Freely and Lightly: God’s Gracious Invitation to a Life of Quiet Confidence – Emily Lex

Freely and Lightly Emily Lex
Freely and Lightly: An Invitation to Embrace Who You Are, Delight in Jesus, and Abound in Quiet Confidence by Emily Lex
Published by Harvest House Publishers on March 2, 2021
Genres: Non-Fiction, Christian Life, Memoir
Goodreads
four-stars

Your Invitation Awaits
Have you ever thought…
This life that I’ve made for myself is not quite as I thought it would be. This job is not as fulfilling as I dreamed. My marriage is not making me happy.  I have a closet full of clothes with nothing to wear. I didn’t know parenthood was this hard. I don’t know who I am or who God is anymore.I’m dizzy, but if I stop for a second, the spinning plates will all come crashing down.  If you find yourself dissatisfied, disappointed, or discouraged with life, you’re not alone.  
Prolific blogger and watercolor artist Emily Lex invites you to reclaim your God-given identity. Using Scripture from the book of Matthew to light the way along a path to a more vibrant and unhindered life, Emily shares stories of how she found recovery, rest, and refreshment at the feet of Jesus, and inspires you to do the same.
This thoughtfully written and beautifully illustrated and packaged collection of essays will help you experience a profound sense of freedom, confidence, peace, and harmony, as you accept the gifts that God has already given you and become who He created you to be.
If you long for a life that is unburdened and abundant, you can find it in Jesus. Will you accept His gracious invitation?   

This beautifully designed hardback book features watercolor art and life reflections from Emily Lex, a popular blogger. In this book, Lex strikes an inviting balance between long-form focus and a series of blog posts, sharing brief reflections that also fit into a larger story arc and broader themes. Because the messages build on each other, someone will get the most out of this book if they read it straight through, but this can also be a great coffee table book to dip in and out of as time allows.

Freely and Lightly: God’s Gracious Invitation to a Life of Quiet Confidence is a great book for women who struggle to feel worthy, and who are tired of just being “fine.” Lex shares her story of feeling incomplete, inadequate, and uncertain, and shows how she was able to change her life once she was willing to ask hard questions and find herself beneath the layers of work, family obligations, and other attempts at success that she had used to silence deeper parts of her soul. She writes about how God guided her through this process, and shares stories about how she could better connect with her family members and friends once she was able to be honest, push herself out of her comfort zone, and find life in Christ, not her own sufficiency.

Other Christian women can find this book helpful and encouraging, especially if they relate to the author’s gentle, retiring personality. As Lex mentions in an early chapter, when she was on a trip, another woman talked about how she needed bold and powerful women in her life, not “precious lambs.” Lex felt hurt and overlooked, knowing that she was one of those quiet, gentle people this other woman didn’t see a use for. This was part of her catalyst for growth, as she realized that she needed to deal with her identity struggles and sense of inadequacy. Women with similar personalities will connect with many of the author’s experiences, especially as more self-help books emphasize being aggressive, bold, and loud.

However, this book isn’t just for someone of a particular personality, and can encourage any woman who needs to find rest in Christ and wants to grow in understanding her faith. The chapters are short and easy to read, and each one has a strong takeaway insight, even as Lex also builds her story and themes over time. I enjoyed reading this, and appreciate the author’s vulnerability about her struggles, insight into biblical passages and concepts, and gentle encouragement for us to leave behind ever-changing measures of being “good enough” to find ourselves in God’s love.

four-stars