Perfected - by Bethany Broderick (Paperback)

About the Book

What do you do when "believe in yourself" feels empty? This book leads the reader to trade the striving and hustling that culture says leads to success for the truth that Christ has perfected you for all time.

Book Synopsis

"Am I good enough?" The question plagued Bethany's heart and mind as she drifted off to sleep each night. She worried whether her meager efforts had met the expectations of those around her, the ones in her own head, and (more importantly) the ones she felt from God.

Culture answered her question with glowing affirmations. You've got this girl! Just believe in yourself! You are more than enough, just the way you are! Even in the church, her struggles with insufficiency and insecurity were met with true yet incomplete promises. He created you just as you are! You're a princess in his eyes! You are enough for him! All these phrases were merely bandages covering the festering wound of how inadequate she felt.

How could she truly know if she was good enough?

Through biblical teaching alongside her own personal struggles with perfectionism and condemnation, Bethany shares how she learned to lay down her efforts to be good enough by trusting that Christ is enough for her.

Perfected replaces the burdensome expectations and empty affirmations of this world with the truth that Christ has perfected you for all time. You can find freedom from your self-sufficient striving and rest in the finished work of Christ on your behalf.

Review Quotes

"Balanced, beautiful, and full of Biblical truth, Perfected offers a breath of fresh air to any reader who has wrestled with feeling the need to muscle through life--and faith--by trying harder or working more. Bethany Broderick has masterfully intertwined her story with the Story, pointing readers to the Gospel truths that set us free from perfectionism, performance, and self-condemnation. Highly recommended!"
-- Ann Swindell, Author of The Path to Peace and owner of Writing with Grace

"Perfected offers a clear and compelling message for perfectionists and legalists alike-- the gospel offers both the freedom to fall apart and the power to flourish in Christ alone. Bethany not only understands the roller coaster of trying to live the perfect life by her own power, she provides rock-solid theological evidence that we can get off the ride and stand firmly on the promises of God."
-- Maggie Combs, co-author of Sweeter than Honey: A Bible Study on Enjoying God in His Word

"This book reads like a deep exhale after a lifetime of holding one's breath. Combining honest reflections with biblical truth, Bethany gently invites readers to step off the hamster wheel of striving and rest in the lavish grace of God's perfect sufficiency. As someone who has always struggled with perfectionism, I am so grateful for Bethany's persistent encouragement to seek freedom in Christ over a captivity of my own making."
-- Ashlee Gadd, author of Create Anyway: the Joy of Pursuing Creativity in the Margins of Motherhood

"For anyone who has ever felt worn down and discouraged by the belief that they're not doing enough or being enough, Perfected is for you. Through her own stories and biblical truth, Bethany shares a way out of the shame and striving so many of us are trapped in and helps us find freedom and wholeness through Christ. In a fast-paced, productivity-driven, achievement-oriented culture, Perfected offers a message we desperately need."
-- Sarah J. Hauser, speaker and author of All Who Are Weary: Finding True Rest by Letting Go of the Burdens You Were Never Meant to Carry

"In Perfected, Bethany thoughtfully shows us the only truth that is ever going to set us free from the angst of life in a broken world: the perfection of Jesus Christ. Her words and stories are written with clarity, but in this book, it is her heart for the reader that really comes through. Bethany writes with truth and grace in a way that is going to make you feel both seen and encouraged."
-- Katie Blackburn, author of The Very Best Baseball Game: A Story about Disability and God's Good Design for All of Us and Gluing the Cracks

"This book is a breath of fresh air for every woman living with the suffocating pressure to measure up. With vulnerable stories and biblical explanations, Bethany will graciously help you find hope on the other side of striving. A right view of God's grace transforms us from the inside out, leading us to good works from a heart at peace."
-- Emily A. Jensen, author of He is Strong, coauthor of Risen Motherhood and Gospel Mom

About the Author

Bethany Broderick is an author, speaker, and professor who has written for The Gospel Coalition, Risen Motherhood, JourneyWomen, Christian Parenting, and more. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband and three young children.