Hold That Thought by Gem Fadling is a non-fiction book about "sorting through the voices in our heads." The author recommends that when having a difficult thought, one should notice, discern, and respond. She gives many helpful ideas when dealing with our thoughts. "Our thoughts are like Post-it notes we carry around in our pockets. We walk around labeling everything we see, beginning with ourselves... Our freedom begins to emerge when we realize we are not our thoughts, we have thoughts and we get to notice, discern, and respond to them rather than react." I appreciated this book and would recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Hold That Thought
Sorting Through the Voices in Our Heads
by Gem Fadling
Pub Date 20 Sep 2022
InterVarsity Press, IVP
Christian | Nonfiction (Adult) | Religion & Spirituality
I am reviewing a copy of Hold That Thought through InterVarsity Press and Netgalley:
If you’re looking for a comprehensive book on theology this certainly is not that, but if you want a Christian book that reminds you of the importance of self-care and positive self-talk, this one book you are going to want to read.
One important reminder that really sticks out in Hold That Thought is that We Don’t Have to Earn who We Are but we get to express who we are. My take on this we are the unique individuals God created us to be, so be yourself.
The book also reminds us that you can only reach for something deeper when you loose grasp on what you already know, I believe this has to do with positive thinking, we can’t get to know ourselves in a more positive light, until we start exploring the positive attributes of ourselves, the good things about ourselves.
But in order to understand the positive gifts we have been given we need to remember that there is suffering in this world, after all Jesus himself suffered unimaginable pain and connecting with the suffering of Christ helps us to deepen, to grow and to become more whole.
Another important reminder is not to overwork ourselves, humans aren’t mean to be machines that can endlessly crank out products, we are more comparable to fruit tress than we are factories. Another words be careful not to burn yourself out.
Don’t let your inner critic control you, think more along the lines of progress not perfection. We can’t do everything perfectly but we can do well.
There were many other valuable points brought up in this book, but I’ll let you discover those for yourself.
I give Hold That Thought five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!

While I am a person of religion, I am not christian so some parts of the book I could not relate to/understand completely however I still connected to many parts of this interesting and timely read. I particularly like the reflection questions which make the book feel much more interactive.

In “Hold That Thought,” author Gem Fadling serves as a sort of spiritual director, taking us on a journey to discover our innermost thought patterns and emotions and to sort through the ones that are unhelpful.

The aim of the book is to help Christian women realize that they are more than their thoughts and feelings, to know the truth of God’s love, His promises and His presence with us, and learn to live in a way that is life-giving instead of life-draining and anxiety-producing.

The book’s chapters are:

1. You Are More Than Your Thoughts
2. Finding Your Voice
3. From Stressed Achiever to Living with Intention
4. From Positive Thinker to Growing in Hope
5. From Inner Critic to Gaining Fresh Perspective
6. From Anxious Controller to Enjoying Life’s Seasons
7. From Complaining Victim to Walking in Freedom
8. From Passive Spectator to Inspiring Through Presence
9. From Unsettled Heart to Being at Home
10. Engaging God’s Voice

I like how the author reminds us that these “voices” speaking to us—the unhelpful thoughts and thought patterns we have—can influence and even drive us. Furthermore, she shares that we should realize there is a reason these thoughts rise up within us, and give ourselves grace instead of shame because of them. We want to discover why we have such thoughts, choosing life-giving actions in both acknowledging them and learning from them with God’s help. In this way, we can no longer be hindered or held captive by them. Finally, she reminds us that our feelings, thoughts, and actions are connected and must work together.

The chapters that most resonated with me were Chapter 5 (“From Inner Critic to Gaining Fresh Perspective”) and Chapter 6 (“From Anxious Controller to Enjoying Life’s Seasons”). Chapter 9 (“From Unsettled Heart to Being at Home”) was also a beautiful reminder for me of a struggle I once faced.

In Chapter 5 on the inner critic, Gem shares that we need to be freed from tendencies such as when we “reduce God to a task, and we break Him down into subtasks so that we can measure ourselves and come up winners.”

I will admit I was hoping the book would be more Scripture-heavy since it is on the topic of our thought life. Scripture is definitely included and alluded to, but it didn’t seem quite as prominent throughout most of the book.

I also hoped to see more a mention of repentance for the sin of our unhelpful thoughts where that might be applicable. Yes, such thoughts do open our eyes to things that need attending to so we can deal with them, but at times I think it is necessary that they should also bring us to repentance before our loving Heavenly Father. In the godly sorrow we feel over them, how they’ve impacted our lives, and how God loves us still, I think healing can come at even greater levels.

In a perfect summary of the book Gem writes, “To think and to feel are both good and necessary, and we want to learn how to live healthy versions of ourselves in the midst of the ups and downs” and “The more honest and willing you are to look at your stuff, the more transformation is possible.”

Note: A free review copy of this book was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.