this book resonates with me and had so many reminders that I need to do better about taking to heart.

As a new mom, I put so many pressures on myself. Unfounded pressures really. I don't live a gracelaced life as often as I should. I don't bathe myself in the words of the gospel as I should. I try to fix things in my own strength far too often (and I suck at it). This book is one that I need to read again and again (along with the Word) to speak truth over my life.

HIS grace is sufficient.
HIS love sustains
HIS approval matters

Anything else I am chasing will pale. I am to come just as I am and seek to be changed. Y'all, I encourage many to read this book!

This is such a beautiful book-both the words and the graphics. I enjoyed it so much and have given it as gifts.

I really liked this one! It was a compelling read and I didn't feel pulled out of the book. I wanted to keep reading.

This focus on the fact that we cannot work to achieve God’s love is touching. Society’s focus on being the best and having the most has influenced our lives and the author encourages the reader to accept God’s grace. I can’t say it was the best book I’ve read, but it would be a good book for a new Christian to read as they begin to grow.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

A beautiful autobiography of grace and leaning into rest. Thank you, Ruth, for sharing your story! The encouragement and gentle weavings of leaning on grace and the Lord Jesus Christ's mercy fills this story.

One of the key components for a good book in the Christian genre is how much it makes me want to open my Bible and seek to know God. This book did that for me from chapter one. So much of our culture is striving and hustling— this book, shows us why we do this and are always so exhausted; it also shows again and again how unnecessary it is when grace is God’s free gift to those who love Him. Because it was written as a memoir, it’s easier to look at Ruth’s life and relate to her struggles as a striver. She pulls back all the curtains and gets down to the uglier side of striving, but because she is sharing her personal struggles, it doesn’t come across as judgmental. The book reads like a friend who has been there and wants to help you out of a tough spot. I love this book and to anyone who struggles with perfectionism, people pleasing, being hard to please, being on the team of “I’ll succeed if I just try harder”, I cannot recommend this book enough.

Ruth Chou Simons’ book, When Strivings Cease, is a beautiful read. It teaches you all about how striving isn’t the answer and only leaves us feeling like we’re not good enough. Grace is the answer and our strength in Christ.

‘We say we trust that Jesus is enough, but we spend our lives trying to prove that we are, instead.’ Sometimes we allow our lives to spin out of control by trying to please others or even ourselves instead of remembering who we are in Christ. This book by author, Ruth Chou Simons, is such a reminder to the reader that God’s grace is sufficient. The world pushes that if you don’t measure up to certain standards, you are not worthy. Simons writes about her own upbringing and how she continued to strive to be enough! Her book intertwines her art and writing to point us back to aligning our life with our hope in Jesus and knowing He is enough! ‘Take your eyes off everything you think you need to be amazing, and be amazed, instead at God’s grace.’ I highly recommend this book that tells a beautiful message of life changing grace.

This book was good. Really good. I love how personal and relatable Ruth is. Reading this book was like sitting down with an old friend. Ruth shares her childhood experiences as an immigrant family and striving to fit in. Ruth constantly pointed to the gospel truth throughout this book. It was wonderful to read. Culture will tell you that ‘you are enough’, but it’s a wonderful reminder that only God is enough. We need to rest in him and let go of our strivings. We need to be shaped by Gods word and accept Gods grace. Ruth reminds us that God desires us to know him and enjoy him forever. Because of Christ’s finished work on the cross, Gods grace brings freedom and change. I also loved that the title of this book is in one of my favourite songs “In Christ Alone”.

I hope that you are able to read this book. I can’t recommend it enough! Thank you @ruthchousimons @gracelaced , Netgalley, and the Unmutable Team for letting me be a part of this launch team!

Love Ruth Chou Simons and this book was so lovely and wonderful! Thank you for the opportunity to read it and to take part in the discussion :)

YES. Yes, I would recommend this book. Yes, I think you need to have a copy of this book on hand to either go back to or to lend out to a friend. Ruth has so many refreshing insights to share. I felt so loved and known as I turned each page.

GRACE. We hear this word a lot in the church and often, it's misrepresented. We think Grace means we can do whatever we want. Not true. Ruth Chou Simons opens her heart and shares her experiences with us--by the word of your testimony--which is something that causes life change in the readers. I am so thankful that the team at Thomas Nelson believed in her enough to help get these hope-filled words out to so many. Reading it as an e-copy, I have nearly 200 highlighted notes--that's a good book!

This is a book you should have on hand for graduation gifts, wedding gifts, baby showers. A must read book of the season (an on-going season). I would give this 10 stars because I got so much out of it. ... But beyond the content, the structure of the book, the style--it's all Grade A, top-notch.

I was given a copy of this book as an advance read. I then proceeded to purchase copies for Christmas Gifts--so yes, the opinion here is my own and not a requirement from the publisher for a free anything. I wish I could sit and chat with you about what your thoughts are and what spoke to you because I'm sure we'd have a lot to talk about.

In When Strivings Cease, Rachel Simon Chou dissects some of our strivings from wanting to be the best, shame, to belong and everything else and replaces them with God's truth and relatable stories that make you feel like you're not alone.
Warning this book should be read with a journal because you'll take a lot of notes here. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend this to everyone.

When Strivings Cease by Ruth Chou Simons is an important read for Christians today. The author draws for various parts of her life to show the life changing effects of God’s grace to permeate everything and change how we react. I have never heard anyone speak about God’s grace the way this author does. This book is a treasure to read again and again in this world that tries to make us think we aren’t enough as we are. I highly recommend it. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

When Strivings Cease is worth the read. Ruth delves into something that many people struggle with—striving. We are a culture that focuses heavily on self-help. Ruth describes her journey and struggle with striving. Ruth shares that what Christ accomplished on the cross saves us from this cycle of self help. We do not have to strive for grace, because we will never be enough on our own. Ruth continually pointed us back to the gospel, and I so thankful that she did. Beautifully written and a wonderful message.

So when do strivings cease?
Striving cease when we no longer need to prove our worth. (2 Thess 1:11)
Strivings cease when we stop chasing approval as our comfort (1 John 4:4)
Striving cease when we glory in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9)
Striving cease when God is greater and more awe-worthy than our accomplishments. (Ps. 143:3)
Striving cease when we know peace apart from pleasing others. (Col 1:20)
Strivings cease when Jesus so captures our gaze we stop chasing everything else (Ps 73:25)
Strivings cease when God is for us and no longer against us (Rom 8:31)

I had the pleasure of meeting Ruth Chou Simons when my daughters invited me to a teaching in Kansas City, Missouri. I loved her style of teaching. Taking my emotions to the truth of the Gospel. She doesn't leave me in a emotional tangle, but communicates the truth of God. After the teaching, Ruth likes to take the time to meet with those that came to see her. She also is a beautiful artists that takes the beauty of nature to scripture. It gives a soul peace. We were able to speak with her and she takes the time to get to know each of those standing in line. My daughters and I shared with her our love of BBQ in Kansas City and told her 3 places for her and her husband to check out. Slaps BBQ, Joe's BBQ, and Q39. We were able to find out later which one she did get to and it was fun for us that she and her husband got to enjoy some good KC BBQ. What I am trying to convey is she is a friend and gives a great example of what friendship is. Taking the time. Does that go into the subject matter of striving. Yes, I think it does. We strive for so many things and Ruth lays out what striving has been to her. Her culture, her marriage, her family, her ministry, her shame, sin, and her relationships.

Her teaching on striving is relational and it is also truthful. What drives us to strive and how we can rest in truth. I think it is more important to know what causes our striving and Ruth takes all the emotions we feel and leads us to the truth. I appreciate her ministry and I recommend this one for you to soak in.

A special thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

Being able to read this book has been an absolute blessing. Without giving anything away, I found so much of myself within the pages. While only being able to write about my experiences, I came away with a much better understanding of striving, and it's advantages and disadvantages in my life.

Very much enjoyed my time reading this book, and will be referring and recommending it to others for quite some time.

Ruth Chou Simons has diverged from her usual literary contributions (beautiful visual art books), and has instead brought a deep theological book. This is not a disappointment at all. She is an artist and she’s got skills to unpack theological concepts, too.

In “When Strivings Cease“, Ruth explores the complexities of faith and grace. She doesn’t beat around the bush. She admits, “My most anxious, weary, and discouraged times are not simply seasons affected by circumstance; They are seasons shaped by wrong core beliefs about God…Imagine all that I forfeited with an inaccurate picture of God and his availability to me: assurance, peace, comfort, strength, joy, freedom; so much missed simply because I believe wrongly about what I needed in order to come, and keep coming, to God.“

Through her Chinese upbringing, Ruth learned that doing the right thing was culturally important and expected. This shaped her belief that she had to “perform” in her faith. This book is her manifesto of breaking free from that mindset and embracing grace.

A key lessons Ruth shared was, “It was true in my life and it may be for you, as well: we can’t know freedom if we expect grace to make us merely better, rather than completely new. Better seeks to measure up; completely new requires a miracle. We sell ourselves short when we receive the gift of God’s forgiveness and his grace as a self-betterment strategy - as self-help. He wants nothing less than all of you and all of me.”

Ruth’s insight on the topic of grace and how well she knows herself was really astounding. It’s not easy to look past our presuppositions to our core longings, but she does. “Could it be that we are so worn and desperate for ways to better ourselves because we’ve missed the power, inherent in the grace of God, that eradicates self improvement all together? Is it possible that we keep trying to answer the wrong question – “Am I enough?“ – When we’re really wanting to know: “Is God enough?“

It’s important to note, as Ruth said, that we act out of our beliefs. We all have a set of beliefs in place and out of which we operate and make decisions. She mentions the story of Eve. “Eve wasn’t simply tempted into a momentary lapse in judgment; she acted out of her belief. She believed God’s direction and provisions for her good were not enough; she believed she knew better than God.” Ouch! If we’re honest, I think all of us can say we wrestle with that important question, “Is God enough?” It’s easy to think we know what we need better than God does. If we remain uncertain in God’s sufficiency, that causes our faith to waiver. In our uncertainty we struggle to stand firm. We struggle to be strong and courageous. I think that it is a normal human response, though. That’s why it’s good to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness through scripture and song. Ps. 43:5 “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!”

We must decide for ourselves the answer to that question. Knowing that “Everything that is ours in Christ is true right now but, at the same time, not fully realized - yet. We are living in the now and then not yet. And in this in between, we can mistake not yet for not enough if we are not grounded in what the Bible actually says about God’s favor and how we receive it… we are not yet sinless, but his forgiveness is enough to make us clean. We are not yet with him face-to-face, but his presence is enough to sustain us. We are not yet fully transformed, but his glory is enough to declare us worthy.“

Grace should be easy, but we’ve made it complicated. It’s really about unconditional love and our willingness to accept it without assuming there are strings attached. All you have to do to experience it is receive it. I highly recommend “When Strivings Cease.”

I received an arc copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This latest read from Ruth Chou Simons is like an honest, raw and real conversation with a friend. I found myself nodding and agreeing in every chapter--perhaps my upbringing and self-expectations, formed by my impressions of those around me as I grew up, are so closely linked to the experience Ruth writes about. But I suspect, I am not the only one. It strikes a familiar chord because at some point, more often than not, we've all strived for something with our own strength, abilities, knowledge, etc.

Ruth doesn't just let us in on her past and inner-most thoughts and dialogue over that time, but brings us along the journey. She does it so well, and her heart for God and sharing His hope and redemption for our lives is so evident in every single sentence. I highly recommend for any woman, of any age, that has felt the burden of "never making it" or feeling like they "always fall short" of their goals, dreams, hopes or pursuits. It's so freeing!

I highly recommend reading When Strivings Cease by Ruth Chou Simons. This book will give you a whole new insight on God, grace, and what exactly it is that you keep striving for but can never attain. I’d love for all women who have struggled with trying to live up to the impossible to read this book and feel the sense of freedom that I have. In a world where we’re being bombarded with self-help strategies from books, podcasts, and yes even sermons, Ruth’s words of truth are a heartfelt reminder that no matter how hard we strive we can’t possibly save ourselves, and we aren’t meant to either.

Ruth Chou Simons newest book, When Strivings Cease: Replacing the Gospel of Self-Improvement with the Gospel of Life-Transforming Grace is such a much needed message for today. In this book, Ruth shows us why striving on our own is not the answer. Only the true Gospel is the answer. For me, I tend to try and control everything and when that doesn’t work, I feel like I have failed. Ruth shows us how there is freedom because of Jesus. This is a message I need to hear daily. I cannot recommend this book enough.

I was blessed to receive an electronic copy via the publisher. All opinions are my own.