There is a deep well of pain, loneliness, self-loathing, trauma, and shame sitting behind the happy smiles and filtered social media feeds that so often characterize our generation.
Many of us have become experts at pretending we’re fine. Our shiny social media feeds and screen-deep smiles certainly give off a happy illusion. But we are not fine. Taylor has heard countless stories from her generation of our fetal positions on cold-tile floors, immobilized by anxiety. She personally knows this place well. At eighteen, she, too, found herself in an anxiety-induced fetal position behind a locked bathroom stall, wondering, “What did Jesus mean when he promised me full life?”
Stop Saying I’m Fine is a generational call to honesty, healing, and to a spiritual hunger that defies superficial Christianity and engages our deeper aches and heart questions. In these pages, we’ll dig beneath the bedrock of our anxiety into the pain of our experiences. Together, we’ll learn how to connect to the stillness that exists beneath the chaos, and we’ll find that the wholeness and healing we long for isn’t as distant as it may seem.
• For the young adult who feels trapped inside their anxiety
• For the parent or caregiver who aches to understand
• For the wounded heart that can’t seem to move on
• For the weary one who has tried and failed a thousand other ways
Taylor Joy Murray is a familiar writer and speaker in the missions world and serves young adults in the areas of soul care and spiritual formation. Her first book, Hidden in My Heart (BottomLine Media, 2013), which gives words to the often-unexpressed experiences and emotions of missionary kids, was published when she was just fourteen years old. She currently lives in Lynchburg, Virginia, where she is completing her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Connect with her at www.taylorjoyinwords.com.
“There’s a sentence right in the middle of this book where Taylor writes, ‘At its core, the spiritual journey is one of God continually welcoming us home, not only to a truer version of him, but also a truer version of ourselves.’ To me, that’s the heart of this book. But here’s what makes it beautiful. Taylor doesn’t just tell us that truth. She shows us that truth in her own story. It is a story both painful and beautiful. But in telling it, what Taylor does is invite others into that same journey—back home, to both God and to ourselves.”
—Josh Rutledge, Vice President of Spiritual Development, Liberty University
“For anyone who struggles with anxiety and has experienced the pain of feeling misunderstood or judged by fellow believers, Taylor’s heartfelt words will be a soothing balm to their soul as she becomes the friend to lead them out of their darkness. Through her vulnerability, honesty and personal stories, readers will uncover the healing and peace they’ve desperately been seeking and leave the fear, isolation and shame of anxiety in the past.”
—Tracie Miles, author and Writing Coach
“This book is a gift of jagged edges. It’s a gift because many of us don’t know how to process our deepest pain but Taylor walks it with dignity, honesty, and courage. This is a beautifully raw distillation of what it means to daily choose to walk back to Jesus and the arms He keeps open. Taylor uses her experiences to write with a perceptive understanding of the human-divine tension. This book opened my eyes to what it means to encounter a grace that is gripping and unrelenting.”
—Dr. Mary Lowe, Online Associate Dean, Liberty University, School of Divinity
“In this book, Taylor Murray recounts the struggle with anxiety and anorexia that led her to reject self-sufficiency and embrace the grace of the cross. She invites readers to think deeply about the roots of our need to be ‘fine,’ even when we’re not. Her honest and hopeful story highlights the goodness of God in our pain and lights the way for others in today’s challenging environment.”
—Steve Richardson, President, Pioneers-USA
ISBN 9781684261390
Pages 176
Dimensions 5.5 x 8.25
Weight .5
