I was recently given the book Confessions of a Molly Mormon by Elona K. Shelley and I really really enjoyed reading it. I love to read but I am not one who normally marks up books while reading them. When I started Confessions I soon found myself reaching for something to write with so I could mark a sentence or paragraph. I quickly found that keeping a pencil with the book was just going to make my life easier while reading it.
I think there are very few people, myself included, who would ever call me “Molly Mormon”. Unlike Elona in my young life I had no desire to be a Molly Mormon, aside from having a bunch of children of my own I wasn’t interested in being what my mind had conjured up as a Molly, she was self-righteous, boring, and incredibly unfashionable (and as I type that I see I was quite judgmental even of my image of Molly).
As I was reading Confessions however I couldn’t help but notice a frightful number of similarities between Elona and myself. I do struggle with the idea of perfection, not for all the same reasons Elona does but because I really do want things to be perfect and go perfectly and how on earth can I have things perfect if I myself am not perfect? I don’t want to give too much away about the book but lets just say many concerns and questions I’ve had floating around in my head were answered but also some questions I didn’t even know to ask were brought up.
I specifically loved the section of the book that focuses on boundaries and loving thy neighbor. Quoting Kenneth Bailey’s Through Middle Eastern Eyes she says “He goes on to say that if we love others with the expectation of love coming back to us, we may give up in frustration and disappointment. But if we love out of gratitude for God’s love, God’s love sustains us.” I’m sure I’m not alone in my frustration and disappointment when relationships didn’t turn out how I imagined they would. It’s so easy to get caught up in the “I did this and they did/didn’t do that” justifications for why a relationship hasn’t turned out how we had hoped and why of course we are in the right in the whole thing. I love how this subject is tackled and how I felt while reading it. Do you ever read something and think it said something only to find you maybe read into it a little more than it actually said? What I got from her words was that we can do what we can but there may be a time when our efforts are enough and it’s OK to step back and let things be as they are. We don’t need to kill ourselves to make a relationship work. It may in fact be easier to feel love for others with a little separation and guidance from the spirit.
I loved that this book covered a lot of topics but was an easy read, something I could immerse myself in and enjoy without having to open other books to understand the topics. I think anyone could grow from reading this book.
You can purchase Confessions here (affiliate link), I know you’ll love it.
Confessions of a Molly Mormon
Trading Perfectionism for Peace, Fear for Faith, Judging for Joy
In Confessions of a Molly Mormon, Elona debunks many of the faulty beliefs that led her down a path of deepening despair as she struggled to make herself and her family good enough to someday enter the celestial kingdom.
During her darkest hour, God sent comfort in an unexpected way and set her feet on a glorious new path of freedom and joy. Learning how to stay on that path – and helping others discover it – has become Elona’s quest.
Disclaimer: Confessions was given to me to read and review, all thoughts and opinions and in the end my love for the book is all me.
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