the Spirited Book Club discusses Kate Bowler’s latest bestselling book, ‘Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day!: Daily Meditations for the Ups, Downs & In-Betweens’
Witty, honest, and wise spiritual reflections that invite readers to embrace the bad, not just the good—from the three-time New York Times bestselling author of Everything Happens for a Reason (And Other Lies I’ve Loved)
BOOK OVERVIEW
Kate Bowler believes that the cultural pressure to be cheerful and optimistic at all times has taken a toll on our faith. But what if we could find better language than forced positivity to express our hopes and our anxieties?
Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day! is packed with bite-size reflections and action-oriented steps to help you get through the day, be it good, bad, or totally mediocre. This is a devotional for the rest of us—which is to say, the people who don’t have magical lives that always work out for the best. As she composed these meditations during a season of chronic pain, Bowler understands how every day can be an obstacle course. She encourages us to develop our capacity to feel the breadth of our experiences. The better we are at identifying our highs and lows, the more resilient we become.
Like modern-day psalms, Bowler’s spiritual reflections look for the ways we can expand our capacity for courage, love, and honesty—while discovering divine moments with God. With bonus sections to use during the seasons of Advent and Lent, this is an easy book to read along with other people too.
If you want to build your daily habit of spiritual attentiveness, this book is here to say: May all your days be lovely. But for those that aren’t, have a beautiful, terrible day!
Reviews for Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day!
“I have been looking for a book that offered wisdom, compassion, grace and Jesus during these difficult times of being human. This book checks all the boxes. As someone who has a ton of self-help books, spiritual and religious books, this book is everything I was looking for. The author “keeps it real” when discussing various topics and finds a way to shine some light through dark times. It’s an authentic way of handling suffering and pain through a lens of grace and hope. Going through the Lent portion of the book has been deeply impactful and meaningful.” —Lindsay Ott
“I LOVE this devotional. Kate has an incredible ability to write as though she’s speaking directly to the person reading her books. I’m in a good season in my life and wasn’t sure if this book would resonate as much as her other works have, yet, because I’ve been through harder seasons in life, I can relate deeply to what she shares in each page. I’ve told so many people about this book.”–Elizabeth
Excerpt from Beautiful, Terrible
You’re Not Sleeping Much
I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. —Psalm 4:8 (NKJV)
When I was young I could never sleep peacefully. I would hover in that place between dreaming and awareness, caught in the webs of restless dreams. Some were absurd (where is the last piece of that puzzle?). Others were terrifying (I can’t get out! I can never get out!). I would pace the house—mostly still asleep—in my red pajamas, worrying, worrying, worrying. As an adult, I still have never really gotten the hang of sleep. I lie there thinking, rehearsing, planning, despairing.
This verse from the Psalmist has become a precious one to me. It says to me: Lord, you care even about this waking and sleeping self, the one who no one knows but you.
Nearby someone is snoring
with the efficiency of
an industrial meat grinder
and it’s not polite to hate someone
while their eyes are closed.
Or sometimes the bed is empty,
they are gone, gone,
missing and missed
and there’s no use being grateful,
for their silence now takes up
all the oxygen anyhow.
God, no one knows me like this.
Moving from my concrete days, my immovable schedule,
to nights when I unravel in long loops
like a knitted sweater.
I am someone else entirely.
Needy and hazy, lonely and yet
desperate to be alone.
God, I need the sort of peace
that calms storms into bathtub water.
Or the peace that folds origami
out of the tight corners of my mind.
I need peace like a weighted blanket,
a hand over my heart,
and this time you say it.
You say it like an oath.
You promise.
You will not leave me here, like this,
at the edge of where darkness meets darkness
while the rest sleep soundly on.
reflection prompt
Find a notepad or blank note on your phone. List three worries. Don’t judge them. No one has to see them. Now put them away and see if your mind can drift a little further than before.
CLUB DISCUSSION dates
BOOK CLUB meets Thursday, May 16 @ 12:00 – 1:00 pm AZ (MST)
++Book discussion facilitated by Sheri Brown
About the author
Hi, I’m Kate. Let’s untangle our culture’s obsession with toxic positivity and self help, shall we?
I am a Duke professor, podcaster, and author with a single mission: giving you permission to feel human. (And letting you have whatever weird or boring hobbies you can’t explain to strangers. Do I love roadside attractions and exotic potato chip flavors? Yes. More than I should say.)
I believe that the world would be a gentler place if we took apart the well-meaning clichés we use when life is hard. (What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger? Maybe what doesn’t kill you might try again tomorrow. 🙂 )
I am determined to create a gentler world for everyone who wants to admit that they are not always “living their best life.” After years of being told I was incurable, I was declared cancer-free. But there’s no going back. I am forever changed by what I discovered: life is so beautiful and life is so hard. For everyone.
Read more about Kate Bowler.
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