From overwhelmed by life to overwhelmed by God
Hayley DiMarco helps women trade
in stress and
worry for grace and love
The phrase “a woman overwhelmed” is one many
women can relate to. Research reveals women are more likely to admit to being
stressed and suffer from depression than men — yet there is hope. In A
Woman Overwhelmed: Finding God in the Messes of Life (Abingdon Press/August
15, 2017), best-selling author Hayley DiMarco shows
readers what would happen if they could
see the insanity in their pace and turn to embrace an overwhelming God.
Women are often overwhelmed by
the demands and circumstances of life, resulting in stress, fear, worry,
impatience, fatigue, frustration and even depression. The emotional tolls are
great but often result in physical symptoms, such as weight gain, insomnia, headaches, anxiety attacks and
digestive problems. “Women have a list
of things to be overwhelmed with, but most of the time it comes down to their
to-do list, which includes working, nurturing, loving, exercising, cleaning,
cooking and more,” DiMarco explains. “We also tend to use comparison as a way
of determining our value and our success. With all that has to be done, it
would be much easier if everyone would do what we want them to do, but alas,
our lack of being able to control others ends up overwhelming us as well.”
In A Woman Overwhelmed, DiMarco shares biblical insights and personal
stories to show we were created to be overwhelmed, not by life, but by God. She
offers a glimpse at the comedy of an overwhelmed life while encouraging readers
to discover the depths and heights of God’s love and power. When we learn to be
overwhelmed by God, the fruit in our lives goes from rotten (exhibiting selfishness, thanklessness, impatience, harshness,
immorality, unfaithfulness or a lack of self-control) by focusing on the wrong
things to fragrant (living with love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control) by living focused on God.
“We were made to be overwhelmed
by the goodness and grace of God. For that reason, our hearts search for
something bigger than us. When our mission
in life is to accomplish our own plans, dreams, hopes and desires, we are
fertile ground for too much to do and not enough time or resources to do it. We
naturally become overwhelmed with them,”
writes DiMarco. “The Mission of Me is not a road to emotional or
spiritual success because there will be difficult times and devastating
failures. However, the Mission of God, though fraught with difficulty, sees
success because God will not be frustrated. When we align our will and mission
in life with His, we see life through different lenses, and suddenly everything
that would have overwhelmed us is now a tool for our good.”
DiMarco hopes women will be
empowered to find freedom in becoming overwhelmed with who God is. In addition
to the book, she has written a companion six-week Bible study—A Woman
Overwhelmed: A Bible Study on the Life of Mary, the Mother of Jesus—that walks through
the story of Mary and digs into the Old and New Testaments to offer biblical
and practical application related to aspects of life that can make us feel
overwhelmed. Available components include a workbook, DVD, and leader guide, or a kit option.
About
the author
Hayley DiMarco is the
best-selling author of more than 40 books, including multiple books in the God
Girl line, The Fruitful Wife, Obsessed, Die Young and Own It. Her
latest release is A Woman Overwhelmed
and its companion Bible study.
As
the founder of Hungry Planet, a company intensely focused on feeding the
world's appetite for truth, DiMarco speaks regularly for women’s groups and
events, including Women of Faith, dotMOM, Precept National Women’s Convention
and MOPS International.
Hayley
and her pastor husband, Michael, live outside Nashville with their daughter and
four dogs.
To learn more about DiMarco and her
books, visit her online home www.HayleyDiMarco.com. She can also be found on Facebook (hayley.dimarco) and Twitter (@hayleydimarco).
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