8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT
Sometimes you come across a book that you feel was written just for you. This is that book.
If you’re anything like me, you need a loving friend to hold up the mirror that shows you what you’ve been spending your life on. The sleepless nights, the wrestling matches with the thoughts in your head, the second-guessing of decisions you initially believed to be the best considering the information you had, the outcomes that you wish you could erase with edited circumstances, the arguments with yourself in your head, the conversations that you rehearsed but never had with other people … all of it … Lysa TerKeurst brings to the forefront in her soon to be released book, “Making Peace With What I Can’t Control: Finding Relief From the Exhaustion of Overthinking, Trying to Fix Others, And Wanting to Figure It All Out.”
From the very beginning of the book, I found myself underlining, making notations, marking up the pages with every turn. Almost as if GOD Himself had sat me down to have a face-to-face conversation with Him about the things I was doing. But not as a judge or disciplinarian, but rather with the intent to get my attention and clearly see what my thoughts were leading me to do.
I did not think I had a problem with control; especially controlling others. And yet, I found how my actions were now proving me wrong. What I thought to be simply ‘good intentions to help,’ was in reality my attempt to fix situations by persuading the other person to see things my way. And in the process, taking on the burden of fallout and shrapnel that were never mine to contend with. But again, because I started the process … I believed I was ‘assigned duty’ to fulfill it to the end.
Friend, some of the weight that we bear just might come from unnecessary involvement on our part. And that’s where you will be stretched to consider why you dip your big toe into the arena at every sound of the bell.
We are not doomed to repeat our mistakes if we pause long enough to examine our thought processes and our hearts before we get suited up for a battle that was never ours to engage in. Scripture gets you there ~ to that pause ~ and will strengthen you as you wisely choose well, both for yourself and the other person.
Lysa acknowledges the emotional tidal waves that accompanied the various decisions made in the past. She shares hers and invites you to reflect back on yours, so that moving forward will be more about thriving and not just surviving.
This is another one of Lysa’s books that will be referenced in my life in the days (and years) to come. I’ll go back to the material, as I usually do, and gain deeper insight in another season.
If you pre-order before the official release in September, you will receive added bonus material for your journey of discovery.
You can purchase wherever books are sold. This is a Thomas Nelson publication copyright 2026.
Lysa TerKeurst is president of Proverbs 31 Ministries and the author of more than twenty-five books, including It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way and the #1 New York Times bestsellers Forgiving What You Can’t Forget and Uninvited. She writes from her family’s farm table and lives in North Carolina. Connect with her at http://www.LysaTerKeurst.com or on social media @LysaTerKeurst.
I love you to Heaven and Back, Girlfriend ~
LindaRJohnson, TitusTwo Visionary
*Thank you to Lysa TerKeurst | Thomas Nelson Books for this.
Titus Two 