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Struggling to Be Holy
Struggling to be Holy takes an honest look at the challenge of living out the Christian faith day-by-day. In a series of short reflections on themes such as 'desire', 'success and failure' and friendship' Judy Hirst uncovers the threads of a holiness which is rooted in our everyday experience.
- GenresReligion
136 pages, Paperback
First published June 26, 2006
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August 8, 2014Before Christmas I heard of a new book club, a spiritual one. Always on the look out for something new to try I decided to look them up and see what book they would be reading for this month and give it a go. The book club itself is this weekend and I’m looking forward to it.
Judy Hirst is an Anglican curate and trained counselor in Durham and this small book is really how to cope with some of the issues modern life brings. As a curate these issues can be resolved through prayer and a belief in God which is the bit I originally thought would be a bit off putting but I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it is for a non-Christian to take that part out of the equation and still get a lot from this book.
One part that stood out in the first Chapter was the ability of people to avoid saying just how bad things are for them sometimes, They don’t God to see them as “messy” and that God would only want to hear the good stuff. Isn’t the case in everyday life regardless of religion. I know in my worst depressive days I would often over use the phrase “I’m fine” when in fact I would be close to breaking point. I was convinced (and still am sometimes) that people wouldn’t want to know how bad I was as it wasn’t fun. Even this autumn during a horrific work and money mess I chose not to mention these things when people asked how I was. Who wants to know about my problems?? Well for me, my family and friends, for a Christian according to Judy the answer would be God.
Another good chapter is around forgiveness and moving on. This was quite resonant with me having just read Feel the Fear and do it Anyway as it covers the same issue but comes at it from a different angle. The advice is still the same. We have to learn to forgive ourselves, then forgive others before we can move forward and progress. And for anyone not wishing to help then you have to let those people go.
All in all I think different people will get different things from it but I’m pretty sure all those things will be positive ones
Judy Hirst is an Anglican curate and trained counselor in Durham and this small book is really how to cope with some of the issues modern life brings. As a curate these issues can be resolved through prayer and a belief in God which is the bit I originally thought would be a bit off putting but I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it is for a non-Christian to take that part out of the equation and still get a lot from this book.
One part that stood out in the first Chapter was the ability of people to avoid saying just how bad things are for them sometimes, They don’t God to see them as “messy” and that God would only want to hear the good stuff. Isn’t the case in everyday life regardless of religion. I know in my worst depressive days I would often over use the phrase “I’m fine” when in fact I would be close to breaking point. I was convinced (and still am sometimes) that people wouldn’t want to know how bad I was as it wasn’t fun. Even this autumn during a horrific work and money mess I chose not to mention these things when people asked how I was. Who wants to know about my problems?? Well for me, my family and friends, for a Christian according to Judy the answer would be God.
Another good chapter is around forgiveness and moving on. This was quite resonant with me having just read Feel the Fear and do it Anyway as it covers the same issue but comes at it from a different angle. The advice is still the same. We have to learn to forgive ourselves, then forgive others before we can move forward and progress. And for anyone not wishing to help then you have to let those people go.
All in all I think different people will get different things from it but I’m pretty sure all those things will be positive ones
September 17, 2011
This is an honest, wise and compassionate book about the struggle to live lives of faithful discipleship. Drawing on her own experience as a teacher, counsellor and priest, as well as on literature and the Christian tradition, Judy Hirst gives a compelling and challenging account of the joys and struggles of the Christian life, which always keeps as its focus the love and wonder of God. An excellent book for anyone who wants companionship on the journey; it would work very well for home groups/study groups.
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