Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely – The Perfect Christian Galentine's Day Gift

Nearly every woman has, or will, experience loneliness and rejection at some point in her life, be it from a relationship, friendship, career, school, etc. Sadly, it's a fact of life and it's an area where many of us have a hard time because we seek answers and sometimes we don't get them. I've had my fair share of loneliness and rejection and, a few years ago, I experienced a devastating end to a friendship. I had no idea why and kept going over and over it in my head, trying to get answers even though my husband kept telling me that I needed to let her go and move on. The thing is, I didn't know how to move on. It seems a lot easier said than done. Over the last several months, I've purchased some Christian inspiration books and Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst showed up as a recommended purchase. I knew nothing about it but had heard of the author from when I listened to K-LOVE. I was unsure if I wanted to buy this book but I saw it in a local store, paged through it, and liked what I saw so I came home and ordered it right away. Uninvited is a Christian-based book meant to help women feel loved when they experience loneliness and rejection. It is divided into 16 chapters which include anecdotes from Lysa TerKeurst's life from when she, or someone close to her, felt rejected or unloved. In each chapter she talks about how she handled the situation, be it positive or negative. She references stories and verses from the Bible and applies them to her thinking about how to handle each issue. She also uses her life experiences to enhance her discussions. In addition to the 16 chapters, there is a bonus chapter, Assessment and Corrective Experience Chart (both of which can be printed from the book's website as well), a section on the Scriptures she uses which are organized by chapter, along with main points and ideas she would like us to remember, which are also organized by chapter. When I set out to read this book, I figured I would read it within a couple days like I usually do. However, after I finished the first couple of chapters on that first day, I realized there is a lot to process in each chapter. A good portion of the book encourages some deep, self-reflection and, for me at least, to read it in a couple days wouldn't have been beneficial. I ended up reading a couple chapters each day and spent some time afterwards thinking about what I'd read so this book took me about a week to read. I enjoyed Lysa TerKeurst's wit and the way she drew me into her writing. I wouldn't say this is a funny ha-ha book and it doesn't necessarily make light on the topics of loneliness and rejection; rather, her personality and writing caused me to snicker once in awhile and that made her that much more relatable. I was actually able to put myself in her shoes more than once and look at the situations in a different, and more positive, light. If you are considering purchasing this book, please don't buy it thinking it will have all of the answers to your questions and problems. It doesn't say in order to feel loved after this type of situation, you need to do this, and bam, it's fixed. Uninvited is a book that requires some reflection and self-analysis as well as some time to process the readings. Even after spending a week with this book, I still don't feel like I've fully utilized all of the wonderful ideas and thoughts included in this book so I'm glad I purchased it so I can read it several more times. I ended up purchasing the paperback copy and the one thing I wish I would've done from the start is to use my journal while I read it so I could write down some important thoughts and Bible verses that stuck out to me. During my college career, I discovered the most effective way I learn is to write something down and that would've benefited me greatly to do that with this book. If you purchase the Kindle edition, you could either highlight and make some notes on your Kindle or use a journal and if you purchase the paperback copy, you may want to journal as well. There are important thoughts to remember noted in the back of the book but I prefer to write them down separately and, if you are the same way, I'd recommend grabbing a journal while reading this. I cannot tell you how grateful and happy I am to have discovered this book. I loved the way Lysa TerKeurst writes and she inserts Bible verses and God to support her points. Obviously I'm not fully healed from some of the pain and rejection I've experienced but this book has helped to start the healing process and encouraged me to open my eyes and see that sometimes those bad experiences can be blessings in disguise. The next time I read this, and it will be soon, I will be grabbing my journal because, for me, that will more effectively help me process some of the thoughts and points made in this book. I highly encourage any woman, young or old, who has ever felt the pain of rejection, to pick up this book. It is beautifully-written, honest, and will leave you feeling more peaceful, loved, and able to enjoy the beautiful lives God has planned for us.

Let me be honest...I really don't read a lot of Christian non-fiction books. When I have spare time to read, I want to escape my own reality. I love getting lost in new places, time periods, the drama of a story line. So I tend to be very selective when it comes to reading books about growing spiritually. I also know that I have struggled in the past with making people and their thoughts on God, the Bible, and spirituality the authority in my life instead of God Himself. The Bible itself. I am now very mindful to keep that in check. With that said, when I read the summary of Lysa TerKeurst's newest book, Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely, it was like God was sending up all the flags...good flags...that said, "READ THIS." I'm generally an outgoing person that loves to socialize, pour out my heart with my trusted girlfriends, and find a way to be a part of social gatherings. But like many others, I have felt the sting of rejection. I try to keep my protective shell up so I won't have to experience it, but it happens. And I get devastated. Why do I take rejection so hard? This book was not about going back and analyzing past hurts, blaming people for things they had said or done, but instead it was about believing truth and walking forward with God as I did some self-evaluation....some soul evaluation. I practically underlined the whole book, but here are a few lines that really stood out: "Pain is the invitation for God to move in and replace our faltering strength with His." "Because instead of Him being our hope, we misplace our hope in people who can't wholly love a desperately broken version of us. Only God can do that." "Wisdom seeks to see someone else's vantage point even if I don't agree with that person's perspective." This book is one that I will revisit...I've just skimmed the surface. So many humbling truths here that speak straight to my heart. If you struggle with loneliness, rejection, or feeling less than....pick up this book. You will be blessed! *I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in order to give and honest review, which I did.*

I truly believe everyone should read this book and find healing from the wounds rejection has caused! I couldn't put this book down

This book is Lysa at her best writing. From the few books that I’ve read of hers, this is by far my favorite. It made me laugh, cry, learn, reflect and appreciate.

Really enjoyable and helpful. Lysa TerKeurst writes with such a witty, easy going style I felt like I was reading the writings of a friend by the time I finished. This is definitely a study I will return to and go over often. Thank you for writing it!

I am so thankful that I found this author/ speaker. Wow!! I can't stop listening to her on YouTube. So much great advice that I had to get this book and I don't regret it.

I finished the book and just wanted to start reading it again from the beginning. It's so good. Even if you haven't faced huge rejections in your life, I would still recommend reading this book.

Necesito leerlo y leerlo está increíble y súper práctico con un lenguaje muy sencillo. La autora escribe desde el corazón.

I've been recommending this book to all my gal pals. Someone asked me who the audience was for this book and I said WOMEN! All women. We so easily create stories in our heads about what so and so meant by that comment or why some other person hates us because they didn't smile at us. Invite healing and live loved.