Enough About Me Review

(I was happy to receive a free copy of Jen Oshman’s Enough About Me: Finding Lasting Joy in the Age of Self.  This review is based upon my own thoughts and opinions. Photo by Crossway)

“You are inspired by nature’s beauty. You care for your hair.
You want hair that is nourished, beautiful and healthy-looking.
Be inspired. Be beautiful.” 

Wow. Me? I had never seen such a moving bottle of conditioner in my life. The elegant words scrawled across the piece of plastic in my hands told me my soapy lather was now the act of tender care, perhaps even courage. I thought I just wanted curly hair and an end to my war with frizz? 

With that glance at the conditioner bottle, I saw again so clearly why we need books like Jen Oshman’s new book Enough About Me. 

I’ve witnessed the “Follow your heart”/”You need you”  mentality of our culture for many years. It’s no secret that from movies, to songs, to TV shows, books,  advertisements, and now apparently hair care bottles- the main goal in life is to direct our eyes to the self. “You have the answers, you have true virtue hidden inside, you have the source of your own happiness,” they scream. 

But the trouble is, if we really start to believe these statements- well- we really have to have the answers.  If our courageous acts as humans are found even in our choice of a bottle of conditioner- how might we feel the overbearing pressure to perform correctly in every single choice we make? If the answers, passion, and know-how are all in me, then I really shouldn’t have any excuse when my parenting, marriage, work, body, or even spiritual life meet difficulty. All too often we believe these lies, and unfortunately, we are left clambering to hold it all. 

This exhaustion is what Oshman shines a light on in Enough About Me. Jen writes, “When we become our own source of meaning, we also become our only source of satisfaction and fulfillment.” This is a dangerous place to be, and I’d wager we’ve all been caught in the trap. But the truth she tells us, is we were never made to “create our kingdoms and make them go around too.” 

Instead of burying our heads deeper in ourselves and finding out how we fix this problem, Jen directs readers’ eyes up to God, our Creator who made us with purpose and who does hold the answers, all power, all virtue, and truly is the source of our own happiness. 

In seven concise chapters, Oshman does a wonderful job of encouraging readers to break the cycle of looking inside for strength by identifying key misconceptions that lurk under the surface of our thinking. 

I really enjoyed my time through this book and moved through it pretty quickly. Jen’s humility in speaking shined through, not bludgeoning me with shame, but gently pressing me to see the hope and grace that the Lord gives. I also really appreciated one chapter that brought the reader through a quick history lesson in the roots of our current obsession with self. Each chapter ends with a few key discussion questions, making this a really great option for a book study, or a discipleship relationship. No matter the age, I think these are reminders we all need to hear. 

Oshman prods us to revel in a truth greater than any text on a conditioner bottle could ever give-, “You are not enough. You are not all you need. But Jesus is there. And he is enough.”