When Sheila Walsh told me her next book would chronicle her lifelong struggle with suicidal thoughts, I cried.  I cried for her – for the terrible suffering she has endured with the dark thoughts that accompany major depression. I cried for my son, Matthew, who lost his courageous fight with mental illness. But I also I cried tears of relief for the women who will read this book and find unbelievable comfort, strength, and HOPE as they recognize – maybe for the first time – that their immense pain is understood, shared and validated, not only by Sheila, but by a loving Father.  If you’ve ever told yourself “this world would be better off without me” or “I can’t do this another day” please read In the Middle of the Mess.  You’ll find a sister who gets you, who is walking the same road you are, and who is learning how to survive and even thrive in the middle of the mess of this broken and beautiful life.

This book will not only change your life — it may just literally save your life. It is one rare, luminous, astonishingly brave book, saying what too many of us in the shadows have been desperate for someone to speak out loud for years. Sheila Walsh is not only a brazenly vulnerable, fearless warrior, she speaks unwavering truth that shat- ters the dark into a freeing light. It’s a long time since I’ve read such a book and I weep for joy that someone finally wrote a literal lifeline. This woman is my hero.

In the Middle of the Mess boldly combats the lie that we are alone in our struggles and unqualified by them. In a world overrun by social media it’s easy to forget that no one is without hardship. Sheila’s beautiful vulnerability will remind us all that while we may see ourselves through the skewed filter of the world, God sees us through the cleansing blood of Jesus, perfect and whole.