Tired of Trying: How to Hold On to God When You’re Frustrated, Fed Up, and Feeling Forgotten

This is a powerful book. The title grabbed my attention, and then it completely delivered on the bold claim in the subtitle: How to Hold On to God When You're Frustrated, Fed Up, and Feeling Forgotten. This was the right book at the right time for me. If the title caught your attention like it did for me, follow through and get this book. It really will help you!I think what I liked most in this book is that it was authentic and relatable. One of my favorite quotes in the book was this gem: "To hope is to make the choice to wait and to trust. God knows that this is a hard choice. He knows we are weak, especially when we feel tired of trying, and so He helps us." That's where I'm at right now. I'm tired of trying. I'm tired of the constant and unyielding spiritual battles. I'm weary of only reaping contention at every turn. I've constantly had the thought that I've lost my hope, but then I read this definition and I'm refreshed at the way Ashley describes hope as a choice and acknowledges the level of difficulty. Maybe that's a little thing, but I needed the reminder that God knows and understands and wants to help me through that. He isn't surprised or put off at my frustration. That's huge for me.The ongoing example of Jacob wrestling with God is the backbone of this book. It is grounded in Scripture and I can't say enough good things about how well this is put together from cover to cover. There's no fluff. It's all solid material, edifying and encouraging from start to finish.I loved the example of Gideon and his words, "if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us," from Judges 6. Ashley sums it up with the same words I was thinking as I was reading, "With Gideon, we wonder, if God is with me, why have all these bad things happened to me?"She also uses the example of Elijah and how, even though he was obedient to what the Lord had told him to do, he still faced unbearable adversity and difficulty. He wanted to die. Elijah "reached this point not after disobedience or failure but after walking closely with God and performing an incredible miracle in God's power." I needed that affirmation that a life of obedience does not lead to a life without troubles. Ashley says, "It mattered to God that Elijah was strengthened. God provided for Elijah's needs because God doesn't just love what we do for Him, He loves us--and He understands our very real human needs and limitations." This aligns very well with Hebrews 4:14-16!She also references David's honesty before God with his own struggles throughout Psalms, and throughout the book she reminds me that I need to go back to what God says in His word and not rely on my feelings of despair, regardless how intense they may be from time to time. She says, "it isn't until we are confronted with our own utter weakness that we begin to understand we have been quite happy to get by on our own strength and abilities."And then, right when I'm thinking that this book couldn't possibly be any more timely for me than it already is, I read this: "If you are in the middle of what feels like the hardest wrestle of your life, it is not a punishment from God. It is not a punishment at all... I know it can be tempting to believe that everything you're going through could have been avoided if, at some point, you had made a different choice."I beat myself up with that exact thought every single day of my life. It is reassuring to know that I'm not the only one, and that the thought itself is something I need to let go of and choose to trust God through Romans 8:28 instead and let Him work.And again, Ashley points the reader back to Scripture, using the example of the Israelites and how God cared about their spiritual and emotional state, not just their physical freedom, and she explains that God "never expected us to figure things out on our own or have what it takes to get through our struggles without Him."My goodness, I needed this book right now. It helped me better understand who God is and how He sees me.Ashley, thank you for writing!

In my own struggles for over 8 years with my children and marriage I have most recently become burnt out and tired of trying. Tired of holding on when nothing seems to be happening. Forgetting all that God has done during this devastating season. Forgetting how much he has changed me through it. Envious of others he is able to use to build His kingdom. Angry at him for allowing these circumstances to continue for so long. Wondering when/if it will ever be over so He can use me to help others. God is truly faithful whether we are or not. He provided resources for me that led me to discover Ashley Morgan Jackson's website. When I saw the title of this book, "Tired of Trying" I knew it was another resource God provided for me in big bold letters. This book is a blessing for anyone struggling to hold on to God. Ashley is transparent in sharing her struggles that we can all relate to when our world seems hopeless. Her story encourages us to not give up and keep reaching for God because he never fails us.

This book is a must read for anyone who has reached the end of what they have previously known to “work” in their faith and desperately need God to meet them in the wrestle. In the places you don’t understand, feel overwhelmed and frustrated or angry, are working through trauma, etc. This book put words to a wrestle I was experiencing in my faith and life and gave me permission and biblical truth to wade into what felt like scary waters a little deeper with the Lord. Spoiler alert: Ashley unpacks the story of Jacob and turns out, the blessing is actually found when we stay in the wrestle and I’ve found that to be incredibly true. Ashley is a great writer and storyteller and weaves in scripture masterfully making this a relatable, truth filled and timely word for our tired and worn out generation. 10/10

This book was made for everyone. I think even men could relate to it. It really is eye opening to how frustration can bring us down. But if we would stop trying to control our situations, and allow God to take the reins, we would reap the blessings. We must wrestle with our situation and not give up on God, and He will surely bless us, in His way and time!

Such a great book! Many times I placed the book down to pray, cry, and journal. I felt as if God was speaking to me throughout the book.

Everything Ashley writes and says encourages me. I can say with confidence that Tired of Trying is packed with truth and authenticity. I completely relate to her metaphor regarding wrestling, and I love the application she gives from the story of Jacob in Genesis as he wrestled with God. I am in the middle of a wrestling match right now, and Ashley's words are a salve to my heart and mind. Ashley is vulnerable and real as she tells her story, AND she applies the truth of God's Word correctly to the most difficult and messy parts of life. This book is not just written for women; it's just as applicable for men too. I love this quote from chapter 5: "Jacob's request was for deliverance but God's answer was a wrestle." And of course, we know how that match ended: Jacob was blessed. And I have been blessed and encouraged by Ashley's book!At some point in our relationship with God, we will all enter the wrestling ring with God. Ashley points out through her own authentic story that this a blessing - even when we walk away with a limp. Here's what she says about the limp: "So what does it mean to walk with a limp? It means in part, that the limp you now bear is both a mark of victory and a mark of weakness that you may carry throughout your life...Your limp is a mark of your relationship with God and the blessing of transformation He has released in you through your wrestle." Ashley's book was a reminder of my intimacy with God because of the times I've wrestled with Him. I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm grateful for my own limp!

A powerfully written book that felt like it was written just for me. This book helped me to get past when the struggle to keep the faith got really real. Everything that Ashley wrote about in this book I’ve been living daily for years. No amount of reading, counseling or introspection could help me get unstuck… until I read this book. It is filled with no-nonsense truths about who you are in God’s eyes, why the struggle is real, and that you are not crazy for feeling incredibly frustrated with God’s inaction. It provides positive steps to help you get unstuck so you can see the truth and move forward… back to God’s love. It is so comforting to know that someone else experienced those scary, frustrating times when you felt abandoned by God when you needed him the most. My friend, I’m here to tell you that he never left you and this book will give you the tools you need to reconnect with Him again. It will help shift your prospective back to His love and His truth and give you the strength to not only get through your toughest days, but to thrive and feel blessed again. I’m so grateful I found this book!

Since I found Ashley on Instagram, her quotes and teachings from her book were exactly what I was going through and just what I needed to encourage my fragile heart. So, I was extremely excited to finally be able to read it.First things first, *warning* THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL BOOKS YOU'LL EVER READ.I can’t tell you how much revelation Ashley provides. I believe her struggle and wrestle will bring countless blessings, such as power, authority, identity and deliverance to everyone who reads it. Not only did this book spoke to me, but it shifted me to a whole new level, and it brought me a whole new perspective about God, myself and my wrestling/waiting season.The most amazing and surprising thing about Tired of Trying is that each chapter gets better and better. First, you’re introduced with Jacob and his wrestle with the Lord but later on you get to see other examples in the Bible and you realize that you identify with those same disappointments, waiting of promises, broken hearts, and souls. You can also easily identify with Ashley and her testimony. That's what I love the most. We get to see the "lesson" part in Scripture, and then we get to see the "practice" part through her testimony.I learned that it is necessary to understand we all get into a “wrestling match” because God wants us to stop ignoring the roots of our false identities, our masks, our idols; our true problems. It’s not about us, it’s about him. It’s about Him enabling us to become who we really are meant to be. It’s about whose we are and who we are, not what we do.While I was going through each chapter, of course I cried my eyes out. God revealed each thing I needed to change, when Ashley was just mentioning examples, I could see myself in them. And one thing that really impressed me is the immense destruction religion has done in us. Religion breaks us. Religion makes us believe the lies of performance and be people pleasers. Religion Kills. I could see in Ashley’s testimony this truth. I knew religion was not part of the Gospel, but this really opened my eyes to stop seeking perfection and the need of performance and instead seek the One who is really perfect.My favorite quote of the book is this one in Chapter 7: “The Lord didn’t ask the question because He needed an answer. He asked the question because the person He questioned needed the answer. He wanted Adam, Job, Jonah and all the others to acknowledge what they needed.”If you want to know what this means, you need to read the book hahaha got yaBut seriously, this part was glorious for me. During the pandemic, God had questioned me with a lot of questions like “Am I enough for you?” “Do you trust me?” “Do you love me?” I didn’t understand back then why He did this. Now I do, and it makes me so happy. I’m super encouraged to be questioned by God now because He will do it for a purpose. Just as Ashley said: for confession, restoration of faith, correction, reflection, recognition of desires, and restoration.This book is a gift from heaven. I wholeheartedly recommend it! Hopefully, it gets translated into many languages, so this message goes around the world setting captives free.I’ll surely read it many many times each year. Thank You Ashley for such a wonderful reading experience. God bless you!

This book is great and it helped me a lot!

i am always someone who seems to struggle with so called “perfectionism”, which sometimes cause me to feel tired. And i kept wanting to always give the best, wanting to always try. And i really wanna get my hands to this book when i saw the title and some quotes of it in social media.I was reading this in some period of time, and a couple of times i pick it up when i needed it the most to hear the message. Even the last chapter that talks abt Jacob… it resonated with my current struggle.Some of the story really resonated and speaks to me. It was a good read. Thank you. God bless and may He use you more and more Ashley.

If you struggle with burnout at all, this book is a great encouragement! At times I felt like I was reading my own story.