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Review of “Afraid of All the Things: Tornadoes, Cancer, Adoption, and Other Stuff You Need the Gospel for” by Scarlet Hiltibidal

Publisher Description

What does the gospel say about your fears? What does it say about the irrational ones, like sinkholes in the Target parking lot? How does it speak to the rational ones, like pet scan predictions? And does the gospel have a word for the fears you feel you’ll have for life, like the possibility of losing the one you love most?

Growing up in the green room of SNL, being born to a fire-eater and adopted by a SWAT cop, having internal organs explode, and adopting a deaf girl from China, Scarlet Hiltibidal has been given some strange life experiences–and lived in fear through most of them.

But life changed for Scarlet when she learned to hold the gospel up to her fears. She realized that though she can’t fix herself or protect herself, Jesus walked into this broken, sad, scary place to rescue, love, and cast out her–and your–fear.

Seeing life in light of the cross will help you avoid fear, overcome fear when you can’t avoid it, and live beyond fear when you don’t overcome it. You don’t have to be afraid of all the things.

My Review:

Sometimes I do choose a book by its cover, and this was one of those times.  The title is catchy: “Afraid of all the Things”.  I decided I wanted to see what the author would do with a book by that title, and I’m so glad I did.  I love Scarlet Hiltibidal’s  writing style.  She shares her life-long battle with fear in an engaging way as she tells of anxiety she’s had since her childhood years.  Using scripture, the author encourages us to hold our fears up to the light of the Gospel.  

If you’ve ever struggled with anxiety and fear, you’ll find a non-judgmental friend in the author.  While I enjoyed and smiled at some of her personal stories, I most appreciated her consistent use of God’s Word to help us face our fears. This would be a good book for a ladies’ book club/discussion group. I was encouraged by reading this and will keep it on my shelf as a reminder to trust God in all things.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.