Making Peace with Change: Navigating Life's Messy Transitions with Honesty and Grace

I purchased this book as Gina is the daughter of a friend of mine. I kept somewhat up to date with the Butz family as they served the Lord in Asia and then in Singapore and followed their "adventures." God has gifted Gina with the ability to take some difficult challenging life experiences and give us a blueprint for walking through life circumstances with peace. I so appreciated her honesty and yet the Bible is the foundation on which she builds her relationship with God. The Scriptures she used I will come back to time and again to remind me who God is and how I can connect with Him on a deeper level, trusting in His goodness through ups and downs. She touched me spiritually as I read this book.

No life is stagnant. All of us will be challenged by change -- some of it unwanted, much of it for the better. How we respond to change and can make all the difference. Gina Butz gives great encouragement and vulnerable examples for navigating the impact change has in our lives. This small volume offers practical, biblical instruction for meeting change head on and welcoming the unexpected blessings in the process.

This book feels like you’re meeting with a friend over coffee, having a heart-to-heart. I appreciated the author’s raw honesty in sharing about her struggles amidst her years of constant transition. The most impactful concepts of the book for me were the sections on grief, loss, and navigating desire. I liked the way the author encourages us to lean on God’s character in the midst of transitions and uncertainty. This book is especially applicable to those who have spent time overseas as the author is familiar with that life, but also for anyone who has undergone any significant transitions or losses, whether big, small, or cumulative.

I had no idea at the time I began reading, was what a HUGE role this would play in my life. Change has always been a part of my life, and I thought I would read this and say yep, true, I agree.... I never dreamed my husband and I would find ourselves facing a new normal, a change that was unfathomable. Each chapter has given me truths and encouragement to face these new challenges with the knowledge that God is here, in the messiness. We have acknowledged that "This is hard". And I am praying that I can accept "Every part of transition - every moment, interaction, emotion, challenge, surprise - is from the hands of a loving Father." Thank you, Gina for opening up your heart and sharing the tough stuff.

This book gives me hope as I follow the Lord in day by day transitions of life. Trusting God with your life is a terrific thing, however it leads to places where we have to get on our knees for the solutions to the calling he has placed on our life. I'm thankful for Gina's book that covers topics of anchoring ourselves to God in the midst of the messiness of this world. Not only for those moving international, but so applicable to other changes in our lives. "It's only when we are lost enough to let go of our feeble attempts to make life work, when we feel the reality of our smallness in the world, that we can grasp God's greatness in contrast." Thanks Gina!

This book came into my awareness at the same time that I am finding myself going through transitions that I didn't want or seek.... I didn't really know what to expect as I started reading the book. The book is deceptive! It looks like a fast read. Quickly I discovered that while it appears to be an easy read, there is depth there--wisdom born from experience with the subject and while the words may seem simple, I found myself needing to close the book, close my eyes....then open the book and re-read a section again to soak it in. That is not my normal way of operating! When something is hard, I tend to strap on my steel toed boots (figuratively of course) and hard hat and just push through to the end. Through Gina's writing, I am learning the importance of acknowledging the hard...and remembering God's goodness in it. Taking the time through the transitions to process them.A must read book for anyone who has ever gone through any change, is going through any change or thinks that change may happen at some point.....

I am familiar with Gina Butz's writing from following her blog and I received an advance copy of Making Peace with Change for review via Net Galley.Making Peace with Change is not merely a compilation of her previous blog posts. It is an in-depth look at the topic of life's transitions and how to navigate them with God. There are many nuggets of encouragement to be found and much to chew on in this slim volume. I highlighted many passages and plan to go back for a second helping.

Two weeks ago I started reading Making Peace with Change for the second time. Just about every page has a gem that feels like a gift just for me. I have spent the past 20 years teaching about transition and have experienced it myself multiple times. Most recently my husband and I moved to a new state. For me this has meant a completely new job, a new and different style of home, new friends (well I am still working on that one!), and a completely new environment. In this recent move I have been reminded countless times that teaching about transition and going through it personally are too very different things! I have read a number of books on transition and change and find this one to be the best as far as giving strong spiritual encouragement that is not the rose colored glasses sort. I am being challenged to accept this transition as God's assignment for me. I am being reminded to admit where it is really hard and at the same time, walk by faith knowing that HE has not forgotten me. I highly recommend this book to anyone going through a change.