On Being a 'Good Girl': A From Good To Grace Book Review #FCBlogger

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are 100% my own.

If you asked those around me to place me into the stereotype that fits me best, many would likely answer, 'The Good Girl'.

And it's true, for as long as I can remember, I've always tried to be good. I always did my homework, followed the rules, colored within the lines. I wanted to please others, and doing so made me feel good about myself. This continued on as I grew older. While many teens rebel- sneaking out, partying, etc... I continued to walk the straight and narrow. I put my focus on where I thought it should be- doing good in school, being a good friend, being a good Christian. After starting my life on my own, I continued to strive to be good- a good wife, a good mother, a good grown up.

I made these mental checklists in my head on what being good meant in each of those roles. 

• Being a good student meant always having my work done on time, getting good grades, participating in activities, doing extra credit.
• Being a good wife meant always saying the right things, preparing great dinners every night, looking my best, being the perfect Stepford wife.
• Being a good mom meant following the parenting rules, making sure my kids looked nice when we went out (and behaved well too!), keeping fun activities going, being super fun and super creative all the time.
• Being a good grown up meant that I would have it together all the time- bills would be paid on time, house would be clean always and I'd never feel like I was losing control.
• Being a good Christian meant going to church each Sunday, participating in whatever activities I could, reading my Bible regularly and listening to Christian music all the time.

One by one, I would mentally check off each line. And when it was done, I felt accomplished! Whew! I'd done it, I must be pleasing everyone around me- myself included. But when I fell short- as I so often have- I felt disappointed. I felt like I was failing as a wife, mom, Christian...that I would never be good enough to please those who mattered most to me.

Still, God WANTS us to be good, right? Being good = going to heaven... right?
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.- Ephesians 2:8-9

Wait a minute... this verse (and others) tell us just the opposite...it is not how good we are, grace is simply given. Wow. So, why are we striving so hard to be so good at each and every aspect of our lives? If it is not for God, then who is it for? And how do we get over this human obsession with goodness and truly start living by grace? In 'From Good to Grace', writer Christine Hoover, a self proclaimed goodness addict looks into just that:

Many women feel as if they do not do enough and are not enough. They're always trying hard to be good: a good friend, mom, wife, Christian, employee, or ministry leader, hoping for that "atta-girl" from God. 

With compelling illustrations from her own life, Christine Hoover leads readers to the understanding that they're living by a lesser gospel, the gospel of goodness, one without Christ's grace. 

Relying on Scripture, they can start asking, "What does God want "for" me?" before asking, "What does God want "from" me?" Women will breathe a sigh of relief at this powerful message of freedom and hope. Rather than serving God out of obligation or duty, they'll be compelled to love and serve God with great joy.

If you're a goodness addict like myself, this is a must read. You see, there's nothing WRONG with being good... if the motivations are right. Let's take being a good Christian for example. Reading your Bible, saying daily prayers...these are GREAT things... but when we're doing them, what is the motivation? Are we doing it in an effort to grow our relationship with God? Or are we doing it an effort to prove-to ourselves or others- that we are in fact a good Christian and we feel that this is what a good Christian should do? The first is great...the second will only lead to disappointment. That's the problem with this man made goodness gospel- it's impossible to live up to and will only leave us feeling like we are not good enough. Because 'goodness' means something different to every person. To some- being a good Christian means very strict guidelines like wearing skirts only for females, no dancing or Christian rock music... others see no problem with rocking out in your jeans, dancing around your living room. Who is truly to say which idea of goodness is the correct one? These are not things that God asks of us. He only wants us to be faithful, to receive grace.

From Good to Grace helps us to take a look at our lives and find ways that we too can let go of the Goodness Gospel and truly start living the gospel in our day to day lives that God has intended... a gospel where it not what we do on the outside, but where are hearts are on the inside. Truly, a must read for Christian women everywhere...read it and take this message to heart.

From Good to Grace is available to purchase now at Family Christian stores.

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