Today it’s my pleasure to introduce you to my friend, Michele Cushatt. Every once in a while I pick up a book and it’s an instant keeper. I know it will be on my shelf from that moment on.
This is one of those books.
Michele is also one of those people that you know are “keepers.” Friends for life. Today I share about Michele’s book, her story of living life fully in the midst of the unexpected.
“I was so focused on dying that I almost forgot to live.”
Those words stopped me. I highlighted them. Underlined them. And for good measure, I put a star next to them.
Michele Cushatt wrote these words in her new book, Undone: A Story of Making Peace with an Undone Life.
It’s the story of marrying the perfect guy only to find a very painful reality behind four walls.
It’s starting over when that marriage ended.
It’s meeting a guy and suddenly having a blended family with six beautiful children.
It’s loving that man and those children and navigating the obstacles to find the beauty within this new reality.
It’s settling in, watching three of those children thrive and leave the nest, feeling at ease only to discover that you have cancer at the age of 39.
It’s battling cancer for four years only to discover that it’s returned again — for the third time.
It’s fear.
Overwhelming fear, only to hear these words whispered in your heart by God: LIVE FEARLESS. It’s feeling like a lesser version of yourself because you feel anything but fearless or in control. It’s going from feeling like you can conquer the world to cowering in the corner.
In all of this, Michele paints an uplifting and honest picture of what it means to live undone, and the beauty of what she discovered by living an unexpected life.
That’s why those words grabbed me.
I was so focused on dying that I almost forgot to live.
I know Michele, and the fruit of the decision she made that day.
She lives.
She doesn’t pretend to be super human. She’s honest on those days when treatment, or another surgery, or the fact that she’s so tired and in pain that she can’t see straight, that she needs prayer and asks for it. But she also pours out joy. Strength. She laughs. She lives.
If I could share three things that come through her life and through this book, it’s these three things:
God sees you and will provide you with the strength you need
The peace you can carry is only through God
No matter how dark and big your circumstance, God is BIGGER
I hope you’ll check out this beautiful book (and buy it for you and a friend) and connect with this beautiful #livefree woman of faith on her blog.
Suzie
Share your comment below to be entered to win a copy of my new favorite book, Undone.
Well, I am in tears. I prayed for awhile about a word that God wanted me to focus on for 2015; that word was LIVE. I thought I was doing a pretty good job at carrying out my word this year, until several bumps in the road formed last week… and grew bigger with each passing day. This morning, I woke up defeated. Worried. Fearful. And then, this. God is so perfect in his ways. Thank you for sharing this, Suzie. And MIchele, thank you for the exact words that I needed this very morning. Today, I will LIVE.
It’s an awesome book! One I will reread. One I find myself sharing over and over…in conversation and in gift!
I have a sweet dear friend battling stage 4 colon cancer. she has a 16 year old son that she is raising alone. She struggles so much but tries so hard to have faith and trust that God will allow her to live a long time and be here for her son. I, myself, have had cancer before. It’s a horrible disease that strikes fear into the heart of a mother that she may never see grandchildren, or see the many life changes of her children. Even though I remain cancer free, only to the glory of my God, I still battle the fear of recurrance. My friend battles are far greater battle, she faces the side effects of chemo, and the terror of the next scan to see if all she has suffered has even done any good. It is heart breaking to watch her go through this…and very difficult for me to encourage her, though I do all the time. I beleive she would love this book and would be able to relate to Michelle. I pray daily for the people battling this evil disease and that God would help us all to find good, and grow in it and find Him in it…thank you for sharing.
Sounds like such a great book! I’d really like to read it, and I know I could really benefit from the wisdom and insight she has to offer in this book! Thank you so much for doing this wonderful giveaway!
This sounds like an amazing book, would love to read it! Thanks for the chance!
What a lovely post! I am putting Undone on my wish list immediately!
This sounds like a book I need to read. Our family has gone through so much lately. We have lost two brother in laws, a cousin and now my mother in laws cancer has returned. I need some word of wisdom on how you got through your own struggles. Thank you for this chance.
Unburdened Heart is a wonderful book! I would love to win a free copy of the new book!
I could really use this book right now. Dealing with the pain of loss and being unhappy.
Wow! Sounds like a book written for all of us to be encourged with, throughout our entire lives! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for offering this book & sharing. I would like to read it as we keep getting knocked down with continual health & marriage issues one after another. I’m tired . I know God has a purpose for all this pain & my heart needs to be renewed.
I was blessed to be on Michele’s launch team. She is the real deal, and her book is incredibly inspiring. Definitely a keeper.
I can’t wait to get my hands on this book. While my story is very different, praise God cancer is not one of the issues I have to face yet, I do know that God will see you through when life becomes undone. I find such encouragement for my life in the stories of women like her and it is a blessing to share their message with others. I would love to have the book since my budget it tight with my own medical issues and expenses. Praying for you and your family on your own journey!
What a beautiful story! Thank you for recommending! I marvel at the strength God has available to us if only we are willing to trust that He really does want good things for our lives. I look forward to getting my hands on this:)
Thanks for sharing, I am truly finding that it is a choice to really live and not fall prey to the condemning thoughts and situations that come into our lives, that we must choose joy and rely on the strength of Jesus to get us through. This story is amazing and offers a hope in a broken world.
What a struggle. I’m in the middle of my own. Just when you think you can’t do it anymore you can! With God we can.
I praise God that he is using all of Michele’s struggles for his glory. I praise God that he has her. I praise God that he is speaking powerful truth through this book. I want to be undone for you Jesus. Let all of us be undone for you. Thank you Suzie for sharing this today. Cheering you on from the #RaRalinkup on Purposeful Faith.