One Sentence Summary
It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered is a book by Lysa TerKeurst that provides a Bible-based and practical approach to life’s disappointments and learning to move forward with faith.
Book Genre
It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way is a self-help and christian living book.
Main Topic of the Book
The main topic of the book is how to find strength, hope and resilience when life’s disappointments leave one feeling shattered.
Key Ideas
The key ideas it covers are:
- Processing Painful Emotions Thickly And Honestly – providing a framework for recognizing, admitting and working through the painful emotions
- Flexible Faith – a faith that is ‘flexible enough to allow us to walk through our pain, but strong enough to never let us become a victim of it’
- Jesus Always Has Solutions in Unexpected Places – trusting in the solutions that God has in store.
Main Parts of the Book and a Short Summary
The book is divided into five parts:
- Part 1: Shattered by Disappointments – Lysa looks at what it means to be disappointed and how to navigate different kinds of disappointments, such as when HOPE runs out and when FAITH shifts.
- Part 2: A Philosophical Divorce Between The Life We Have and The Life We Want – covering the consequences of disappointment, the impact disappointment can have on our lives, and how to keep hope alive.
- Part 3: Tying Together the Harness of Hope and Climbing the Mountain of Possibility – introducing concepts such as treating faith like a muscle, embracing grace-filled setbacks and cultivating curiosity.
- Part 4: I Don’t Think I Can Get Myself Out—Can I – Lysa talks about the importance of finding hope and courage, even in the most difficult of times.
- Part 5: Come Alongside Me—Even When We Can’t See the Way Ahead – discussing the dynamics of friendships, how to choose hope, forgiveness and how to move forward.
Key Takeaways
The key takeaways from Lysa TerKeurst’s book are that disappointments happen, life can be messy, God still loves us and will use us in the midst of our pain, and that pain brings the opportunities for growth. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of leaning on supportive relationships and trusting God for goodness and mercy even in the darkest of times.
Author’s Background and Qualifications
Lysa TerKeurst is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries. She has written numerous books on faith, relationships and personal growth.
Target Audience
It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way is largely aimed at Christians, but is also suitable for anyone looking for personal growth or who has been disillusioned in life and needs an uplifting message.
Publisher and First Publication Date
The book was first published in 2018 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.