God Loves Broken People: And Those Who Pretend They’re Not
by Sheila Walsh
Sheila Walsh, author of God Loves Broken People: And Those Who Pretend They’re Not, has been a long-time speaker for Women of Faith. I was a teenager when my mom came home after attending her first Women of Faith conference in Washington, DC. She was alive again—really alive. I remember her talking about this amazing speaker named Sheila Walsh who had the guts to stand on an arena stage and tell more than ten thousand women what it was like to be broken and be a Christian. Shocking, I know.
Many Christians at the time treated fellow believers struggling with depression as 
less-than Christians, outcasts, clearly those “of little faith.” Churches posted catch phrases on their outdoor signs like, “too blessed to be stressed.” We lived in a vast religious culture of playing pretend and then Sheila Walsh told people how God had brought her from a high profile job on the 700 club to a mental hospital. But He didn’t leave her there. He scooped her up like a lost little lamb lovingly lifted by her Shepherd to safety, and healing, and freedom.
In this book, Sheila delivers a message of how God doesn’t just use brokenness, but how it actually draws us closer to Him and makes us better ministers of compassion to others. She draws from her own life experiences, countless Scripture accounts, classic Christian literature, and the testimonies of others to remind us that Christ Himself chose suffering, chose to be broken, for us.
Even now, all these years after my mom first heard Sheila Walsh share her testimony at Women of Faith, we Christians continually contend with those among us who think being a Christian is a free pass to happiness and personal comfort. We think somehow attending church or saying we’re a Christian means we’ll get to live the American dream–perfect family, perfect job, perfect health . . . just perfect. It still takes guts to be the one reminding us of what Scripture actually says—that in this world we will have trouble, but we take heart because Jesus has overcome the world.
For anyone walking through a season of brokenness or encountering trials and pain, this book offers a powerful ministry of encouragement. The book also includes group study questions in the back, making this a good choice for a women’s Bible study or small group, as well. After all, sometimes it’s easy to feel totally alone when we’re struggling and yet the truth is—most of us have been broken, are broken or will be broken. So, ultimately this is a message to share with others.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and 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.”
