RESTED SOUL, RESILIENT HEART

This program of prayer, journaling, and self-study seeks to help women re-establish a relationship with the Christian faith after a breakup, divorce, or abuse.

In the emotional ruins of grief and despair that follow domestic abuse, a spouse’s betrayal, or the life-altering changes after a divorce, a Christian woman might not only struggle with physical loneliness, but feelings of spiritual abandonment as well. It is this challenge that Viner’s debut book, part inspirational, part self-help resource, attempts to address, positing that rediscovering the connection to one’s faith in God must be done in tandem with emotional healing. Its eight-week guide to confronting the fallout of toxic relationships focuses on prayer, employing biblical scripture and parables to assist women in assessing their feelings of brokenness, revealing the deceptions of loved ones and abusers, finding the courage to face these hard truths while rejecting rationalizations, and ultimately living through the gifts and assistance found in an attentive relationship with God. Such reflection is encouraged through mindfulness fostered by daily journaling and creating personal prayers to help individuals not only face the anguish of loss, but also the fear that contributes to and follows it. Primarily a secular Christian resource for women, the book does not stray from the aid that psychology can provide in recognizing the cycles of abuse, though it is somewhat frustrating to see it fail to utilize a more common vocabulary in discussions of the subject—for example, each time the work describes the long-recognized concept of gaslighting, it never names it as such. While its focus is on God’s role in healing, the manual also cites other self-help resources from authors such as Gregory Yantz, Sandra D. Wilson, Warren W. Weirsbe, and many more, detailing each in the bibliography for further reading. In addition, discussion questions ensure the volume itself has some longevity. Statistics from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence are included and so is a great deal of worthy information on contacting resources such as the National Domestic Violence Hotline and programs like The Rave project for those in imminent danger.

Though a standard inspiration-meets–self-help book, it provides some useful advice for Christian women facing serious challenges.