Book Review: "Fully Alive: Learning to Flourish - Mind, Body and Spirit" by Susie Larson

Dear Friends,

What I particularly liked about Susie Larson's book, "Fully Alive" is that she writes so honestly and openly about the storms she has faced in her own life and how she has, with God's help, come through them. She shares in her introduction how “The storms reveal the lies we believe and the truths we need.” 

In "Fully Alive" she writes that maybe you need an emotional miracle, a physical one, or a relational one, and how this book can give us the help, if we need it, to change our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual mindset. 

I like how each chapter follows the same structure. Each one starts off with personal experience from Susie as she shares about what she has learned herself; ‘Put it into Practice’ in which the reader applies what they have read; Soul Searching in which there are questions for reflection; Spiritual Reset – a time for prayer; Digging Deeper which includes reading some passages of Scripture and more time for reflection. 

The chapters cover issues such as fear, worry, grief, discouragement and selfishness. The chapter, ‘I feel Guilty and Ashamed’ was one which I found really helpful. She wrote about the importance of deliberately interrupting and redirecting your thought life so that it doesn’t go down those same old negative, unhealthy routes. Another chapter that was especially helpful for me was the one on ‘I’m insecure – Jesus, show me how you see me.’ 

There are ten chapters in this book and it is written as a ten-week journey so that the reader can give time to each chapter, working on whatever God may bring to their attention as they read it. Susie has written a book that is easy to read. Easy in the sense that her writing is easy to grasp and understand. However, in another sense, it is not easy reading. If you read this book and ask God to come on the journey with you, it can be painful at times as God draws your attention to an area which needs his healing touch. The reader has to decide whether they will work through this, which will ultimately be for their good, or to ignore the prompting. With God, good can come from the pain, as long as the reader is willing to persevere.

If you do choose to read her book, then you may want to consider sharing with someone close to you who is willing to go on the journey with you. Someone who can encourage and support you on your way. 

"Fully Alive" is available to buy now, including from Eden, Book Depository and Amazon

Vicki