Author: Whitney Capps
Number of Pages: 177
Why did I read it?
I listened to Whitney on Alli Worthington’s Podcast, The Alli Worthington Show, from March 18, 2019. On this podcast she discussed why she wrote this book. She spoke about authenticity and how “virtuous” it is in our culture. She talked about how she was using transparency to gain affirmation from people rather than being transformed by the gospel. This was so interesting to me, because, let’s be honest, our world likes to live in this “hot mess” culture, and we kind of celebrate it. It is either I have to hustle-hustle, or I’m just gonna sit here in my “hot mess-ness”, and we just keep on repeating the same things over and over, rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to change us. She spoke about the words “transparency vs. transformation”. I wanted to understand this more, so I decided to add this book to my collection that I am reading this year.
About the book:
“Does the Gospel actually work?” is a question that Whitney asks. She points out that even saved and forgiven, our flesh is still wrapped around our spirit. She quotes Paul in Romans 7:24, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Paul answers himself in verse 25. The answer is…Jesus. We are trying so hard to fix ourselves without ever turning to Him.
She writes about happiness vs. holiness.
She talks about self-help a lot in this chapter. We are pursuing happiness without Jesus. But when we pick up his yoke and we are pulling with him, that load lightens.
She writes about being set apart.
She points out these four things:
God calls his people to be separate. Separate is hard. Hard is good. God is best.
Ummmmhhhhh……can we discuss how many times I have already talked about this with my kids!?! It is hard enough being an adult, but I remember being a teenager and feeling different because my parents wouldn’t allow me the same freedoms that some of my friends had. I wanted to love God with everything in me, but it hurt to not be able to do all the same things that they did.
She writes about Sanctification.
Oh, that word! It’s a biggy. She points out that God’s chief purpose for us as his children is for us to be more like Jesus. She talks about the process of sanctification. The process. Sometimes, if I’m honest, I don’t want a process that doesn’t give me a finish line (other than death). I want a step by step program. I want a program so that I can quickly get through the process and get to the other side and be sanctified.
She writes about the importance of healthy relationships.
The kind of relationships that allow us to be our authentic selves and also celebrate each other’s wins.
My takeaway:
I took a LOT away from this book. I actually read it twice!
Whitney wrote, “He wants us to give up the burden of control and take up the burden of surrender. He doesn’t liberate us from a yoke; Jesus exchanges the yoke of the law and religion -things we definitely can’t do- for the yoke of His Lordship and a relationship with him -things we were made to do. We are not free to be in control of our lives; we are free to live under his control, trusting His plans, and purposes for our lives.” (Page 25-26)
To me, this is freeing. The thought of this has helped me to recognize areas in my life that I have held onto with a death grip. Fighting for control when control is so obviously just an illusion. I can literally never, ever do enough to keep control of my life, but God can.
She wrote that the definition of holiness is being “set apart or separate”. How in the beginning God wanted his people to be set apart and dedicated to him, but sin came in and broke that set-apart-ness that we were created for. So, now we are called out. He has invited us back into that space through Jesus. Isn’t that amazing. But it is hard. Anyone that we look at in the Bible as faith-filled and amazing had to do hard things. They have had to make sacrifices. Give up securities that made them feel safe. Giving up homes, lands, relationships, finances, etc. But they surrendered to pursue holiness, to pursue God and His will for their lives. I have definitely become more used to being separate and being ok with being weird to some. To being un-relatable to some, but it is hard and it hurts, but it is so, so worth it. No matter what it costs me, holiness is something that I never want to stop pursuing.
And sanctification! Another WOW!! Sanctification is the process and pursuit of holiness. She talks about the process of sanctification being the point. Like, we can’t by-pass it. And yet I want to. Just this week I was speaking to some friends about what it would look like if we all stopped walking around in our insecurities and really, really walked in who God made us to be. Like, all of us, not a single one of us had any more criticisms of each other or ourselves. We weren’t aware of anything but the goodness of God and his presence in each of us and were walking it out boldly and confidently. I was getting more and more excited about this as I talked about it to my friends and ready to ask them if they were ready to do this with me. And then one of them said, “Karlee, you realize that that is Heaven, right?” And my bubble burst a bit. You see, that’s just not going to be our reality on earth. We have to work the process and the process is the plan of God. It is his plan for our lives until we reach Heaven. And then all of our hopes and dreams will become a reality. Until then we have to live with and love each other well as we work out this process of sanctification together. And also live with and love those who have no desire to work the process of sanctification.
So, this is my “Rundown” of the book, “Sick of Me”, by Whitney Capps. This book is one that I will recommend to anyone if you really want to see change in your life! I will leave you with one more quote from the book.
” What if we were the kind of women who felt free to be ourselves and bring God glory no matter the circumstances?”