to understand that even the good things have an element of "hard" in them. Well done, Mrs. Whittle. Well done.

Lisa is one of the best when it comes to sharing the realness of life and how to handle the hard good. Her focus is intentional - we finish on the good, but that doesn’t negate that things in life are hard. Encouraging and relentlessly real and matter of fact.

One of the best books I’ve read in a loooooong time. It challenges the idea that once we are Christ followers that everything will be perfect/God will make everything good. In fact, she challenges that myth with both scripture and personal life experiences showing that in fact the hard things in life often (not always) turn out to be the best things in life because “God works all things for the good of those who love him.” A scripture which I believe is often taken out of context horribly. She starts the book off with the AA prayer as an example, learning to control what we can, let go of what we can’t, and the wisdom to know the difference. But beyond that, she really presses in to the tension we humans feel between something being hard and being good, because things can in fact be both. Wow. I took a long time to get through it because somethings needed to be chewed on a processed. But I also highlighted more from it than I have another book in a long time! Well worth the read!

This book.

It never ceases to amaze me how God brings you to read a book at just the right time. Even though I’ve wanted to read this for a while, I wasn’t ready for it before now.

I cried at almost every chapter of this book. Sometimes it was just tearing up and a few tears falling. Other times it was sobs as emotions poured out and just a little more of my heart healed. And sometimes it was the pain saying, “No more. Never again.”

By God’s grace I am healing and this book has helped. I highlighted the heck out of it. So much touched me. It felt like someone sitting beside me, hand on my shoulder, leading me. Teaching me.

If you are waking through pain and are ready to start healing, you should read this book. It’s really hard but really good. And I’m not trying to be punny. That’s the truth.

The Hard Good by Lisa Whittle is a phenomenal book. I had to read this book in a few sittings to really take some time to digest it. The author does not shy away from the hard we experience in this life. Yet she beautifully shows the redemption of our lives in Christ. Her words and her thoughts lead to this realization in such a beautiful, life changing way. I highly recommend this book. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

The Hard Good is such a timely book right now with everything going on. Lisa Whittle shows us that God is using things for good even when we don’t understand. Whittle draws you in with personal stories to illustrate hard things and helps readers learn how to handle them with hope and God. This book was honest, real and challenging in such a good way. This will be your best friend through any difficult season. Thank you to Lisa Whittle for another great book, and NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an advance copy of this book.

3.5 stars rounded up. I read this book at the perfect time. Navigating challenges is often something we wouldn't ask for but it strengthens our faith along the journey. In this book, Lisa details many personal experiences that represent the "hard good" seasons in life. While Lisa's voice was very warm and relatable, some of the writing and stories seemed to be a bit… cheesy. I would have loved to see more scriptural analysis and depth in these pages, but all in all, it was a worthwhile read.

I love this cover (I'm a sucker for gorgeous cover designs) and this is written well....but I don't feel it's remarkable in the genre. I do recommend trying it, though, and seeing if it strikes a chord with you.

The Hard Good
Showing Up for God to Work in You When You Want to Shut Down
by Lisa Whittle
Pub Date 07 Sep 2021
Thomas Nelson--W Publishing, Thomas Nelson
Christian


I am reviewing a copy of The Hard Good through Thomas Nelson—W Publishing and Netgalley:



In The Hard Good you will learn that you can see the good again after hard times.


Lisa Whittle poses the question What does it feel like to come back from something hard, to be able to hope again? it’s inevitable that we are going to face hard things, it’s a part of life. But they don’t have to have the final word. They can become the keys to our greatest usability in the kingdom of God—that is, if we let God make good of them, rather than running away and refusing the growth we truly crave.





if we grow tired of being bossed by our emotions, the hard good can help bring a new way of living with healthy, managed emotions. Where we were once stuck in a place of what if, the transformational process God takes us through provides a compelling shift of perspective to what is. It is the way we not only come back from hard things but also emerge with a richer life.



Lisa Whittle guides us on a powerful path to progress as we learn to:
accept things we wish were different,apologize and forgive first,cheer for someone who gets what we want,open our hearts again when we’ve been hurt,find joy in the waiting,and show up when we want to shut down.


The Hard Good is written for those who desperately want to move forward. The Hard Good gives voice to the hard places we all have lived and Lisa’s clear directions as to where to go next.



I give The Hard Good five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

I really enjoyed The Hard Good. Every chapter felt like it was written just for me, which I’m sure every reader feels the same, and that is a pretty incredible thing for a writer to accomplish. Lisa shares a lot about the death of her father and what lessons she’s learned through going through hard, but good things. Thank you for letting me read it!

As a fan of all things paradoxical, I was captivated by both the title and the concept behind The Hard Good. Lisa Whittle frames her story around her rich and complicated relationship with her father through which she received the gift of a biblical definition of goodness—“centered not on us or our strength or capabilities but on God.” She challenges readers to view the events of our lives through the lens of our ultimate usefulness in his kingdom.

Since hard and good can live side by side, we become empowered to accept the things we wish could be different, we can be honest about the struggles that we’d rather hide, we can accept and extend forgiveness, and we can welcome whatever change God wants to initiate in our story.

Following God through the hard and the good leads us, according to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “along the best and straightest paths to [God] himself.” As we trust for faith to embrace the hard things in life as part of God’s design for good, we discover that our deepest longings often find their way to reality on the road that runs through the hard good.

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.

Scripture tells us that, as believers in Christ, we have the capacity to keep our emotions from ruling our lives—even through the worst of times. But when chaos does hit and we feel "stuck," the question comes: Now, just how exactly am I supposed to do this?" In The Hard Good, Lisa Whittle aims to energize those of us who have set our hearts on going all the way with God, no matter what. She illustrates through Bible truth and experiences from her own life how we can get free from the feelings and thought patterns that have been holding us back. In the process, we learn how to re-engage when everything within us is telling us not to. To re-commit to making godly choices so we can become the kind of women through whom God can accomplish great things for the kingdom. What I've found here is help for letting go of long-held desires and goals that have nothing to do with the true and good life God has for me, and would have taken me far away from it. The Hard Good can help you, too, to respond to life's difficulties in a way that will bring you closer to God and to the kind of satisfaction that endures.

The Hard Good is written in a way that draws you in and keeps you captivated till the very end. Lisa Whittle uses many personal stories to illustrate that we all go through hard things and helps the reader learn how to handle them with hope using a sound biblical approach. This book is for everyone who is looking for help getting through a difficult period in your life. I am looking forward to The Hard Good Bible Study which will be coming out soon. Thank you Lisa for another well written book.

Such a great book. Real, honest, hard and so worth taking the time to read. I appreciate the author covering this topic in the times we are in right now. What a necessary read right now.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

“We are profoundly changed when we don’t let the hard harden us but become goldened by its fire.”

I read Lisa Whittle’s last book, Jesus Over Everything, at a time in my life when I really needed its message, and The Hard Good has impacted me in much the same way. In her newest book, Lisa shares the redemptive message that hard can be good, because God uses the hard things in our lives to shape our character and make us more like Him. The Hard Good shows us how the way we respond to the hard in our lives determines our usability in the kingdom of God. He wants to use those things to make us more effective, if we will let Him. She explains how being used by God actually brings the most fulfillment in life, and the way we become usable to Him is by allowing Him to shape and change us with hard things.

This book is incredibly practical, relevant, and relatable, covering topics like waiting, celebrating when someone else gets what you want, opening your heart after loss and hurt, and more. My favorite chapter was the one on acceptance; it was so encouraging to me to realize there is freedom to be found in accepting the life God has given me. Even when things don't turn out how I expected or wanted, I can move forward into the life God has for me instead of always fighting for change or wishing to go back to the way things were. This is a book for the keeper shelf and one I will read again - I highly recommend it!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher as part of the launch team. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am so appreciative to be given the chance to read this ARC of The Hard Good! I feel like this is a very timely read especially with the way things are in the world right now. Lisa really shows us that God using things for good even when we don't understand. This will lift your soul and really help guide you through any difficult season.

In The Hard Good, Lisa Whittle takes us on a journey of redefinition. The title says it all! Each chapter takes a hard AND good look at aspects we all face at some point in life. As a grieving mom, I found chapter six especially meaningful. Grief is hard, especially when it is for your child, AND good can come from that pain. Lisa's quote, "Grief is like a fingerprint, uniquely yours," really speaks to my heart. This book is filled with personal stories, testimonies and timely connections to the teachings of the Bible. Lisa provides unique insight into practical steps that identify, acknowledge, and can be used to move forward in ways that honor God, others and self in the journey of usability for life on earth.

Lisa Whittle, the author of several Christian devotional books, has now authored "The Hard Good: Why Every Struggle Matters More Than You Know." In this book, Whittle shares her own story of her father's passing and the grief that now follows her around. Thanks to her transparency and summarizing of Biblical principles, Whittles explains how we can use the hard things in our life to strengthen our faith and bring us closer to the Lord. I would recommend this book to anyone who is going through a hard time and doesn't quite know what God is doing.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.