Honestly

Rating:
Summary: Powerful Testimony & Book
Review: A few years ago I found a new copy of this book at a used book store for a decent price. I gave it to my dad for Christmas because he's an avid reader of non-fiction, especially biographies & autobiographies. I wish I'd read it first before I gave it away. I eventually bought a copy from Amazon & read it recently (4/04). I'm glad I finally read it myself.

Sheila Walsh got saved when she was 11 years old. On the outside, she was a successful Christian talk show host, singer, & author. But she had ghosts from her childhood that she had never dealt with properly. At what seemed like th peak of her success(age 35), she stepped down from her spot as the co-host of the 700 Club & checked herself into a Christian Psychiatric Ward in Washington, D.C. That was probably the best thing that she did for herself. From there on out, God began to work on the the things that had tormented her for so many years. Today she is happy, healthy, whole, & restored. her life is truly a testimony to what God can do if we surrender totally to him.

Thank you, Sheila, for writing this book. My prayer is that your books, sermons, & music will continue to touch many people as they already have. God bless you, Sheila Walsh!

Rating:
Summary: WONDERFUL -- speaks to the heart
Review: I have struggled with, at times winning and at times losseing, depression since I was a small child. I am a strong full-faith Christian. Believe it or not, and a lot of people don't -- you can be both. Sheila breaks that ground and opens her heart and her soul for the good of us reading. She has hurt sooooo much; and come soooo close to the edge of darkness. This book speaks to the heart and damaged maind of every depressed reader; I have cried on each page; for her and for me. It is a great read for the non-depressed to illustrate that a real and active Christan can still be attacked. The support the book offers for fellow depression suffers is excellent. It is not a total explanation of depression, nor of "seeking help" but it is a personal journy that empowers other to walk the path. It is not all you need to read; but it is a read support.

Rating:
Summary: A light in the dark
Review: It has been a few years since I read Sheila's book, so I don't remember a lot of specific details about it as much as the feelings I had about it. I got the book after attending a Women of Faith conference where I heard Sheila speak. Part of what Sheila shared with us was about her struggle with depression. I was deeply touched by Sheila's story, as I could relate to many aspects of it. I began struggling with depression while I was in high school. My life seemed to be going well as I was an honor student apparently headed for a good college and career. But inside, I felt like I was falling apart. It was hard for me to share what I was feeling as I was also dealing with denial and shame. While I was never hospitalized as Sheila was, I always had the feeling that I was just barely hanging on. Fortunately, I was able to find some answers in books I read, but as I tried to share what I was experiencing with other people, I encountered as much misunderstanding and condemnation as compassion and understanding. So I could relate to Sheila's feelings of isolation, and her need to hide her true self from the world.
As for Sheila's book Honestly, it was like a light in the dark for me, to hear from someone who had experienced something similar to what I went through. It helped me know I was not alone, and played a role in my healing process as I read it and reread parts that were most significant to me. It was also encouraging to see how God was using Sheila's painful experiences to enable her to minister to others, a concrete example of how God can take the bad in our lives and transform it into good.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with depression, shame, and feeling like they have to hide their true self from other people. It is helpful to hear from others who have shared these feelings, and we can learn from their experiences. For those who may not be going through these things, I would recommend this book as a tool to gain some understanding of those who are, and to better know how to respond to others' pain with compassion.
Just as an added note, for those who may think depression is just something to be "fixed", I went into it as an atheist, and came out with a rock solid faith in God. The pain of depression can be helpful in that it may cause us to question our perception of reality, to be seeking something more, and to see our need for and be more receptive to God's love and compassion. In this respect, depression can be a catalyst for spiritual, emotional and mental growth.