My first introduction to Whitney Capps’ new book “Sick of Me: From Transparency to Transformation” came when I heard her being interviewed on Alli Worthington’s podcast. From that moment, I knew I needed to read it! So, you can imagine my excitement when the opportunity arose to receive a complimentary review copy of this book!
I love this book for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the timeliness of its message. We are living in a culture wherein it is increasingly popular – whether in secular circles or Christian! – to turn to self-help and motivational speakers for the answers, help, advice, and wisdom we seek. This is to be expected in the world, where folks don’t believe in the absolute authority of God’s Word, but it’s shameful when it happens in Christian circles. It’s time we wake up to the detrimental nature of the self-help movement, and “Sick of Me” is a fantastic tool to help us do just that!
There are two main themes woven throughout this book, each very important. I would call them “Sanctification vs. Self-Help” and “Transformation vs. Transparency”.
First, Whitney expertly, candidly, and boldly shows us the unBiblical nature of the self-help movement and the many ways in which it is hindering our true growth in Christ. Far from producing lasting change as only God’s sanctification of us can, the self-help movement is exhausting us more as we believe the lies that we have to hustle, be the hero of our own story, take control of our lives, make our dreams come true, and be the best version of ourselves. I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty overwhelming and stressful to me! I don’t want the whole of my world to be on my shoulders, amen?
Second, Whitney points out a new trend happening on social media right now. We have all become so fed up with the perfectly curated highlight reels of people’s Instagram feeds (and rightfully so!) that we have – per the unfortunate norm – swung in the far opposite direction where we emphasize being transparent about how stressed and overwhelmed we are, how we just can’t get our acts together, how we haven’t showered in a week, haven’t had a clean house since the kids came along, and haven’t had a moment to ourselves in a month. It’s not that these things may not, in fact, be true for some people. Life is hard sometimes, after all. And it’s good to be real, open, honest, and vulnerable. But the problem comes when we remain in our slough of despond, as it were (any Pilgrim’s Progress fans out there? 😉 ), become complacent, lazy, and happy in our struggles, and lash out at anyone who seeks to help us up out of them. This is why transparency is important, yes, but it is ultimately transformation more and more into the image of Christ that we should be after.
For all these reasons and more, I am so grateful to Whitney for penning these words. I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of Sick of Me and begin to equip yourself to battle some of the lies found in today’s self-help movement. You will be glad you did!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
