Customer Reviews

Healing is a Choice: 10 Decisions That Will Transform Your Life and 10 Lies That Can Prevent You from Making Them

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Every person makes choices. Some are major and imposing, while others seem insignificant and inconsequential. Still, each individual --- no matter how discouraged, hopeless, or dejected he or she might feel --- has the opportunity to effect positive, life-enhancing change in his or her life. This principle holds true for those struggling to recover from infidelity, divorce, bankruptcy, illness, job loss, familial estrangement, or abuse. Author/counselor/radio host Stephen Arterburn teaches readers practical methodology for making biblically sound decisions that will change their lives for the good.

Arterburn offers no quick fixes in his text, but he compassionately leads those who are seriously interested in investing their time, energy and commitment toward realizing significant life changes through biblically effective methods that will help them to think differently --- Godwardly --- and will enable them to recast a damaged, spiritually stunted history. The author points out that God has provided the properties to heal within every facet of our nature --- bodily, emotionally and spiritually. Writes Arterburn, "It takes courage to seek out, obtain, and utilize whatever resources you need to treat the untreated areas of your life. But not everyone has the courage. Not everyone is willing." His call (plea, actually) is for all Christians to look carefully at who they are, why they do what they do, and how they can move forward to a richer, more spiritually healthy place.

To jumpstart this process, Arterburn recommends "inviting quiet" so as to do a "pain inventory and a feelings checkup." He suggests that individuals ask these introspective questions: What am I afraid of? What is missing? Am I empty? What am I filling up on? Why am I refusing to feel? What feelings am I avoiding? Arterburn says that these questions and their respective responses help people gain insight into life patterns of protection. He asks readers to look at areas where they experience fear, then anger, and finally guilt. Once this exercise is completed, studied and carefully considered, healing can begin when honesty and courage meet with trust and faith in God, and in His ability to provide gracious daily strength to change.

Specifically, the author discusses the following 10 choices every person makes in regard to healing:

Connect one's life with others, or give in to the lie that "all I need to heal is just God and me."
Face life (ugly emotions and all), or the lie that "real" Christians experience real peace in all circumstances
Thoroughly investigate life in search of truth, or embrace the lie that it does no good to look back.
Seek healing for the future, or believe that time heals all wounds.
Help one's life, or give in to the lie of self-sufficiency.
Embrace life, or pretend there is no problem by denying its existence.
Espouse forgiveness, or only bestow the gift on those who deserve it.
Allow risk its proper place, or spend every day protecting oneself from any potential pain.
Serve today, or wait until complete healing has taken place.
Persevere, or give in to hopelessness.

Each of these subjects is handled on a chapter-by-chapter basis with countless narratives, real-life scenarios, and lots of author-to-reader dialogue that encourages, challenges, and lovingly directs.

One of Arterburn's strengths as a communicator is his willingness to be honest about his own life struggles. He is candid, at times sorrowful, and at other times jubilant. But always he urges individuals to seek out the substantive help and healing Christ alone can offer them.


--- Reviewed by Michele Howe

As anyone who has read my reviews knows, I have read a lot of books on emotional healing. But I have to say, this is one of the best out there. Steve is incredibly vulnerable about his divorce and the resulting pain. I think people who pass this book by simply because Steve is a divorced are making a mistake. This book plays it straight and hits you right between the eyes. I could identify with so many of the lies that Steve discusses in this book. This book was incredibly hard for me to read, but I made it through. This book contains a lot of practical, solidly biblical advice, if you have the courage to follow it. This book will keep you awake at night. It certainly has me. But I've realized that we can either go through life healed or we can be comfortable. We can't do both. Being healed is many things, but it is not and never will be predictable and comfortable. Another thing I like this book is that Steve makes it clear that healing is different for everyone and that it manifests itself in different ways, in different people. This book has TONS of food for thought. I believe this book will be life-changing for anyone who reads it. It certainly has been for me. I also recommend reading this book through at least twice.

I couldn't believe it when I first started to read this book and the author disclosed the details of his wife leaving him and the terrible divorce he faced. After reading this so early on in the book, I wondered how this man was going to successfully give advice to others on how to heal? I must publicly ask forgiveness from God and from Mr. Arterburn for my shortsightedness! How awesome it turned out to be that he could share that intimate story with his audience and show us how to deal with the different pains that we must all go through! I learned a tremendous amount from this book! Please do yourself a favor and read it, no matter where you are or what you are facing in your life! Don't wait another minute!

Healing is a Choice by Steve Arterburn was absolutely the best book that I have read - both of all the books that Steve has written and of the books that I have read on this subject. The biggest reason for this is that, to me, Steve addresses the very core issue of all healing as coming from our will. Whether what has happened to us is something that has come about through our own doing and choices or whether it is come about through what has been "done to us", caused through something outside of ourselves that we had no control over - either by persons or circumstances, it doesn't matter. In either situation, damage can be done that is irreparable to our emotions, our minds, our spirits, our wills, and our bodies. I love the fact that Steve genuinely and so humanly covers both of these areas in his book by sharing circumstances from his own life and the lives of others - circumstances that have happened either from outside of themselves or come about through each one's own choices.

Steve helps us see that the activation of our wills is a critical step in the healing process, if not often the first step. Even Jesus focused on the will of individuals when sick people came to him or he approached them. So often we find Jesus saying to the person, "What do you `want'?" or "Are you `willing'?" Steve then takes us one step further in the healing process by enabling us to see that our outlook on our situation is absolutely critical to the activation of our will by pointing out various lies that we can believe that paralyze our wills and keep us stuck in a victim role and mentality.

Having been healed personally from several years of multiple sclerosis and from being paralyzed in a car accident, I can attest to the absolute importance of the activation of my will in the healing process. It was so important for me to face and counter the lies that were holding me captive. The activation of my will enabled me to move into more freedom emotionally, spiritually and mentally. I thank God that it also resulted in physical healing for me. It doesn't always and I value and appreciate the fact that Steve addresses this component as well. He concludes this great book by enabling us to see that healing is a journey and wherever we find ourselves in the process - emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and/or physically - we can serve others from that place and find meaning, purpose and value to our lives - living life to its fullest along the way rather than with regrets.

An absolutely powerful book - five stars in my estimation! Read it, let it activate your will today and experience life-changing transformation!

You may not necessarily appreciate Mr. Arterburn's advice unless you are broken and humbled. Some reviewers take offense at the advice offered by one whose own marriage failed. However, my point of view is, "Who better to listen to than someone who has walked in my shoes?". I've spent the last year of my life trying to survive. I'm ready to heal and start living again. Seems to me that the author has "been there, done that" and he speaks the truth. If you aren't ready to hear that truth, perhaps you should set it aside until you are ready.

My therapist asked me to get this book and I have not been able to put it down. If you are serious about getting help in healing with true Christian guidance, this is the book for you. The book is easy to read, non-itimidating - but very practical and no fluff! It works best if you get the handbook that goes with it and do the exercises after every chapter.

Having known Steve Arterburn as a friend, for more than 20 years, my husband and I find this particular book "Healing is a Choice" quite a triumph. We have walked along side Steve during his journey of marriage and divorce and find his candid confessions of failure refreshing in a world of hidden ministry misgivings. There is no room for judgement when knowing "the whole story" which, quite rightly, he will never share. My favorite reading is in Chapter 7 "The Choice to Forgive". When my handsome seventeen-year-old brother, Britt, was killed by a drunk driver in 1966, my parents made a choice to forgive the woman who caused my brothers death, which in turn taught me a huge lesson that I have now gone on to teach my children and grandchildren. My brothers death changed my life forever, but my parents decision to forgive, even though this woman did not deserve it, turned that negative experience into a positive resolve. I learned that you will be judged with the same hammer you judge others. Steve teaches us to readjust our level of strength against others, even to those that, in the worlds terms, do not deserve it. Isn't that what Jesus would do? Isn't that what He taught? Get the book, if only just to read that Chapter. Don't put it off, start the healing today!

This is a must read that is written in a simple but profound way. The illustrations are entertaining yet helpful. I like this book so much I will be starting a small group this month using this material. There is a discussion book that goes with this book. The book is divided into 10 choices that a person must make to heal. For example, one of the choices needed is to make the decision to grief your loses. I know that I would rather avoid thinking and talking about things that are painful. However, I learned that to heal I need to look at those issues that are painful so that I can be done with them and heal. This book is a winner as are most of Stephen Arterburn's books. Definately a bargain and a great read for anyone because we all go through painful things. I recommend this book wholeheartedly to all of my clients.

If we want to be real we need to be healed from the inside out. Being born into this world means we are born into dysfunctional familes. It is up to make the decision to get real and stop the pattern from being repeated. This book will help get you on the road to recovery.

I really enjoy this book. Stephen Auterburn put his heart into it. I am currently in a ladies group setting at the church I attend. and doing a chapter a week in it and the workbook. It has helped me tremendously as well as other people I know. This a book for anyone who really desires to be healed from the strongholds in their life.