The Secure Soul: Finding Inner Strength and Connection When Trust Doesn't Come Easy

by Alison Cook

We are the most psychologically informed generation ever—yet we have never felt more disconnected.
You want to feel connected with others, with yourself, and with God, but something still feels off. Part of you has been waiting a long time to be found.
Dr. Alison knows this longing personally. In The Secure Soul, she offers a powerful new way forward. Drawing on attachment theory, parts-based insight, and her own journey through feeling disconnected from others and critical of herself, she shows why real security isn't built by knowing more or trying harder but by restoring loving connection within your own soul.
Because the issue isn't just what's happening around you. It's also what's happening within you.
The same ache you feel in your relationships—fear of being hurt, longing to belong, wanting to be seen and truly known—is also at work inside your own soul. Until your inner world becomes grounded and connected, it's hard to feel truly secure anywhere else.
The Secure Soul shows you how to build emotional and spiritual security from the inside out. You will learn how to:
understand why you feel empty, anxious, or alone—even when life looks full
identify the patterns keeping you stuck in over-functioning, self-neglect, and self-criticism
tend to the parts of you still longing to feel safe and known
experience deeper connection—with yourself, in your relationships, and with God
discover a growing sense of safety and trust within yourself
A secure soul isn't something you achieve. It's something you come home to.

Genres: Counselling, Christian Non Fiction, Christian, Nonfiction, Christian Living, Psychology

256 pages, Paperback

Published August 18, 2026

About the author

Dr. Alison Cook is a therapist, psychologist of religion, USA Today & LA Times bestselling author, and host of The Best of You Podcast. She has spent over two decades helping people who feel lonely in their own lives—people who are doing everything right but still can't shake the emptiness, the anxiety, or the quiet feeling of being unseen.

Alison trained at Dartmouth College (BA), Denver Seminary (MA), and the University of Denver (PhD), where she specialized in integrating psychology and theology.

Recognized for blending faith and psychology in a way that is both deeply practical and spiritually alive, Dr. Alison shows you how to move from feeling unseen and disconnected to feeling secure, loved, and fully yourself. Her books, including The Secure Soul, Boundaries for Your Soul, and The Best of You, have sold over 150,000 copies nationwide.

Reviews

[Sarah]

I finally found the best book I have read all year, out of over 200 books.
Each year I choose my favorite one based on the level of impact it has on me. That’s why I already know this one is the best even in mid-September, because it has had a profound impact on my life.
Dr. Alison shares brilliant insight into three parts of our soul - the Controller, the Shadow, and the Young One. She describes in great detail how and why these selves act the way they do.
As a high-achieving firstborn, I knew much about the Controller. Yet I still gained helpful insights from her studies.
I found the descriptions of the Shadow and Young One especially helpful for my healing journey. This new information meets me right where I am as I continue to heal from C-PTSD.
What I love about this book is how she builds her ideas solidly on a biblical framework. She also vulnerably shares her own stories, which make the types come alive.
I appreciated the final section about risking from a place of love, and trusting in belovedness over self-worth. These insights will help me as I move forward.
I highlighted many passages for further contemplation. Though I have spent 15 years in therapy, this book added more layers of depth, comfort, and direction to the wisdom I received from my counselor. It would make an excellent discussion guide for counseling sessions.
I received both the ebook and audio book previews, and both of them are excellent.

[Ansley Renfro]

This book was beautifully written, intentional and biblically sound. The writing was filled with rich imagery, personal stories, wisdom, and authenticity. I deeply resonated with the parts of our souls (especially the controller)and loved the hope that we can be secure and love the broken parts of us.

[Miah]

this was really good!! felt like having a warm & honest conversation with a friend :)

[Alli Miller]

If you’re looking for a SOLID Christian therapy self-help book (?for women?), this is the most well-rounded & Christ-centered I’ve read (thus far).

Dr. Alison Cook covers a lot of ground here. I greatly appreciate her intertwining of theology & psychology. She ensures they walk hand-in-hand with every concept she presents; it’s very refreshing amidst a literature market that can feel rather saturated with extremes... While her book ‘The Best of You’ delves into the importance of introspection for the purposes of participating in God’s sanctifying work in each of our lives, ‘The Secure Soul’ takes it a step further by heartily acknowledging that GOD is our utmost security, our most “sacred tether,” and the Giver of all other “tethers” (which are given to us so that we might remember / return to Him).

Related to theology: She frequently juxtaposes our God-given design (to desire relationship & connection, to appreciate & find solace in beauty) to our sinful nature (striving, controlling, escaping, etc) that disrupts our ability to be our truest self / the “young one”. She, as aforementioned, repeats over & over that God is the best & only true source of mending this tension that’s inherent to us all. She writes of the importance of life together often, too.

Related to psychology: She uses parts work / internal family systems to help readers better understand ^that^ internal warring. Truthfully, I have only recently been acquainted with this psychotherapeutic approach, so it still felt a bit clunky & uncomfortable at times. Despite this, her anecdotes felt very relatable, and I could appreciate how this approach might be helpful while seeking to foster compassionate self-awareness, gentle self-control, and humble self-confidence (“compassion” and “containment,” in her words) in a way that acknowledges our utter inability to be authentic without being wholly connected to the Source of life &, therefore, connection itself.

“It’s easier to hide behind overfunctioning or self-critique than to admit, deep within your soul, how much this actually matters to you…. It’s vulnerable to care. It’s far easier to lean into control or perfectionism, those familiar tactics that promise safety but keep us striving and distant. Or we retreat into cynicism or guardedness, those hidden ways we try to pretend we don’t need much at all. Because to care deeply is to risk. To open yourself to what you cannot control. And that kind of caring requires trust - trust that something larger, steadier, is holding you, even when you stumble or your efforts fail…. A secure soul gives us the courage to care without guaranteeing the outcome…. The confidence of being held gives rise to the courage to reach out…. [And] every person. Every place. Every sacred stretch of sky that has steadied [or held] your soul along the way — each one has been a signpost pointing your heart, again and again, back to [God].” -192, 202

—-
Quotes:
“When attachment is treated as something that begins and ends with human bonds, something essential is lost. Human relationships become the source, the solution, and the burden-bearers of our deepest need for safety and belonging. And they simply cannot carry that weight…. No human bond, no matter how loving, was ever meant to carry the full weight of our need to belong. Secure attachment begins in the heart of God. It flows through imperfect human bonds, shaping our souls in real and embodied ways. And it always calls us back to its Source, back to the One who made us to live securely held in Love, even when human love falls short.” -10

“Feeling alone or disconnected is not a sign that something is wrong with you. It's not a diagnosis. It's not a flaw. It's an invitation. A signal that you're alive, that you were made for connection. It's your soul reaching out for love. For closeness. For safety.” -19

“Here’s where we get trapped: We start asking human love to carry what it can't. We look to one relationship, or even one community, to hold the full weight of our need to be held and secure. And when it inevitably falters (because humans do), it can feel like connection itself isn't trustworthy…. But the answer isn't to give up on people. And the answer isn't to shame yourself for needing them. The invitation is deeper. It's to return to what makes connection possible in the first place: to Love itself, steady as breath.” -20-21

“In the middle of the forest sits the Controller — intense, efficient, quick to action, and slow to rest. She clears trails, scans for danger, and tries to keep the whole mountain running on sheer willpower. When she's anxious, she gets sharp. But underneath? She's scared. Scared that if she lets go, everything will fall apart. What looks like strength is really a heavy weight she's learned to carry: I'm the only one you can trust.” -48

“Beneath the numbing is something deeper: anger, shame, the raw pain of feeling unseen. She disappears not because she wants to be alone, but because she's afraid she's the problem…. And then there's the Young One — playful, tender, unguarded. She dances barefoot on the sunlit ridge where wildflowers bloom and wonder still feels possible. She only emerges when it feels safe, when connection is close and the air is filled with Love…. Each place within holds a story. Each part of you is bidding — sometimes awkwardly, sometimes urgently — for connection. Your longings may come wrapped in urgency, irritation, exhaustion, or restlessness…. Your work is to listen for their bids. To learn the language of your inner world. To recognize: ‘A part of me is hurting.’ To return to connection.” -49

“The alternative isn’t to erase the self…. Paul himself doesn't describe the self as something to be erased, but as something to be transformed — "crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20) and also "raised with Christ" (Col. 3:1). His language points to restoration, not annihilation.” -50

“It's a glimpse of the greater feast that awaits when every part of you, and every soul gathered at last into Love, welcomed into the heavenly mountain sanctuary.” -54

“There's comfort in staying focused on math problems. For one thing, they're solvable. People are not. They're messy. They reach for things I'm not sure I can give…. People are unpredictable, especially with their emotions.” -62

“Your Inner Controller has always been guarding against one thing: the pain of disconnection…. She continues to manage closeness the only way she knows how. She tries to control the terms: ‘If I meet everyone's needs before they ask, I won't get hurt—or left.’ ‘If I stay two steps ahead, I won't get caught off guard.’ Your work now is not to silence her or overpower her, but to recognize her bids for connection, and to gently teach her that there is someone who can hold what was never hers to carry…. The goal isn't to get rid of her intelligence or drive. The goal is to notice when that strength becomes self-protection at the cost of connection.” -66-67

“It’s not actually your job to hold everyone together.” -68

“What's authentic and strong in all of us can also become our kryptonite.” -74

“Transformation doesn't occur through shame or willpower, but through being known and loved in the presence of another.” -92

“We don't tend to hold this tension well in our culture — the tension between our ache and the agency we possess. In many religious communities, we're taught to clamp down on painful or uncomfortable feelings with willpower, control, or even shame. On the other hand — therapy sound bites, especially on social media — can make validation sound like the whole goal, without the slower work of discernment, truth-telling, and wise action. But secure attachment is neither suppression nor indulgence.
Secure attachment is presence. And presence holds with compassion and containment.
Compassion, not indulgence.
Containment, not control.
Over time, compassion and containment create the conditions for choice, for what psychology calls agency, and what Scripture calls wisdom.” -95-96

“Envy may reveal a longing for something good and
life-giving. Resentment may uncover a part of you longing to be seen and valued. Pining after what isn't yours may expose an ache for connection and belonging. Secrecy may point to a fear that honesty will cost you love. What once felt shameful is so often an attachment need in disguise. These shadowy responses are not evidence that something is wrong with you — they are invitations. Invitations to slow down. To listen. To recognize the Shadow and gently help her return to Love.” -97

“Only God is truly big enough, wise enough, tender enough to meet us in that fragile space where heartache meets the longing for escape. And yet God so often meets us there through ordinary means: through parents and teachers, therapists and pastors, grandparents and steady friends, through the impertect, fumbling faithfulness of human love. And sometimes He meets us through other quiet graces.” -101

“Where a memory lingers, it’s wise to pay attention.” -122

“Quietly, I formed an idea about love and connection: I am the one who sees others. I am the one who helps. I am the one who rescues. What this Young One needed wasn't more responsibility. What this little girl needed was for someone to notice what she carried, her own ache beneath all the watching. She, too, was lonely. She, too, needed care.” -128

“Because while the Young One holds these burdens deep inside, the Controller and the Shadow try to make up the difference in the only ways they know how — by striving for love, bracing against pain, avoiding vulnerability, or numbing what feels unbearable…. Emotionally perceptive children often overcorrect. They overindex on otherwise good qualities-responsibility, peacemaking, achieving, caregiving—without learning how to tend to their own inner world.” -129

“I can't rescue or save or heal everyone. I can do my part. I can love the people in my path, in the ways I'm actually given. And when the needs overwhelm, I can … return to Love, again and again. Not to bypass pain. Or minimize suffering. But to share it. And this truth no longer feels trit. It feels real. Spacious. Strong. Because God isn't an idea. God is safety. Goodness. Bigness. God is Love. And I can feel more of me beginning to trust that. My calling was never to rescue others. It has always been to return — again and again — to the Love who can hold what I cannot.” -133

“She remembers what it means to see the world with unguarded wonder, how to trust a Love that is bigger than we are, and how to receive God's delight without hesitation. Think of the children you love and their wide-eyed curiosity, their openness, the way they move through the world without yet needing to prove or protect themselves. How they want to believe that love is real. That someone bigger is good. That they are held. It's this quality of wonder that the Young One represents. Not naivete, but presence. Not ignorance, but openness.” -134

“THE WAY FORWARD INTO GOODNESS, HEALING, AND WHOLENESS IS NOT THROUGH CONTROL, PERFORMANCE, OR SELF-MASTERY, BUT THROUGH THE BRAVE, UNCLUTTERED TRUST OF A CHILD.” -135

“A secure, integrated soul makes room for each of them. It honors the Controller part of you — not so that she remains the workhorse, rescuer, or perfectionist, but to honor your soul's God-made desire to show up with competence, responsibility, and perseverance. Once connected, she becomes a humble, steady guide, no longer holding your soul in a vise grip.
A secure soul also welcomes the Shadow — not so that you harbor or avoid negative emotions, but to honor your soul's capacity for pleasure, passion, and truth-telling. Once connected, she becomes a wise and honest companion. She no longer sabotages from the dark, but illuminates where comfort is needed, where beauty calls, and where integrity asks you to take a stand.” -139-140

“We might believe God is good, but if that goodness never reaches our lived experience—our emotions, our nervous system, our breath—our sense of connection might begin to fracture.” -145

“This helps explain something many people carry: You can believe in God with your mind while parts of your soul struggle to register that belief as comfort, safety, or closeness. That gap isn't necessarily rebellion or spiritual failure. More often, it's a painful mismatch between longing and capacity.
Capacity isn't about how sincere you are. It isn't about how many verses you've read, or how hard you've tried to pray. Capacity is the felt ability to let love in without bracing. It's what happens in your body when closeness comes near: Do you soften? Do you open enough to let warmth in? Or do you tighten? Do you scramble or work harder, trying to secure what you fear might disappear? Do you stay present? Or do you brace and deflect?
Love can be present and real, but if the inner circuitry hasn't been shaped to receive it, the signal doesn't register as comfort. In my case, God's love was present, but it registered to my system as a brick wall. That's often what it feels like when longing outpaces what the nervous system has been taught to hold. This is why attachment is so important. It's not about blaming the past; it's about understanding what your body learned to expect from love... and what it can still learn.” -149

“God also meets your Shadow — not condemning its hesitance, but showing this part of you that closeness does not have to overwhelm. As your Controller learns to trust and your Shadow learns to soften, the Young One is freed to do what she was always meant to do: receive Love precisely where your soul is most tender. God is not our escape hatch from human vulnerability. God is our anchor within it. Divine Love doesn't ask you to bypass the ways you've learned to survive but to recognize them — and return, again and again, to Love. Which means healing isn't about trying harder to believe. Healing is about ‘trying softer.’” -152

“I recognize the relentlessness of her Inner Controller — not as arrogance or spiritual pride, but as devotion shaped by longing: ‘Pray harder. Mean it more. Stay awake until you feel something.’ She believes closeness is earned through effort, because that's how connection has always worked for her. And yet, no matter how many verses she reads or how long she stays awake, the wall stays put.
I also recognize the Shadow's voice — sharp, scolding, cruel. ‘If you really loved God, you'd feel him.’ Her words cut deep, and for years a part of me believes them. Believes that the silence on the other side of that wall must be my fault.
But beneath both of those voices is something far more tender. I can sense the longing of the Young One: I ache to be held, to feel seen, to know someone is here with me. I am filled with compassion for her. What a beautiful longing. And what a painful thing to feel so alone. In my mind I can see ahead of her. I think about how in a few years, she will discover the [unique] love of [so many people].” -153

“Longing is not the absence of love. It is love arriving
before it can be held.” -155

“What we often call ‘worth’ might be better named ‘belovedness.’… From a spiritual lens, your worth simply is. The objective reality of your worth is constant, like gravity, holding you even when you can't feel it. But psychologically, your capacity to feel that worth can very much come and go…. A sense of worth isn't argued into existence. It's formed through relationship-through being seen, valued, and held over time.” -158-159, 161

“When you meet [your inner voice] with compassion and containment, [you] slowly begin to transform. Raw emotion becomes discernment. Intensity becomes insight. Suspicion becomes wisdom. This kind of change doesn't come through force. It comes through presence.” -168

“The movement of repair is courage to face what was hurt, persistence to stay when it's hard, and humility to let Love in — again and again.” -172

“I don't try to talk [myself] out of [my] feelings. Instead, I ask God to help me meet [myself] in them…. Meeting yourself with kindness doesn't make you complacent. It makes you more honest, more accountable, and more capable of meaningful change.” -173, 180

“Real forgiveness means telling the truth about what happened, taking responsibility for only what's truly yours to own, and extending compassion to yourself as you choose new ways forward. [It’s] holding both accountability and compassion at the same time.” -181

“Control can mature into steadiness, vigilance into discernment, relentless striving into rest with tending toward only what’s has been entrusted to you. The controller [can] become the steward.” -184-186

“A secure soul risks from love, not for love.” -188

“Caring requires responsibility, but not a tight grip. She holds risk with humility, tending what is hers to tend while releasing what is not. She understands that showing up well matters, but outcomes cannot be forced. She learns to lean into love rather than try to secure it.” -194

“The Seer doesn't eviscerate hope or inflate fear. Instead, she tells the truth with steadiness. She helps you see what's real— what's worth caring about, what's possible, and what's not — without collapsing into cynicism or fantasy.” -195

“I don't have to risk to be loved. I can risk because I
already am. The willingness to make yourself vulnerable becomes an expression of trust.” -195

“But it wasn't his words or logic that steadied me—it was the connectedness. The knowing that he would get it, that he would see the humor in it, that I wasn't alone.” -198

“The secure soul doesn't measure success by applause or outcome but by integrity. ‘Did I show up as myself? Did I stay connected to Love?’… You're no longer performing for safety. You're participating in love. Secure love doesn't remove risk, nor does it promise certain outcomes. Instead, secure love steadies you for it.” -201

“You begin to see how [God] has been weaving it all together, this grand story of your life. Every person, every place, every part of your soul becomes part of that larger story. You are also woven into the story of others.” -217

“Instead of reacting to secure the relationship prematurely or prove your worth, you begin to pause and stay present. You respond from a deeper ground.
You stop shrinking to stay connected or overextending to stay safe. You no longer need to defend yourself or overexplain. Instead, security begins to show up in the fruit of your integrity. And this is where the work begins to move beyond you. As you grow steadier inside, you become less reactive to the inner movements of others. You can notice their bids for connection — their fear, their withdrawal, their need to be seen — without absorbing them or trying to manage them.” -225

“Perhaps you feel compelled to explain, persuade, or correct, especially when something you care about is misunderstood. Even when no one has asked for your opinion, there can be an urgency to be heard, a need for others to see the world the way you do. These instincts are understandable. They're often attempts to protect connection. But when they're driven by fear rather than love, they can pull us away from ourselves and away from the real connections we desire.” -230

“This is the quiet work of prayer: staying present to what is while trusting Love to do what you cannot.” -233

[Kendall]

The Secure Soul by Dr. Alison Cook is a book for anyone who has ever wondered about their self-worth, why it’s hard to trust, why they attach or don’t attach to others, disconnected from their spirituality, and other such intrusive thoughts!

Audiobook: The narrator’s voice is soothing to listen to; however, her pauses between words in a sentence was not smooth, was distracting, and very odd. Using part of the title as an example, this is what I often heard: “Finding inner strength *pause* and connection *pause* when trust *pause* doesn’t come *pause* easy.” Production quality is great. There was no background noise, fuzzy or staticky sounds, and volume was consistent. The chapter transitions were smooth.

Story: Dr. Cook does a wonderful job integrating clinical and spiritual strategies of strengthening our inner connections and outer connections to strength the security we have to others and to ourselves. I was able to relate to everything Dr. Cook was describing and can’t wait to apply some of these strategies to my own life. One thing that I noted is that it may be difficult for males to connect to this book because the book is very heavily laid out connecting “the little girl” to her adult self and talks about being a mother. The strategies can still be applied for males, but they may have more of a difficult time connecting to Dr. Cook.

I would recommend this for anyone looking to develop their inner strength to improve their inner and outer world, but I think it would be better in print if the pauses in the middle of sentences might bother you like it was distracting for me.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to listen and give an honest review.

[Felicia Smith]

The Secure Soul is such a quick and informative read that is sure to help everyone who reads it. Dr. Alison Cook completely opens up all the deepest parts of herself and lays it all bare. It’s vulnerable, raw, real, and so touching. I have a son who reminds me so much of the author. He has such a beautiful soul, yet I feel he holds himself back so often. I truly feel like I will be able to help guide him into feeling more secure with being himself instead of trying to make himself smaller. It all comes back to love, and forgiveness, and just being. This book left me feeling hopeful. I also love and appreciate the Bible verses throughout. This is the first book I’ve read by Dr. Alison Cook and it definitely won’t be my last. I listened to the audiobook and the author/narrator did a good job. There were a quite a few pauses that threw me off at times - but that’s just a part of being human and it didn’t affect the message. I’d much rather have authenticity over AI. 🤍💚🤍

I would like to thank W Publishing Audiobooks and NetGalley for giving me an ALC (which did not sway my opinions or review).

[Eursella Hayes-Williams]

Every once in a while, I read a book that makes me slow down, highlight way too many pages, and really examine myself. The Secure Soul* was that kind of book for me.

Dr. Alison Cook does a beautiful job of helping you understand the difference between living from a place of security and allowing fear, people-pleasing, self-doubt, or the need for approval to guide your decisions. I found myself recognizing patterns I hadn’t really stopped to think about before.

What I loved most is that the book doesn’t just tell you what needs to change—it gives you practical ways to begin doing the work. I walked away thinking differently about boundaries, relationships, trusting myself, and becoming more grounded in who God created me to be.

This is definitely one I’ll keep close and revisit. There’s too much wisdom here for just one read.

An easy 5 stars and one of those books that meets you right where you are. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#TheSecureSoul #AlisonCook #FiveStarRead #BookReview #PersonalGrowth #HealthyBoundaries #EmotionalWellness #FaithAndGrowth

[Kim]

The Secure Soul by Dr. Alison Cook was a beautiful writing of part memoir and part educational/encouragement to the reader. Dr. Cook shares about "parts work": The Inner Controller, The Inner Shadow and the Young One, and gives much explanation and definition as to what these "parts" mean and ow they can show up in your daily life. The goal is wholeness, a return to an attachment in Jesus, who is Love. Understanding the scriptural basis for how we perceive our parts and how we can work towards healing areas of brokenness, through Love with God and His healing, is ultimately where the book guides us to. The book is affirming, encouraging, and validating and gives hope for those seeking to grow in their healing and find wholeness. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the advanced audiobook review copy. All opinions are my own.

[Sherrie Caldwell]

This book was a divine gift! What a gentle walk with Allison in her story. I barely noticed, as she wooed me into "parts work" "to notice (be with) and return" to attachment in Jesus, where I am loved...all of me. This book is beneficial to anyone as we all have parts longing to know we're loved. I'm in a healing season from childhood trauma. It was the divine story I needed for my restful getaway affirming my journey, assisting me to linger, listen, and be with the parts that needed tending to move forward and leave PTSD behind. A shift occurred from fear to a compassionate welcome to parts I feared. Now integration and wholeness is my healing journey. This is such a gift, I'm going to invite others to a book club to read.

[Leslie]

Dr. Alison Cook did a great job with this book that deals both with attachment/connectivity and faith. Dr. Cook explores Internal Family Systems, which is an interesting and useful therapy. I had been introduced to the concept previously, which helped my understanding of the material.

As an audiobook, the listener does need to pay attention a little more closely when Dr. Cook switches into the narrative of her younger self. It is good material.

[Madison Bice]

I really enjoyed The Secure Soul by Dr. Alison Cook. As an only child reading this book, I felt seen and learned so much. Reflecting on my inner child, my shadow, and the controller within myself I have learned a lot of grace and compassion for myself by reading this. It definitely gives me a lot to think about. This truly has a lot of information on becoming secure. I would recommend it to anyone! Thank you NetGalley for this advanced reader copy.

[Book Bench]

Warm and steady is the best way I can describe the tone here. It blends attachment theory with Christian spiritual formation naming inner parts like the Controller and the Shadow to show why you can feel alone even when life looks full. If you love her earlier work you'll feel at home and newcomers get a gentle on-ramp to parts-based thinking.

[Anna Hughes]

This book has been the sweetest gift at the sweetest time. There was a part of me that didn’t want it to end and I probably will reread it at various times in the future. Dr. Alison Cook does an incredible job walking us through her own personal journey of reconnecting with herself while also leading us as a guide to walk through the journey for ourselves as well. Cannot recommend enough.

[Darin Mirante]

Extremely insightful and helpful, full of emotional depth that provokes productive introspection. Primary target is probably women but was worth my time.

[Al]

This book was insightful and helpful spiritually. It's a great book for women looking for some encouragement.