Thursday, March 20, 2014

Why Your Weirdness Is Wonderful by Laurie Wallin

If you're like me, you've got some quirky personality traits. You probably think you should try to get rid of them, at least hide them. But Wallin asks, “What if the weirdest, most annoying things about you exist on purpose – for a purpose – to bring life, joy, strength, and healing to this world?”

You mean God designed me with these quirks to reveal Him to the world in a way only I can? You mean God will actually use my quirks and show His strength through them?

The answer is yes! Wallin helps us discover our strengths and see the worth of those quirky parts of us. She also helps us love those weirdos around us. She addresses the traits we may have taken on, perhaps as a result of pain. Those are false quirks and she helps us break through them. She looks at Jesus' quirks and people from history who put their quirks to good use. She helps us make use of criticism. She identifies the difference between quirks and weaknesses and much, much more.

This is a very personal book. Wallin tells lots of stories on herself. That helped me understand that even a life coach like her needs to identify her quirks and then work through the process of understanding how God will show His strength in them. She has also included lots of questions, providing a means for us to discover our quirks. Then she gives us the tools to begin to live those strengths in confidence.

I like this book. It really helped me understand why I have the quirky traits I do and how to use them for God's glory. This book has also helped me appreciate the quirks in others. I am learning that, rather than be irritated, I want to embrace their weirdness and watch how God is using it. If you want to understand your weirdness and be more loving toward your weird friends, read this book.

Laurie Wallin is a certified life coach, a former science researcher and teacher, a wife and mother of four (two with special needs). She writes weekly at www.lauriewallin.com and monthly at Not Alone (http://specialneedsparenting.net). You can find her on Facebook at LivingPowerLifeCoaching and you can subscribe to her newsletter at http://eepurl.com/dovsd. She and her family live in southern California.

Abingdon Press, 208 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review. 

No comments: