When Doing It All Is Undoing You: Meeting God in Your Unmet Expectations

Women are worn out. Exhausted. Disappointed and disheartened. Tired of trying so hard to keep it all together, of managing circumstances to keep everyone happy, of doing all the right things so that things will turn out the way we want them to or think they should. No matter how hard we try, there are so many things we can’t control, and in trying to do it all, we’re left fragmented and frazzled.

But what if it’s not about what we do or can’t do? What if it’s about who we are becoming as we walk through life’s realities? In When Doing It All is Undoing You, Alyssa Bethke examines how women so often believe we can manage outcomes and do all the right things to make our lives go well, and how challenging it can be when we realize that we can’t control how things turn out. She helps readers understand the difference between the things that are ours to do and the things that are out of our control, and she examines how our striving for approval, balance, happiness, and lofty ideals so often masks fear. She acknowledges that even when we do all the right things, the outcome we hope for is not guaranteed, and addresses the disappointment so many of us feel when the life we have looks nothing like the life we envisioned.

She also digs deeply into scripture and shows readers that men and women have always wrestled with this, and directs readers back to God’s promise that His Way is light and His presence our strength and hope.

Ultimately, Alyssa shows readers that turning away from trying to manage it all and turning towards the God who is after our hearts will actually bring the hope and fulfillment we’re all longing for. By drawing near to God, we can learn to hear His voice, find meaning in our deep disappointments, and become the women that He created us to be--free, fulfilled, and faithful.

Alyssa Bethke loves Jesus, coffee & the sun. She’s married to her loud, passionate and adventurous husband Jeff, and a mom to her favorite three kiddos Kinsley, Kannon and Lucy. They keep her on her toes, on her knees, and constantly laughing. They live in Maui with their two dogs, three cats and love that it’s summer all year long there. Alyssa and Jeff help reclaim God’s design for men and women and families at Forming Men, Forming Women and Family Teams.