Ebook
Tania Bright knows life can be tough. ‘I’ve had heart-breaking bereavements; made poor financial choices; lost confidence through redundancy; suffered relationship breakdown; failed in some ministry endeavours; grieved through two miscarriages; and regularly clock up significant social faux pas.’ ‘We might not be able to change what’s happened,’ she explains, ’but we can change our response. God wants to breathe goodness and kindness and love into every area of our life - particularly the areas we’re the most frightened or ashamed of. I see failures, fears, flops, and fiascos as an opportunity to be kind to myself. I now live my life through ’kindsight’, rather than mere hindsight. It informs how I interpret and accept the past, negotiate and enjoy the present, and stay optimistic for the future.’
All of us feel guilty when things go wrong. But instead of beating yourself up, take a deep breath, and learn ...
Contents
Acknowledgments 9
Foreword 11
Introduction 13
1 On Missing the Point of Church 19
2 On Families that Implode 35
3 On Shame and All Its Secrets 53
4 On Coping Strategies that Hurt and Forgiveness that Heals 69
5 On Falling in Love: The Pain of Again and Again 91
6 On Sex: The Good, the Bad and the Average 111
7 On Porn and Masturbation 135
8 On Finally, Choosing Comrades Well 153
9 On the Incomprehensible: Stories of Injustice 175
10 On Learning to Live through Crushing Loss 197
Useful contacts and resources 215
Text credits 223
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