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The Hidden Life: Awakened
When Betty Skinner was 42, her doctor told her, "You have a hole in your soul." In the 50 years that followed, Betty, now in her 90s, clinging only to her faith and a glimmer of hope, journeyed from desperate clinical depression to wholeness and profound wisdom well before anti-depressants and mindfulness were mainstream.
Emerging science now affirms that the organic path Betty traveled has the power to heal the broken body, mind, and spirit. With utter vulnerability and the beautiful view of hindsight, she reaches back with joy to offer her spiritual friendship and powerful encouragement to those of us still struggling on our own journey to the higher places.
Excerpt "Hope, for many years of my spiritual journey, was overshadowed by faith and love. Love's relentless wooing had won me with its unspeakable beauty, mystery, and grace. Faith became the 'yes' within me on which I slowly began to stake my whole life, while hope remained invisible and elusive. Faith and love built my self-confidence until I broke inside, then faith began to fade and love dimmed.
It was in my despair that I met hope. It had been resting in the shadows between faith and love. It was in the suffering, wounded, and broken places of my life that hope began to come out of the shadows and bring me to wholeness. It was in the emptiness and stillness between faith and love, in the hollow of a heart carved out by despair, that hope took hold. What I realized on that unforgettable day was that hope had always lingered in the shadows of my darkest times. What awakened within me was that precisely when faith crumbles and love dims, hope begins."
Emerging science now affirms that the organic path Betty traveled has the power to heal the broken body, mind, and spirit. With utter vulnerability and the beautiful view of hindsight, she reaches back with joy to offer her spiritual friendship and powerful encouragement to those of us still struggling on our own journey to the higher places.
Excerpt "Hope, for many years of my spiritual journey, was overshadowed by faith and love. Love's relentless wooing had won me with its unspeakable beauty, mystery, and grace. Faith became the 'yes' within me on which I slowly began to stake my whole life, while hope remained invisible and elusive. Faith and love built my self-confidence until I broke inside, then faith began to fade and love dimmed.
It was in my despair that I met hope. It had been resting in the shadows between faith and love. It was in the suffering, wounded, and broken places of my life that hope began to come out of the shadows and bring me to wholeness. It was in the emptiness and stillness between faith and love, in the hollow of a heart carved out by despair, that hope took hold. What I realized on that unforgettable day was that hope had always lingered in the shadows of my darkest times. What awakened within me was that precisely when faith crumbles and love dims, hope begins."
- GenresSelf HelpNonfiction
240 pages, Paperback
Published November 24, 2016
27 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Kitty Crenshaw
2 books1 followerKitty Crenshaw coauthored THE HIDDEN LIFE AWAKENED with Dr. Cathy Snapp, Director of Behavioral Studies at UGA. Find out all about us and our wonderful book at thehiddenlifeawakened.com
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 4, 2017
This book has made me remember that there is order in our "chaos" but it requires "conscious discipline"
If our creative senses are to be awakened at all we have to shut out those noisy, self recriminating voices that constantly challenge us to analyze and make sense out all of society's demands ...the voices that compete with any known self- preserving instincts that are buried underneath so many layers of defeat.
Our creator does invites our dependence and we confuse that with neediness. He alone can help us throw off all the negative and life draining thoughts that crowd out the good.
This is one person's journey from darkness to light.
If our creative senses are to be awakened at all we have to shut out those noisy, self recriminating voices that constantly challenge us to analyze and make sense out all of society's demands ...the voices that compete with any known self- preserving instincts that are buried underneath so many layers of defeat.
Our creator does invites our dependence and we confuse that with neediness. He alone can help us throw off all the negative and life draining thoughts that crowd out the good.
This is one person's journey from darkness to light.
May 5, 2024
Every Christian woman should read this.
May 17, 2019
A moving story not only of the life of Betty Skinner, but a guide to finding a true relationship with God. Betty had to reach a mental rock bottom place, where she had a “mental breakdown” to come to the place where she could learn to listen to God’s voice speaking to her.
A beautiful story of the amazing spiritual journey we should all be striving for.
A beautiful story of the amazing spiritual journey we should all be striving for.
January 4, 2022
One of the most touching books I have read. It has been very influential in my life! Highly recommend.
January 18, 2024
At the age of 42, Betty Walthour Skinner (BWS) is told she has a hole in her soul, which is how her doctor announces her diagnosis of depression. She is able to heal from the illness and mentor Christian women in a life of solitude and deep intimacy with God, including the two authors.
The authors tell us who BWS is, her background and beginnings, and then her struggles, followed by her healing. After every narrative chapter, we read Betty's own words and then another short chapter by the authors, followed by a poem from Betty.
My main problem with the book is that I found Betty's story very vague. The authors tell her story in very sparse words. Without giving spoilers, I found myself struggling to paint a picture of her life and all the struggles that are mentioned in wispy sketches instead of bold strokes.
In my opinion, the book fell short as a biography. I didn't find her contemplations very relatable either since a. I am no introvert in need to constant solitude, b. I do not live in nature and the necessities of life will not allow me to go off mountain hiking to commune with God, c. I do not have depression or even tendencies.
There were parts of it that I found useful though. It was not an absolute waste of my time but one of those moments when I have to agree that every book isn't for every reader.
I'm glad many people enjoyed the book deeply.
The authors tell us who BWS is, her background and beginnings, and then her struggles, followed by her healing. After every narrative chapter, we read Betty's own words and then another short chapter by the authors, followed by a poem from Betty.
My main problem with the book is that I found Betty's story very vague. The authors tell her story in very sparse words. Without giving spoilers, I found myself struggling to paint a picture of her life and all the struggles that are mentioned in wispy sketches instead of bold strokes.
In my opinion, the book fell short as a biography. I didn't find her contemplations very relatable either since a. I am no introvert in need to constant solitude, b. I do not live in nature and the necessities of life will not allow me to go off mountain hiking to commune with God, c. I do not have depression or even tendencies.
There were parts of it that I found useful though. It was not an absolute waste of my time but one of those moments when I have to agree that every book isn't for every reader.
I'm glad many people enjoyed the book deeply.
December 13, 2025
Oh, the sass.
A supreme example of an exalted topic, infused with the Holy Ghost, but submerged in explanatory language that bars the Gates to Heaven.
Betty's story is heart-breaking and recognizable, yet I found myself in pain over the luxury she had at her disposal in overcoming her obstacles, which was never highlighted within the narrative. Her path to God was found through her historical conditions, but the authors never acknowledged this conditional aspect of finding grace.
It makes me feel bereaved: for I feel like I will never achieve such space and time for nature-connection, or luxury trips and the ease of moving to the mountains. Nature and housing are scarce today; but for Betty they were not. She could withdraw into the woods, ever supported by her husband.
Had the authors written the story like a story rather than a summary it might have resonated more, but now we have a 'meta-telling' that explains but never reveals, like Tolkien's stories do.
It's like a hereditary king preaching at his subjects, urging them to change and be more like him.
A supreme example of an exalted topic, infused with the Holy Ghost, but submerged in explanatory language that bars the Gates to Heaven.
Betty's story is heart-breaking and recognizable, yet I found myself in pain over the luxury she had at her disposal in overcoming her obstacles, which was never highlighted within the narrative. Her path to God was found through her historical conditions, but the authors never acknowledged this conditional aspect of finding grace.
It makes me feel bereaved: for I feel like I will never achieve such space and time for nature-connection, or luxury trips and the ease of moving to the mountains. Nature and housing are scarce today; but for Betty they were not. She could withdraw into the woods, ever supported by her husband.
Had the authors written the story like a story rather than a summary it might have resonated more, but now we have a 'meta-telling' that explains but never reveals, like Tolkien's stories do.
It's like a hereditary king preaching at his subjects, urging them to change and be more like him.
July 13, 2018
So Deeply Moving
So deeply moving in the sense of walking and moving with Betty while also deeply moving in the sense of being in a new place of really yearning to be in another new place free from bitterness and other negative attachments. Gratitude to the authors for the gentle shifting and sifting.
So deeply moving in the sense of walking and moving with Betty while also deeply moving in the sense of being in a new place of really yearning to be in another new place free from bitterness and other negative attachments. Gratitude to the authors for the gentle shifting and sifting.
September 30, 2018
At times, I really liked this, and at times, it was just okay. If you've battled depression and/or never really considered how to find God in nature, then I'd suggest this book. If you feel that you already appreciate nature and the spiritual connection to God that can be find there, you may not find a great deal that is new to you in this book.
February 16, 2025
Beautiful!! Highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews