Review: The Happiness Dare by Jennifer Dukes Lee

5 Stars!

Let me start by saying that I don't read much non-fiction, but there are some books that really jump out at me and I know I just have to read them, such was the case when I was offered the opportunity to review this book. My first thought was "That sounds like exactly what I need!" And I am delighted to say that it was exactly what I needed. I'm one of those people that really need permission to be happy and this book showed me how to give myself permission, one of the main questions this book answers is one that I have wondered about many times myself: does God really care about my happiness? The discovery I made was eye opening for me! 

Please allow me to veer off course for a minute here, I promise I will get to the point. As a twenty-something single woman who made a commitment to purity at the age of sixteen, I have read numerous books on the subject of purity and fulfillment in singleness, and they were very good but honestly I feel like The Happiness Dare has helped me to feel more fulfilled than all of those other books combined, I realize that this book is in no way connected to purity but the thing that I have found is that all of those purity books instructed me to "Delight in the Lord" for my worth and happiness both before I'm married and after, that was great and I highly agreed with it but what those books failed to mention was how to do that! I love Jesus and I take incredible pleasure in our relationship but I never knew how to know whether I was actually "Delighting" in Him, that is until I read The Happiness Dare, and now I finally know and understand how to delight in our amazing Lord! While of course I still want to get married someday, I'm now finding happiness in right where I am in life rather than wishing things were different! Thank you to the author for writing a book that had a huge effect on me personally, this book has changed my life in many ways! 

Another of the multitude of things I learned from and loved about this book was that I finally realized it's okay to be a Christian and find happiness in the good gifts that God has given us, including (for me) chocolate, my favorite TV shows, Christian romance novels, et cetera! Obviously not to excess and taking great care to prevent them from becoming idols, but I learned that every person has a unique happiness sweet spot where earthly pleasures (the good ones, not the sinful ones of course), heavenly joy and their own God-given wiring intersect, I found that the moments within my sweet spot are the happiest for me. I'm sorry if I'm giving too much away I just can't say enough about how profoundly this book has impacted my life! I highly recommend the Happiness Dare to anyone and everyone! And I plan to re-read it many times in the future! 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House in exchange for my honest review, which I have done!

All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own