Title: Dreaming with God: A Bold Call to Step Out and Follow God’s Lead by Sarah Beth Marr

Pages: 203

Genres: Christian, Non-Fiction, Motivational

Published by: Baker Books (Feb. 6, 2018)

Summary

The world tells us that the way to make all our dreams come true is to set our own course and strive every day. But when it’s all on us, we end up feeling exhausted, frustrated, and, disappointed when things don’t turn out as we’d hoped. Have you ever wondered if there was a better way?

There is. God knows the desires of our hearts–he put them there. And he calls us to trust, to lean on him, and sometimes . . . to wait. Weaving together her unique perspective as a professional ballerina with profound truths drawn from Scripture and the life of faith, Sarah Beth Marr reminds us that we are not dreaming alone. If God has given us a dream, we can be sure that he will come alongside us as we work toward realizing it. Using her own story as a catalyst, Marr encourages women to surrender their plans to God, to stay in tempo with his Spirit, and to step into a deeper relationship with Christ. When they do, she says, they will be able to move confidently into the future, knowing that their dreams and God’s desires are aligned in perfect harmony.

What I Thought

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  A huge thank you to Baker Books and Sarah Beth Marr!*

I’ve followed Sarah Beth Marr on Instagram for years now.  From her beautiful dancing, to her meaningful devotionals on her blog, I’ve really adored her, and have loved watching her grow through her writing journey.  When she first announced that she was releasing a book, I just knew I had to read it!

One of the things I really liked about Dreaming with God was the writing style.  It wasn’t simple, but it wasn’t over-the-top elaborate, either.  It was very conversational and relatable.  I felt like Sarah Beth was right there, talking to me and sharing her heart, while I was reading this book, and I really appreciated that.

Another thing I loved was how much emphasis was placed on that fact that we are all unique, and our dreams and desires are important.  Our interests, our hopes, every little detail about is is important, even the ones that seem silly or unnecessary.  I really loved this quote and all that it encompassed:

“All the little things that seem insgnificant – even pointless – are God’s touch of creativity in each of us.”

~ pg. 28

Something else that I really appreciated in this book was the reminder that sometimes our dreams are going to change – whether we want them to or not – and that’s okay.  Dreaming with God definitely encourages us to dream and work hard for those dreams, but it also recognizes the fact that some of our dreams may not come true the way we would have initially hoped for, and that’s okay.  I I found it really helpful reading about Sarah Beth’s experiences with disappointment and how she had to change and adapt her dreams when it came to writing and dancing.

Also, despite the fact that our dreams may have to change, I love how she emphasized that we don’t have to wait to be happy.  We need to stop saying “once I get this…” or “after this happens…then I’ll be happy.” I love how this book focuses on celebrating the now!  We need to value our place in this world and where we are at in this stage of life.  Not only will that make it even sweeter to look back on once our dreams have come true, but it also helps us in the waiting, and the in between periods of our dreams.

One last thing I want to talk about this book, is the dance metaphors.  As a dancer, I absolutely loved them!  They were great for visualizing, and I found them so relatable.  That being said, even if you aren’t a dancer, the author does a great job at explaining things through, and a glossary of dance terms is included in the back, which was such a nice touch. I think it is going to be so helpful for the non-dancers who read this book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.  It’s very encouraging, inspiring, and filled with Scripture!  I think Dreaming with God is really going to appeal to dancers, but honestly, I think anyone looking for some help and encouragement with their dreams is going to love this book!

Dreaming with God releases THIS Tuesday, February 6th!  Click here to pre-order now!

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