Discovering You: A Review

23rd Jun 2023

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There is a quote by Elisabeth Elliot that perfectly sums up the aim of this book.

“In order to learn what it means to be a woman, we must start with the One who made her”.

Discovering You aims to help you find out your God-given identity by looking to His Word.

When I started this book, I took my time with it because I knew it would be easy to devour it in a day, but I wanted to savour it. I’m glad I did because I feel I got more out of this way and that my brain had time to process what I read.

‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’ (Jeremiah 1:5)

It is a visually appealing book filled with images, and the language used is simple and easy to understand. It is an interactive book providing questions for self-reflection and space to write notes. It is filled with interviews, letters from the founder of Girl Got Faith, advice, and prayers.

There were a couple of sections that I found particularly helpful. These were Bible Study 101 and Who is God?

Bible Study 101 outlined a five-step template for spending time in the Word.

Step 1 – Begin with prayer. Ask God to help you focus on His Word and not be distracted during this time with Him. Ask God to open your heart and mind to receive His Word so that you will be receptive to His teaching and hear Him clearly. Thank Him for the provision of His Word and for this time you are spending with Him.

Step 2 – Start reading.

Step 3 – Context. Begin to dig deeper into the verses you have been reading. Who wrote it and why? When and where was it written? Read more than one translation to gain a greater understanding.

Step 4 – Map it out and journal. Highlight the verses that stand out to you. Circle the words that you want to understand more fully. Take note of any thoughts or questions that arise.

Step 5 – Apply.

‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.’ (Romans 8:37)

Who is God? This section listed a lot of the words that we associate with God. Seeing them all in one place humbled me. At that moment, I was in awe because He is all those things, and then there’s us, His imperfect creations whom He sacrificed His Son for because He loves us so much. I’ll list some of the words below.

Some key points from Discovering You:

Like God, we are creative, intelligent, spiritual, communicative beings with a purpose.
Every aspect of our being was created to reflect something of the image of God.
We must submit our weaknesses to God and ask for the Spirit to be alive in each of us.

‘For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ (Ephesians 2:10)

Discovering You has helped me to become more confident in my identity with God. But as anyone knows, the transformation journey takes time, even when you have the knowledge. It’s a lifelong journey walking with God, and everyone begins their journey at different stages, so I would recommend this book to anyone. Young or older. It may be aimed at younger readers, but Discovering You is an excellent book whether you need to be reminded of your identity in God or are at the beginning of your journey.