- Jennifer Dungey

Book Club – “Chasing Perfect” (Week Two)

Happy Friday! We finally made it to Friday! This week has a been a looong one 🙃 and I hope you’re all doing well.

Here are this week’s discussion questions:

Chapter 4: An Uncomfortable Truth

*“On its own, the heart is restless. It flounders. It wavers and waffles. It’s desperately sick and needs help. It doesn’t need to be followed – it needs to be informed” (pg. 64). What truth does your heart need today?

*Alisha lists three tips for getting into the Word of God. They are:

  • make time
  • have a plan
  • slow down

How can you implement these tips into your daily life?

*What is your attitude towards spending time in the Word of God? Are you a diligent student or a bite-sized reader? Do you go to the Bible for a feel good word you can read before drifting off to sleep? Or for self-improvement? What might need to change in your attitude in order to truly allow the Word to speak truth to your heart?

Chapter 5: Brave Fear

*Do you have a coping mechanism for fear and anxiety? What is it?

*In Philippians 4:4-9, there are four commands the author notes. They are:

  • rejoice, rejoice
  • remember the Lord is near
  • pray about everything…with thanksgiving
  • seek a renewed mind

Which one of these commands is the most difficult for you to follow? Why?

*The author lists three lies we need to fight against. They are:

  • I’m not good enough, talented enough, or equipped enough
  • Maybe God won’t come through
  • My happiness is dependent on other things more than God

Which one of these lies resonates with you the most? What truth can you tell yourself to combat this lie?

Chapter 6: Undivided Attention

*“When God doesn’t have your attention, He’ll often disturb what does” (pg. 103). Do you feel this is actually a great mercy as the author states? Why or why not?

*What things in your life might seem to be empowering but are actually enslaving you (i.e. social media, weight loss/health, control)?

*How do balance and distraction work together to fight against us? What sorts of things might be distractions for you? How is balance actually a lie?

Scripture of the Week

John 1:1-4

Matthew 6:33

James 1:6-8

Prayer of the Week

Father God, Thank You for Your truth. We can stand on it and be on solid ground even when the world around us in chaos. Help us to discern what is true and honorable and help us to think of those things. We long to be women who walk bravely in obedience, knowing You are with us. Renew our minds and help us to fight against the lies and distractions the enemy brings against us. May our hearts and minds be solely focused on You. Please equip and empower us as we walk through our days. Give us a hunger for Your Word and help us to make time to dig into it because we know the Bible is true and we need that truth to go deep into our hearts and minds. Thank You for Your faithfulness and love. In Jesus’s Name, Amen

For Next Week

*Read Chapters 7 through 9

One thought on “Book Club – “Chasing Perfect” (Week Two)”

  1. The truth my heart needs to accept is that dependence on God is the only way to be free and at peace. He’s been working on me for awhile now on embracing the truth about who I am (a sinner, not good), and the next step is letting Him take the reins…all of them. All. The. Time.
    Slowing down is one of the best ways I can make eye contact with God. I found this to be such a powerful statement: “Hurry drowns out the voice of God.” (Page 75) It’s not just the physical hurrying we’re doing that keeps us from Him. For me, it’s the mental hurrying that can consume me: the mental notes listing what needs to be done, the evaluations determining what to do differently or better, the prioritization of all the tasks. It’s exhausting!
    Too often, spending time in the Scripture becomes just another task I have to do – or I enjoy it, but it quickly becomes just another part of my routine. It’s safe and comfortable because I’m “in control” – choosing to not be completely focused because….well, what if God does speak to me?!
    Why are we afraid of His voice? Mostly I think this is because we know we aren’t doing what we should…even if it’s simply not being still. But that’s when we often hear Him the most. We want our independence; we’re fine with getting God’s opinion on things, but we don’t really want Him to take over. It’s a scary thought even if we know His best is best.
    The other day I was so over everything. After my monologue of complaint, I took a moment to breathe, and then simply said, “You’re either God or You’re not.” In that moment I was wrestling with the truth – The Truth. Regardless of my feelings, my circumstances, my desires, I had to circle back to examine what actually is true.
    It came down to my trusting Him, or not. I came across what I think is a great definition of trust: a demonstration of faith. Trust and faith go together; however, there’s the belief (faith) aspect and then the application of and reliance on (trust) that belief (faith). Not sure if this is the best analogy, but it makes me think of that phrase, “Put your money where your mouth is.” 😊
    Ironically, what I realized when I frustratingly said, “You’re either God or You’re not” was that I didn’t want the responsibility (of my circumstances, of my life in general) to fall on me. Not only that, but I also realized I couldn’t trust myself to help myself.
    It goes back to control and pride. Both offer the illusion of empowerment, but in reality, they are solely anchors of enslavement. I love how the author calls out our illusion of and obsession with balance. We think we can have it both ways: God and fill in the blank. “There is no balance in the kingdom of heaven. There are those with Christ and those against Him. There is no middle ground.” (Page 104) These sentences disturbed me because I became so much more aware of my own ridiculous balancing act.
    So part of the application piece of trusting God is allowing Him (daily, moment by moment) to dismantle the balance beam my heart and mind have been teetering on. “…Christ must be the solid ground on which we stand…” (Page 104) I don’t want to be weighed down by everything this world has to offer. It is all distracting, meaningless, and empty. I want to be free, and I think I’m really starting to understand how that freedom can only be found by continuing to seek and rely on the Truth, Jesus.

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