When I pitched it to publishers, they said no. It was called “The Sexy Wife I Can’t Be.” ( Read it here) Through the comments, I was OVERWHELMED at how many people shared a story of sexual abuse that still affected them today. I wrote a post on Deeper Story that went crazy. I’ve written 15 traditionally published books. How did this book come about and why did you decide to write it?

Marc: Mary, take a moment and introduce my audience to your book and your story. Mary is in the middle of an Indigogo crowd-sourcing funding campaign to raise the funds necessary to make this book a reality, and she was willing to share a brief interview with me. That work then becomes a holy reminder of God’s faithfulness when life gets difficult.Click through to see Mary’s campaign for this book. Make a timeline of His intervention in your life. Chronicle the faithfulness of God on the page. What’s one way we can rewrite our story so we remember that we’re new creations in Christ? That usually involves memorizing Scripture, daring to tell the truth to yourself, and involving yourself in worshipping Him. 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. So it’s hard for me to nutshell and answer. I wrote an entire book about that! 🙂 Worth Living. 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 almost cannot understand God’s love in isolation.

Often it’s my Christian community who are Jesus with skin on that teach me about His great affection for me, His daughter. He speaks to me, encourages me, and places people in my life who love Him and love me. But you would have none of it.'” How has God helped you trust His grace and love for you? In quietness and confidence is your strength. 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. You will never experience God’s amazing presence if you’re on 24/7, constantly moving. You will never, ever grow in Christ if you choose activity over rest. We are commanded to rest, to rejuvenate, to do nothing, to take breaks from endless screens. I would say read The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath by Mark Buchanan. 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? Instead, I am learning that regardless of what I accomplish, His love remains steadfast. The problem comes when I equate my worth with what I do. Now I’m offering myself more grace, accepting that God has made me to accomplish a lot, and that’s okay.

For a long time, I believed it was “bad” to have that bent. My number one strengths on the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment is Achiever. I don’t know that I’ll ever resolve this issue.

Not Marked by Mary E. DeMuth