Let Go: live free of the burdens all women know, by Sheila Walsh (Thomas Nelson, 2008)

We all need deliverance in one area or another. To receive it, we need to let go: of self-effort, legalism, past hurts or actions, unforgiveness, shame, lack of self-worth, fear, loneliness… the list could go on.

Men need this freedom too, but Let Go is a woman-to-woman book. Each chapter opens with brief quotes and a contemporary parable. Sheila Walsh shares her personal experiences as well as teaching from Scripture. Chapters end with a few questions for discussion or private contemplation, and with a prayer.

Initially I feared this would be a lightweight overview of complex issues, but I needn’t have worried. Sheila introduces each element with a gentle touch and goes deeper in successive chapters. This is a good way to approach touchy subjects like hurt and shame that we may have to chew on a while.

Sheila’s music has blessed me for maybe 30 years now, and a recurring theme is that God loves each of us—more than we can imagine—no matter who we are or what we’ve done.

This is the message at the heart of Let Go. Sheila writes, “God’s love for us is based on who he is. This truth can change our lives if we are able to receive it.” (p. 172)

Sheila Walsh’s transparency and her heart for God make her a woman He can use to touch others. Let Go is an encouraging book that’s well worth reading. To find out more about book and author, you can read the opening chapter of Let Go or visit Sheila Walsh’s website.