The Way of Belonging

"Sarah Westfall's words in The Way of Belonging are poetic and pierce the heart. She reminds us that true belonging and connection cannot be manufactured, checked off a list, faked, or forced. True belonging and connection emerge from finding home with God and others. Home transcends walls, roofs, and lines; it's the place where unconditional love, acceptance, and worthiness are found."

-Terence Lester, founder of Love Beyond Walls and author of All God's Children

"Maybe you, like me, are homesick for Eden. And maybe your longing to belong is an invitation to a better story, one in which your heartache is honored, your questions are held, and your deepest desires are given space to be spoken. Sarah Westfall's exquisite book reawakened my own heart, opening me to currents streaming within that I'd been ignoring of late. It will thaw your heart too, awakening a hunger and a thirst for the Edenic inheritance of belonging tucked deep within your heart."

-Chuck DeGroat, author of When Narcissism Comes to Church and professor of pastoral care at Western Theological Seminary

"In this kind and relatable debut work, Sarah Westfall offers a spiritually formative resource for anyone who questions their place with people, with God, or with themselves. While reading The Way of Belonging, I found myself nodding my head and sighing with relief. I'm grateful for this honest book."

-Emily P. Freeman, author of The Next Right Thing and How to Walk into a Room

"With tender wisdom, warmth, and depth, Sarah E. Westfall invites us to examine our communal desire for belonging and journey with her into a lifelong practice of welcome. Sarah generously shares her own story and struggle while extending a hand of hope and hard-earned insight. I found my own wrestling alongside the stories she shared and found hope and a way forward for all of us who have wandered and searched for belonging and come up short. The Way of Belonging is a book for our time and for all time—it is a gentle guide and a wise companion."

-Tasha Jun, author of Tell Me the Dream Again

"Belonging can be a fraught concept—both essential as we live into the reality of our belovedness and yet complex for many of us. In The Way of Belonging, Sarah Westfall has masterfully woven together a picture of our need to become our God-given selves while balancing it with the yearning we have to matter in the hearts and lives of others. I'm so grateful for this beautiful book."

-Aundi Kolber, licensed professional counselor and author of Try Softer

"In The Way of Belonging, Sarah Westfall makes room for all of us at the table, no matter who we are or where we come from. With eyes open to the empathy that builds for other people in suffering, we're invited to find our truest sense of belonging in God's love. Instead of working hard to fit in, we can exhale and move in to a fuller version of who we were made to be."

-Sara Billups, author of Orphaned Believers: How a Generation of Christian Exiles Can Find the Way Home and Nervous Systems

"When Sarah Westfall writes, I read. When Sarah speaks, I listen. Offering captivating narrative, scriptural wisdom, and a practical guide, The Way of Belonging will challenge long-held beliefs about belonging and offer a more life-giving approach to relationships as we consider belonging as a welcome we carry with us. Belonging is not something we passively hope for but rather a gift we are empowered to offer others when we absorb the reality of God's wide welcome of us. I feel excited about what might be possible in our hearts, relationships, and communities if we have the courage to practice what is written in this important book."

-Nicole Zasowski, marriage and family therapist and author of What If It's Wonderful?

"The epidemic of loneliness in our country is a real thing, and in her gentle and engaging fashion, Sarah offers the antidote: belonging. While so many in our world are concerned with self-preservation, this book encourages us to see the isolated among us and to extend a hand of love. Her words are a beautiful invitation into a different way of being."

-Shawn Smucker, author of The Day the Angels Fell