“Own It,” by Michael and Hayley Dimarco is a companion book to the soon to be released movie, “Grace Unplugged.” I genuinely enjoyed reading the heartwarming story, “Grace Unplugged,” and “Own It,” is like a sweet dessert after a satisfying dinner. I thoroughly enjoyed reading every page of this book filled with nuggets of wisdom about owning your faith. I think that a number of Christians struggle on a daily basis with grasping their faith. Let’s face it many of us can’t believe it if we don’t see it. For those who want to take ownership of their faith and understand it in a tangible way, I urge them to pick up Michael and Hayley Dimarco’s book, “Own It.”
The Dimarco’s tackle the concept of owning your faith by laying out what it means to take and not take ownership of your faith. They stress that when you own something you immediately feel a sense of attachment to it, a sense of devotion or love and even responsibility to that it is you own. They discuss how the heart can mimic faith when it fakes it, borrows it, rents it, pick and chooses it or disowns it all together. This false faith eventually leads to spiritual deception and a deep sense of discontentment. Surprisingly, most Christians probably walk through these phases on their journey to owning their faith. The authors explain that you own your faith only when Christ owns you. When you’re consumed with Christ in your daily life you strengthen your faith. So the stronger your relationship with Christ is the more your faith grows.
The book is organized into six chapters that address how owning your faith will save you, cost you, change you, complete you and free you. This is where the book gets good! Once you start digging into these chapters you begin your own in depth self-examination of your faith. In our society there is an enormous amount of emphasis on self and obtaining worldly desires which often leads us to putting our faith into things or self instead of God. When this occurs the outcome without a doubt will always be disappointing and unfulfilling. Placing faith into ourselves, idols, others, or happiness can’t save us. Only Jesus Christ has the power to save us and our faith can only work if we completely have faith in his saving grace.
The Dimarcos don’t sugar coat the fact that faith does cost you. For example, it costs time. Faith requires you to spend time with Christ. They make the point that the amount of time you spend in your relationship points to the health and depth of your relationship with Christ. When you’re distant you’re less likely to recognize your faith at work, which is why so many people probably give up on their faith. The biggest cost that I would say most people struggle with is giving up control. They hit the nail on the head when they say that if you try to be in control of everything then you are playing God. If your faith is rooted in your control then you can never yield to God’s will. As human beings we like to make up our own rules to live by and follow our own standards. If we’re going to immerse ourselves in our faith we have to be willing to let go our own self-imposed law, guilt, justice, and rights. We have to die to self. This sounds terrifying, but the Dimarcos explain that because of the grace of Christ it isn’t necessary for you to carry these burdens, Christ gave you permission to let go and let him take complete control of your life. Throughout its’ pages Michael and Halyley give testimonies of how they came to relinquish their own need for control and become God reliant instead of self-reliant. In one such testimony Michael writes about when he found himself in a jail cell. Suddenly realizing his way of life wasn’t working he made the decision to completely surrender the false control he had over his life to God so that he could guide him. Even in the worst of circumstances because of his willingness to obey God’s will for his life he finds contentment. There are many more testimonies that show the stepping stones and situations that both the authors face on their path to owning their faith which are inspiring, encouraging, and relatable.
What this book so beautifully describes is that when you decide to own it and be immersed in Christ your faith will change you. Embracing your faith changes your eternal destination, your heart, mind and even your personality. When you’re aligned with God you develop a willingness to change. This willingness can’t happen on our own, because we’re in a total state of depravity as human beings. Your desire to change stems from your closeness to God that encourages you not to be involved in the old nature, but to live as new creature in Christ with renewed faith.
“Own It,” gives the clear message that your faith completes you. If you live long enough you’ll know that not a human being on earth that can complete you or make you whole. Wholeness doesn’t come through marriage, children, career or anything else the world entices us with it can only flow through devotion to your faith. When you’re complete you’re free. Many of us walk around free, but the truth is we’re bound in shackles. Why? Because instead of owning our faith we live in a state of worry, anxiety and fear all emotions that God never intended for us. The authors tell us that when you worry you call God a liar and you don’t believe you can trust him. That is the wonderful thing about owning your faith you know that God is in control and not one thing will happen that is not in his will and for his glory. This knowledge frees you from your human thoughts and brings you into a spiritual understanding that gives you peace.
I would recommend “Own It,” to everyone who struggles with their faith and especially to those Christians beginning their walk in faith. Understanding that your faith is personal, real, and dependable can change your life if you decided to own it.
Book Release Date – September 1 (Today!)
Film Release Date – October 4
Visit the film’s official website – http://graceunplugged.com
Visit the film’s IMDB – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2349460/
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