Another Achiever Goes Rogue! Here’s the story of author and fellow Texan Mary DeMuth. She’s a wife and mom of three, author of over 30 books, triathlon-completer, and lover of Christ. Her writing focuses on being restored and being “re-storied,” meaning allowing Christ to take your old and make it new.
How did you move away from performing for your worth and toward receiving grace?
assessment is Achiever. It’s hard wired into me. For a long time, I believed it was “bad” to have that bent. Now I’m offering myself more grace, accepting that God has made me to accomplish a lot, and that’s okay. The problem comes when I equate my worth with what I do. Instead, I am learning that regardless of what I accomplish, His love remains steadfast.
What would you say to encourage the woman who isolates herself from feeling her hurt and pain by being busy, by looking for outside recognition, or by always trying harder?
I would say read The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath
by Mark Buchanan. That book changed my life and heart. We are commanded to rest, to rejuvenate, to do nothing, to take breaks from endless screens.
You will never, ever grow in Christ if you choose activity over rest.
You will never experience God’s amazing presence if you’re on 24/7, constantly moving.
Isaiah 30:15 warns, “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says, ‘Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.'”
How has God helped you trust His grace and love for you?
He speaks to me, encourages me, and places people in my life who love Him and love me. Often it’s my Christian community who are Jesus with skin on that teach me about His great affection for me, His daughter. I almost cannot understand God’s love in isolation. I need others.
What counsel would you give to the woman who wants to move away from working for her worth and toward a life of rest and grace?
I wrote an entire book about that! 🙂 Worth Living. So it’s hard for me to nutshell and answer. The simplest answer is to train your mind away from the lies about worthlessness and toward God’s truth about our intrinsic worth in Him. That usually involves memorizing Scripture, daring to tell the truth to yourself, and involving yourself in worshipping Him.
What’s one way we can rewrite our story so we remember that we’re new creations in Christ?
I actually would say WRITE YOUR STORY. Put it to paper. Chronicle the faithfulness of God on the page. Make a timeline of His intervention in your life. That work then becomes a holy reminder of God’s faithfulness when life gets difficult.
To follow Mary online, go to:
Thank you for sharing. I look forward to checking out Mary’s book, Worth Living. Happy to have found you via Journey to Imperfect!
Robin- Mary is absolutely wonderful! I’m so glad that stopped by. I hope you stay a while. Let me know how you enjoy the book! -jill