"Running Scared" Book Review

Ed Welch is one of my favorite authors when it comes to counseling and spiritual growth issues. His book Depression: Looking Up from the Stubborn Darkness has been tremendously helpful to me, along with his regular blog posts on CCEF's website.

Here are a few quotes from his book Running Scared that really hit home for me:

"Listen to your fears and you hear them speak about things that have personal meaning to you. They appear to be attached to things we value...To deeply understand fear we must look at ourselves and the way we interpret our situations. Those scary objects can reveal what we cherish. They point out our insatiable quest for control, our sense of aloneness."

"Any time you love or want something deeply, you will notice fear and anxieties because you might not get them. Any time you can't control the fate of those things you want or love, you will notice fears and anxieties because you might lose them."

"There is a close connection between what we fear and what we think we need.
If we need comfort, we will fear physical pain.
If we need approval from others, we will fear being criticized.
If we need love, we will fear rejection.
If we need admiration for our attractiveness, we will fear getting fat.
Whatever you need is a mere stone's throw from what you fear.
Two prominent categories of fear are those fears related to money and people. Their power to provoke fear is directly related to how much we need them. If we need what people can give us, they are in control and we will fear them.  If we need what money can give us, we will notice rising insecurities whenever we do the bills."


The book is organized more as a devotional than anything else. There is some structure to it with part 1 building on part 2 (much longer). It's more like 30 devotions on fear and anxiety that add up to a masterpiece of help for those who struggle to find the God of rest.

For those of us who struggle with fear and anxiety, this is a book that deserves to be read and re-read. Welch's counsel is timeless and extremely helpful.

Get the book here.

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