Shining Freely
Overcome Your Past and Set Your Purpose Free
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
A Whole New View
On the coast of California near Fort Bragg sits a rare beauty known as Glass Beach. The tens of thousands of tourists that flock to this beach each year must find it hard to believe it was once called “The Dumps.” How does something transform from a dumping ground for everyone’s trash and toss aside broken things to a sparkling marvel of beauty? My guess is some things must come crashing down in order to create the opportunity for a new view. Over the years the pounding of the waves refined the broken glass and pottery into jewelry like quality. With each crash of the waves, more and more transformation began to show. It took years for the broken debris to become what it is today, but the process of breaking down the jagged exterior and being sanded by the rough ocean bottom is what led to it becoming the treasure tourists now drive hours to see.
Your start in life may have felt much like this dumping ground. Where your early relationships poured into you an image of yourself that made you feel worthless and useless, you then formed a sharp exterior to keep others at a distance. But when we allow God into our messiest places, the places that are jagged and broken, he can smooth our edges and turn us into something we were intended to be all along! We must first, however, submit to the process. The process of allowing the negative perceptions of ourselves to come crashing down and sanding off our protective barriers. Without it we remain a dumping ground consumed by the hurtful words others have spoken.
Maybe you’re asking where do I even begin? You begin back at the beginning. You ask the One who created you and knows you by your true name how he sees you. Those broken bottles and pottery pieces discarded along the shores of Glass Beach were originally formed and created with a purpose. Others disregarded that purpose and even shattered the structure so much so that their original identity was unrecognizable. What you came to believe about yourself because of your pain and experiences has shattered your heart and the ability to recognize the original purpose God designed you for. We have to go back to the One who designed us in the first place and understand how he sees us. Then as he transforms piece by piece, we can start to see ourselves differently and walk out our true identity!
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
“The day we stop hiding is the day we start healing.”
Running freely after the dreams God has fashioned in our hearts only happens when we learn to face and let go of the things that are holding us back. We all have our reasons for turning off the light within. Past pain, shameful experiences, hurtful words, and disappointment, make us long for certainty and safety. The problem is the protective strategies we create in the dark, won’t work in the light. Bringing together personal experience, years of clinical practice, and God’s Word, Josie guides readers in discovering the limiting mindsets and protective strategies that keep our hearts far from healing and our lights hidden.
Healing starts with awareness. What we aren’t aware of we simply cannot heal, and we end up living imprisoned by our own minds. By identifying and exposing the limiting mindsets holding us back, we can begin to rebuild our lives on the truth of how God sees us. Shining Freely gracefully leads us on this journey of self-discovery so that our hearts become free to shine for Christ. Topics include:
Identifying Key Hinderances to Healing
Self-discovery
Emotional Awareness
Healing Invisible Scars
Habits That Promote Change
Discovering the Light Within
Hearing God’s Heart
A special chapter is devoted to the healing power of rest. All freedom begins with rest and learning to allow, God, the greatest dance partner of all, to lead the way!
About the Author
Josie is a speaker, author, and professional clinical counselor who has spent the majority of her career helping others find both freedom from their painful past and a renewed sense of purpose. In her work with people who have felt broken, damaged, and not enough, she has witnessed their struggle to hope again, and it has molded her passion to become an outspoken voice for those who are held back by their past. Her message of healing is driven by the desire to see others set free to share their unique God-designed light with the world! After many hard lessons, it became obvious to Josie that no program can surpass an encounter with God. True healing comes when God’s heart and perspective intersect with our broken places. This realization lead Josie and her husband, Nathan, to create Shine Healing Ministries and Selah Ranch. Their goal is to see women, families, and ministry leaders reset, restored, and empowered to shine their light in this world!
Josie is a wife, a momma to two girls, and a Buckeye (O-H-I-O) through and through! She loves her quiet time, country air, and all furry creatures – great and small!