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Title: "You're Not Enough (and that's okay)" by Allie Beth Stuckey
Series: N/A
Format: Hardcover
Date Published: May 5, 2020
Publisher: Sentinel
Stars: ****
Blurb:
Is your quest to love yourself more actually making you miserable?
We're told that the key to happiness is self-love. Instagram influencers, mommy bloggers, self-help gurus, and even Christian teachers promise that if we learn to love ourselves, we'll be successful, secure, and complete. But the promise doesn't deliver. Instead of feeling fulfilled, our pursuit of self-love traps us in an exhausting as we strive for self-acceptance, we become addicted to self-improvement.
The truth is we can't find satisfaction inside ourselves because we are the problem. We struggle with feelings of inadequacy because we are inadequate. Alone, we are not good enough, smart enough, or beautiful enough. We're not enough--period. And that's okay, because God is.
The answer to our insufficiency and insecurity isn't self-love, but God's love. In Jesus, we're offered a way out of our toxic culture of self-love and into a joyful life of relying on him for wisdom, satisfaction, and purpose. We don't have to wonder what it's all about anymore. This is it.
This book isn't about battling your not-enoughness; it's about embracing it. Allie Beth Stuckey, a Christian, conservative new mom, found herself at the dead end of self-love, and she wants to help you combat the false teachings and self-destructive mindsets that got her there. In this book, she uncovers the myths popularized by our culture of trendy narcissism, reveals where they manifest in politics and the church, and dismantles them with biblical truth and practical wisdom.
We're told that the key to happiness is self-love. Instagram influencers, mommy bloggers, self-help gurus, and even Christian teachers promise that if we learn to love ourselves, we'll be successful, secure, and complete. But the promise doesn't deliver. Instead of feeling fulfilled, our pursuit of self-love traps us in an exhausting as we strive for self-acceptance, we become addicted to self-improvement.
The truth is we can't find satisfaction inside ourselves because we are the problem. We struggle with feelings of inadequacy because we are inadequate. Alone, we are not good enough, smart enough, or beautiful enough. We're not enough--period. And that's okay, because God is.
The answer to our insufficiency and insecurity isn't self-love, but God's love. In Jesus, we're offered a way out of our toxic culture of self-love and into a joyful life of relying on him for wisdom, satisfaction, and purpose. We don't have to wonder what it's all about anymore. This is it.
This book isn't about battling your not-enoughness; it's about embracing it. Allie Beth Stuckey, a Christian, conservative new mom, found herself at the dead end of self-love, and she wants to help you combat the false teachings and self-destructive mindsets that got her there. In this book, she uncovers the myths popularized by our culture of trendy narcissism, reveals where they manifest in politics and the church, and dismantles them with biblical truth and practical wisdom.
My Thoughts:
This book was the February 2025 selection for the Good for the Soul Women's Book Club. It was our first non-fiction book for the Club. This was also a Read-A-Long where we discussed our weekly selections via chat. So much fun!
I had never even heard of Allie Beth Stuckey before reading this, her debut book. I have to say that I agreed with almost everything she wrote and stands for which was a pleasant surprise.
The book is broken into seven sections:
Introduction
Myth #1: You Are Enough
Myth 2: You Determine Your Truth
Myth 3: You're Perfect the Way You Are
Myth #4: You're Entitled to Your Dreams
Myth #5: You Can't Love Others Until You Love Yourself
Conclusion
There were so many "nuggets" that I tabbed and tabbed and tabbed. I had so many favorite quotes that I'm not even going to try to pick and choose but I did particularly enjoy Myth #4 as it really resonated with me.
Allie Beth Stuckey backed her concepts up with Scripture which I loved! The Conclusion was particularly well-written. We don't have to be enough, because God is enough. "He is LORD. The Great I Am. Our Creator, Sustainer, Reconciler, and Hope. He is a King to be worshiped and Leader to be followed. He does not exist for us, but we exist for Him." pg 191
If your interest is the least bit piqued, I suggest that you read this book. You won't be disappointed. I'll definitely be checking out her second book "Toxic Empathy".
Onto the next book :)
