NIGHTSTANDS & COFFEE TABLES

Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist

REVIEW BY MEREDITH MCKINNIE

“I let words like responsible and capable govern many of my years. And what good are they? Words that I’m choosing in this season: passion, connection, meaning, love, grace, spirit.”

Shauna, like so many of us, found herself spinning incessantly on the hamster wheel of life, a life she created and was told defined success. But she didn’t feel successful. The constant need to prove herself to people that mattered the least in her life left little time to show herself to the people that matter most. When a friend asked her, money and circumstances aside, what she would do if she could do anything, Shauna answered, “rest.” She knew then that what she most needed was to slow down, to embrace the silence, to reconnect with God. Her life had become endless tasks in service of God’s ministry, but what she most lacked was feeling’s God’s presence. She needed to change her life, to refocus her priorities, and with God’s help, she knew she was the only one who could.

In this book composed of brief essays, Shauna recounts the steps and the time dedicated to changing her life from the inside out. She begins noticing God’s directions in unlikely places, nights out with friends, words from her two young boys, passages from a book. She started listening, stopping what she was doing and listening to the silence. “I’ve been terrified of silence my whole life, and for the first time, I’m finding it beautiful.” The pauses and moments absent of sound, though uncomfortable at first, became her safe space, where she could hear and know the next step or whether to step forward at all. She found comfort in the word “no,” and peace in the word “yes.” Trained to always say “yes” had left her worn out, and she learned to take time to make her decisions, to consider her family and the impact of her choices before acting on impulse.

When she paused to appreciate life, to breathe in the fresh air and soak in her surroundings, she found stillness and peace. When she took time to talk to God, to share her failures and fears, she felt comforted. If you’ve ever felt lost, or consumed by busyness to the point you’re not sure what you’re working so hard for anymore, this guidebook, of sorts, is a conversation with someone who’s been there and admits she’s still fighting her way back to the center, as it is a daily struggle. Niequist writes with beauty and elegance and uses words that drip off the page and into the hearts of those who’ve longed to feel someone shared their experience. She doesn’t preach to her readers, but rather shares her own understanding of love, grace, and passion, how it’s not found in what we do, but how we choose to live. Shauna’s faith-based and God-centered approach to life is refreshing and timely and realistic. Her search for silence and true connection is one we all can learn from and perhaps employ in our own lives.