My Review
4 STARS
Are We Special? Is a book that has hit me hard. I learned a lot. This is one book that is hard to read at one time. I feel like I could read this book many times and would learn something new each time. It would also be handy to have a dictionary on hand when reading. Some of this book was over my head. I wish I had read this book years ago.
Jeffrey & Steven use a lot of quotes & scriptures to back them up. They reinforce that we are all special as children of our Heavenly Father. We are all loved. That we are not more special than anyone else. They give a lot of examples of the different behaviors and I saw myself in many ways. I need lots of work to improve myself. They also share hope that we can all be better and through Jesus we can be better.
Excerpt
ARE WE SPECIAL? pg. 228
While it is true that we can live as if there is only the lie and we can become obsessed with comparing ourselves with others, the lie is not the only source of our special feelings. In fact, the lie can only ever be a false source of our special feelings that is provided by the adversary who desires to enslave us. The truth is that there is another source of our special feelings, a true source that pertains to all of us and provides the proper understanding of our true nature. We are children of a God, a divine King who loves His children with a love only a God can provide. We feel special because of our divine birthright. We feel special because we experienced this pure love of God when we were with Him prior to coming to this world, and we feel special because the resources God has provided us offer us the opportunity to feel that love again.
In the end, this is the most important message of this book: You are a son or a daughter of a King, and that King, your Heavenly Father, loves you so fully and completely that you are truly special indeed. You need only to raise your gaze to the heavens and accept His love and then the feeling of the void you experience as a consequence of this temporary separation from your Father will be filled with love and light”.
It's is hard for me to discuss this book because their is so much in it. The book divides people in four categories. At times I have fit in all four. Most people do the ideal is to spend more and more time in the disciple of Christ and not in the other parts.
the four parts are: The Pharisee, The Egoist, The Nihilist and The Disciple. They break down what each one believes and behaves like.
I know this is one book that I want to reread and understand myself a lot better. To help me a better daughter of God. A better sister, friend, mother and sometime a long way off a better grandmother.
I was given this book to read and asked in exchange to give honest review and be part of their blog tour.
Publisher: Deseret Book Company (2013) 320 pages ISBN-10: 1609075161
Are We Special?
Have you ever felt you might be special?
Where does that feeling come from—and what does it really mean?
The truth is that we are special, because we are all beloved children of our Heavenly Father, and we enjoyed a special, personal relationship with Him before coming to earth. Having left His presence, we feel a void, a homesickness that reminds us that we are more than mortal beings and inclines us toward our Father and His love.
But we are sometimes persuaded by the lie that we are more special than others. The lie lifts us above others, creates feelings of entitlement, and convinces us that the void we feel signifies our personal destiny for glory. It inclines us to seek fame, prestige, or wealth as proof of our superiority over others.
Each of us is constantly enticed by this truth and this lie, and we respond to both using four strategies to manage our acceptance or denial, each with its defining feature of pride, despair, selfishness, or true discipleship. In Are We Special? authors Jeffrey Reber and Steven Moody show us how to increase our acceptance of the truth and denial of the lie in order to become true disciples of Jesus Christ.
Jeffrey S. Reber holds a PhD from Brigham Young University in psychology. He’s an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at BYU. His publications look at the relationship between religion, psychology, and interpersonal relationships. He has also worked with LDS Family Services and has served as a bishop.
Steven P. Moody received his master’s degree in clinical social work from the University of Southern California. At USC, his clinical work focused on families, including marital therapy and relationships. Steven has worked as a counselor with LDS Family Services. He is now a therapist in private practice specializing in both relationships and addictions.
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