Guest blog: 'Getting naked later' with Kate Hurley
Kate Hurley grew up in a mountain town in Colorado surrounded by beauty. She's a music teacher, composer and author. Kate's latest book titled "Getting Naked Later", and is a guide for the "Fully Clothed". In this q&a, we sat down to discuss her faith journey and inspirations for writing her book.
How would you describe your faith journey so far?
I first established a personal relationship with God at a youth camp, that's where I remember hearing about God's love. But I'd say my faith became real to me during college when I went through a life altering depression. It was a very scary season for me, however my faith in God got me through it.
I see my relationship with God a lot like a marriage. It started out with butterflies and excitement, but then we went through some years of frustration. But we stayed together because we are in a covenant. When I think back on all those years, I see that we have never given up on each other despite the hard times- just like a marriage. My faith has changed a lot in those years. When I read journals from my early years as a Christian, I often wrote "I'm sorry I didn't spend time with you". There was a lot of guilt that was teeming on the inside of my heart.
God's tenderness has softened me more and more, and now I feel so much more freedom to be myself because I know I am so loved. My prayer life has also changed a lot. I used to beg God for the things I wanted. Now, my prayer life is more like the verse that says"I have stilled and quieted my soul like a weaned child with it's mother" (Psalms 131:2). A weaned child doesn't go to it's mother for milk. It goes to her because he or she loves being with her. That's how my prayer life is now. I just love being with God and sitting with Him and letting Him comfort me rather than always asking him to change the circumstances in my life.
What was your inspiration for writing "Getting Naked Later"?
I'm 45 years old and have never been married and never had children. However, I have a sweet man in my life now who I'll probably marry this year. But this was truly the tragedy of my life for many years. I love children and it was absoloutely heartbreaking to go through life without having what I longed for.
Because of this, I felt pretty alone in this and there were so few books that spoke to the situation I was in. The ones that were written about how to land a man or how to be thankful for the "gift" of singleness. Most of them were written by married people. I loved being able to write a book for people like myself who could enjoy reading something from a different perspective. It ended up being humorous at times and touching at other times. I tried to be honest with my struggles while at the same time bringing a sentiment of hope, even to those who will never have their dreams fulfilled.
What kind of impact would you like your book to have on your readers?
More than anything else, I want my readers to feel understood and known. I want them to feel like they're doing more than reading a book but pouring their heart out to a friend. Being single can be so lonely. If I can bring an element of a reader feeling like they are not alone in their journey, then it was worth every step for me.
How do you think writing this book has impacted your personal relationship with god?
Now that the book is finished, I've been so moved reading it and looking back at what God did in my life. I actually recently recorded the audiobook and it was such a moving experience for me. Reading a particular chapter just reminded me of how faithful God is. He's always been with me in my sickness and my longing for a husband and my childlessness. He's been right by my side, never leaving me, always comforting me and always holding my hand.
Whats next for you?
The book I'm working on now "Prodigal Mind: Change Your Story, One Thought At A Time" has been more challenging for me to write as it is about overcoming negative talk and is very physiological in nature. I've had to do a lot of research and pour a lot of time and effort into this book. But it's brought me a lot of healing. I really want to work on my marketing so that I can get my words into more people's hands.
Check out Kate's book here.
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