When it comes to encouragement, optimistic writers of faith are what move me most towards a positive mindset regarding life.
Any book, including several from our beloved Xulon authors, that prompts more faith and trust in the Heavenly Father always push me, the voracious reader, to “gobble” up the literature and ingest its principles for future use in my life.
However, it has become clear to me over the years of reading faith-based encouragement books that there is a definite difference between how women and men write tomes of encouragement. Men tend to write motivational books as more of an advice-filled guide aimed at problem solving; women, on the other hand, lean more towards daily words of reassurance and shared stories of experience (“God provided this for me; He can do the same for you.”)
One of my favorite female authors (given that this is Women’s History Month) is Christian author and speaker Michelle McKinney Hammond, who has written countless books for women on love, surviving life’s trials and appreciating one’s femininity.
Although these are common topics that women probably peruse regularly at the bookstore, the manner in how Michelle presents her words of advice and encouragement speak to women’s hearts on a deeper level.
Michelle understands that she is a woman by blessed design (Amen!) and that women tend to frequently compare themselves to others in that constant pursuit of perfection. Instead of talking down to readers in a self-righteous manner, Michelle readily embellishes on her own faults and failures.
From discussing how her broken leg (from being hit by a car) led her to her calling as a faith-based motivational speaker to her continued search for the man God intends for her, Michelle lets readers know that she is just like them; a former sinner in need of Jesus’s constant reminders of His love and forgiveness.
She reveals these aspects of herself to encourage women to open up about their own flaws, seeing that these imperfections develop the character of the woman as they reject the negative attitude and embrace a positive outlook.
Not one to step away from the Bible, Michelle uses several familiar biblical stories and scripture verses to implore women to see the love of God in their daily lives. Her words seem to speak the thoughts and feelings of well-known biblical figures, bridging the connection between their circumstances and readers’ situations.
As she urges women to look inwardly and see what God may be exposing in their lives, she is never one to be in short supply of inspiring words to motivate change in female readers. “You go, girl” and “You got it going on, Sister” are frequent statements in her books that definitely put a smile on the faces of readers, this one included.
Michelle, as with other female Christian authors, sees her books as more of an intimate conversation between the author and writer, almost a sister-to-sister bond as they share details of their lives over cups of coffee (and chocolate).
These female authors realize that readers will read their books over and over again when in need of enlightenment or just a friendly “pick-me-up” in tough times, and they address their books to women’s daily need for encouragement and love.
