Glorious Weakness: Discovering God in All We Lack

by Alia Joy, Seth Haines (Foreword by)

Overview

As a girl, Alia Joy came face to face with weakness, poverty, and loss in ways that made her doubt God was good. There were times when it felt as if God had abandoned her. What she didn't realize then was that God was always there, calling her to abandon herself.

In this deeply personal exploration of what it means to be "poor in spirit," Joy challenges our cultural proclivity to "pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps." She calls on readers to embrace true vulnerability and authenticity with God and with one another, showing how weakness does not disqualify us from inclusion in the kingdom of God—instead, it is our very invitation to enter in.

Anyone who has struggled with feeling inadequate, disillusioned, or just too broken will find hope. This message is an antidote to despair, helping readers reclaim the ways God is good, even when life is anything but.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801093340
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/02/2019
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	654,873
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Alia Joy is a speaker, writer, and ragamuffin who weaves beauty through even the most broken stories. Her raw vulnerability and unique perspective make her a trusted voice writing about mental and physical illness, abuse, race, body image, poverty, and hope. She lives in Oregon with her family, where weakness and glory converge daily.

Table of Contents

Foreword Seth Haines 13

Introduction: Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit 17

Part 1 Weakness

1 The Nakedness of Need: The Glorious Weakness of Poverty 25

2 The Ransom of Words: The Glorious Weakness of Longing 45

3 A Secondhand God and a Place to Call Home: The Glorious Weakness of Lack 65

Part 2 Hope

4 I Am Not Labeled, I Am Named: The Hope of Identity 83

5 Uncomfortable Love: The Hope of Community 99

6 I Walk with a Limp: The Hope of Brokenness 115

7 Where Home Is: The Hope of Ordinary 131

Part 3 Strength

8 Let Us Rejoice and Be Sad: The Strength of Lament 145

9 Starving to the Feast: The Strength of Dependence 163

10 The God of the Lost: The Strength of Being Found 179

Part 4 Glory

11 And If Not, He Is Still Good: The Glory of the Beloved 205

Acknowledgments 223

Notes 229