One Choice Away From Change by Justin and Trisha Davis Book Review

About the Book:

Through biblical examples and illustrations from their own redemptive story, Justin and Trisha Davis help readers identify unhealthy relational patterns that keep them from experiencing the joy and freedom God has for them.
 
Relationships can feel like a constant struggle. How can we recognize and overcome behaviors that leave us wounded, broken, and exhausted? One Choice Away from Change helps us identify dysfunctional life patterns that cause us to repeat the same mistakes in relationships, fall into the same bad habits at work, or argue about the same things with those we love. Drawing on their own story of healing, Justin and Trisha Davis offer practical encouragement for:
 

• Understanding the choices we make that can sabotage us
• Not letting the past dictate the present
• Leaving behind our go-to sins and dysfunctions
• Moving forward in the hope of who God calls us to be

 
You aren’t as stuck as you think you are. In fact, you are just one decision away from breaking the cycles that keep you living in fear and shame. Experience the power of God’s grace … one choice at a time.

My Review:

Choices are hard. Even the biblical writer Paul struggled with making right choices. But choices become patterns and those patterns can be changed only by making different choices. The authors do a good job of identifying destructive cycles of behavior and the choices one must make that will lead to freedom. Rather than focusing on the behavior (do not get drunk) they concentrate of why we choose the behavior to start with.

I appreciate their teaching about why we make the choices we do. They explore the basic needs we have as well as past influences on present behavior. We may need to review our past and confront events or things said to us at that time. They include particular teaching on five common issues. I really liked their section on shame, how it differs from guilt and how it gets put on us.

The title of the book may be a bit of a misnomer. While the authors do write, “Choosing to surrender is the one choice that will change everything,” (39) they also remind readers there is no “once-and-done choice that lasts a lifetime.” (115) Breaking cycles is a continuous process and we must repeatedly choose. (115) “Change happens one choice at a time.” (222)

This is a good book for Christians who want to change a cycle of behavior and need to know how to start by making choices.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Authors:

Justin and Trisha Davis are pastors, speakers, and the founders of RefineUs Ministries. They coauthored Beyond Ordinary: When a Good Marriage Just Isn’t Good Enough, and Justin’s book Being Real > Being Perfect: How Transparency Leads to Transformation is a USA Today bestseller. Justin and Trisha have five kids and live in Indianapolis.

David C Cook, 240 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)