The Longing in Me:
How Everything You Crave Leads to the Heart of God
by Sheila Walsh
Protection and Love
In the wake of a childhood tragedy, and adolescent cruelty, Sheila Walsh was left with deep longings for protection and love, but a warped concept of how to fulfill them. Despite an equally deep longing to please God, she looked elsewhere for security.
Whether or not we recognize our desire for intimacy with God, our needs to be protected and loved often manifest themselves in misguided desires. We want something we can feel, hear, see, touch. Though God is not vague, our day-to-day experience of Him can be. We are finite; He is not. We are distracted and enticed by all the lesser things that vie for our attention and promise gratification and comfort in the moment.
How do our longings point us to God? Share on X
David’s Longings
A passionate man who knew deep intimacy with God, King David was no stranger to distraction by longing that could not meet his true need.
I appreciated Sheila’s transparency concerning her first marriage and other experiences that left her broken. Her story resonated with me, as I’m sure it will with other women. Yes, Guys, this book is geared toward the ladies. But David’s life of victories and failures, and God’s faithfulness through it all, has meaning and application for everyone.
The Theme
Longing has been the unintended theme for my blog this week. We long to see and be seen. We long to be held. But we hide from each other, from ourselves, and from God. I’m not alone in my deep homesickness that can only be comforted by God and the hope of eternity with Him.
That’s the thing.
The Longing in Me is all about how our longings can only be met in God. He alone can satisfy the hunger that seeks to devour us from the inside out. We run ourselves ragged and take bites out of those around us. Our unredeemed longings leave us a bleeding mass of empty, broken people.
Sheila beautifully shares her brokenness, and the fruit her life bears as she yields it all to God.
Still wondering if you should read The Longing in Me?
This book spoke to me as a woman well-acquainted with the futility of misguided desires and the emptiness of their pursuit. I recommend it to all who find themselves going around in circles, following the same futile patterns, and repeating mistakes. Sheila’s and David’s stories can teach us much about how not to deal with our longings, and assure us that we can trust God to fill our emptiness.
We can trust God to fill our emptiness. Share on X
That’s the question we all have to answer: What do you do when you long for what used to be or what you used to have, and you can’t have it anymore?
Sheila Walsh, The Longing in Me
Sound like something you’d like to dive deeper into?
“[Sheila Walsh] draws on her own experiences and the life of King David to reveal that all our longings are rooted in a need for God—and nothing else will satisfy when it comes to filling that void.”
If you decide to facilitate or participate in this six-week study, let me know what you think!
The Voices Sheila’s Voice in My Head
The Longing in Me is the first book by Sheila Walsh that I’ve read, and I plan to read more. I’m glad I recently heard her speak at a Women of Faith simulcast at a local church. Quirky? side note: If I’ve heard someone speak, I often hear them in my head as I read their words. I particularly enjoyed the lilt of Sheila’s Scottish accent in the wee hours I couldn’t sleep. Soothing.
When you search for a haven to hide in, make it under the shadow of His wings. Sheila Walsh Share on X
I thought I longed for the craziness to stop, but actually I longed for the peace of Christ. The peace that Jesus offers can always be found, no matter how stormy the sky is, for He is our peace.
Sheila Walsh, The Longing in Me
Other posts worth reading:
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a digital copy of this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Just a quick mini fact about me you probably didn’t know. In 1987 watching the 700 Club alone in my living room at home I was listening to Sheila Walsh talk to the viewing audience as she was preparing to go to prayer. She looked directly at the camera and in to my heart. Her words touched my very soul and I KNEW she was talking to me. She described a woman who was watching that had come to the end of her rope. She said it was time to let go of the raveled ends and to grab instead the hem of Jesus’ robe. She said He had been waiting for me all along and that He loved me with the love I had been yearning for all of my life… that He was waiting for me just the way I was and that He had great and wondrous plans for our life together. I got on my knees and said the sinner’s prayer with Sheila and immediately my steps turned toward the Divine and I entered the door of healing and grace.
Seven years ago I got to meet Sheila at a Woman of Faith event and I got to share my testimony and her vital role in my conversion. We cried together with hearts united in the joy of salvation. I love her work and her heart for the hurting. Thank you Melinda for the book review!!!!
Claudia
Oooh, this sounds sooo good. Thank you for sharing this book with us. I will definitely put it on my “TO READ” list. <3