Grace, Not Perfection Bible Study Guide: Embracing Simplicity, Celebrating Joy
By Emily Ley
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About this ebook
Learn to let go of your daily toil towards perfection and fall into the lasting freedom of God's grace.
As a wife, new mother, business owner, and designer, Emily Ley reached a point when she suddenly realized she couldn't do it all. She needed to simplify her life, organize her days, and prioritize her priorities. She realized that she had been holding herself to a standard of perfection, when what God was really calling her to do was accept the welcoming embrace of his grace.
In this four-session video-based study (DVD/video streaming sold separately), Emily—author of A Simplified Life—describes the journey that led to her pursuing a life that allowed her to breathe, laugh, and grow. Along the way, she'll take you and your group through strategies to simplify your lives. Because God so abundantly pours out grace on us, we can surely extend grace to ourselves!
This message is for anyone who has been trying to do it all…only to feel like you're burning out. Learn to find joy, acceptance, and clarity in the midst of life's beautiful messes.
Sessions include:
- Let Go of the Perfect Life
- Surrender Control
- Build True Community
- Live in God’s Grace
Designed for use with the Grace, Not Perfection Video Study (sold separately).
Emily Ley
Emily Ley is the founder of Simplified®, a brand of planners and organizational tools for busy women, and the creator of The Simplified Podcast. Emily has been featured in Forbes, Glamour, and Good Housekeeping. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including Best New Product at the National Stationery Show, as well as Small Business of the Year, Female Owned Business of the Year, and Entrepreneur of the Year by Studer Community Institute. Emily and her team collaborated with AT-A-GLANCE® to create gift and planning collections carried in Office Depot, Staples, Walmart, and Target. Emily is the author of national bestselling books Grace, Not Perfection: Embracing Simplicity, Celebrating Joy; A Simplified Life: Tactical Tools for Intentional Living; When Less Becomes More: Making Space for Slow, Simple, and Good; and Growing Boldly: Dare to Build a Life You Love. An author, entrepreneur, wife, and mother to three, Emily lives in Pensacola, Florida, with her husband, Bryan, and their son Brady and twins, Tyler and Caroline.
Read more from Emily Ley
Grace, Not Perfection for Young Readers: Believing You're Enough in a World of Impossible Expectations Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Grace, Not Perfection: Celebrating Simplicity, Embracing Joy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5When Less Becomes More: Making Space for Slow, Simple & Good Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You're Always Enough: And More Than I Hoped For Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Simplified Life: Tactical Tools for Intentional Living Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEnneagram Type 2: The Supportive Advisor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSure as the Sunrise: 100 Morning Meditations on God’s Mercy and Delight Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGiving Your Words: The Lifegiving Power of a Verbal Home for Family Faith Formation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Growing Boldly: Dare to Build a Life You Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Preach to Yourself: When Your Inner Critic Comes Calling, Talk Back with Truth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
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Grace, Not Perfection Bible Study Guide - Emily Ley
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
THE GRACE, NOT PERFECTION video study is designed to be experienced in a group setting such as a Bible study, Sunday school class, or any small group gathering. Each session begins with a brief opening reflection and two short talk about it
questions to get you and your group thinking about the topic. You will then watch a video with Emily Ley and jump into some directed small-group discussion. You will close each session with a time of prayer as a group.
You and your fellow group members should have your own study guides, which include video teaching notes, Bible study and group discussion questions, and between-sessions personal studies that will help you reflect on the material and apply it in practical ways during the week. You are also encouraged to have a copy of the Grace, Not Perfection book, as reading the book alongside the curriculum will provide deeper insights and make the journey more meaningful. See the recommended reading
section at the end of each session for the chapters in the book that correspond to material you and your group are discussing.
To get the most out of your group experience, keep the following points in mind. First, the real growth in this study will happen during your small-group time. This is where you will process the content of Emily’s message, ask questions, and learn from others as you hear what God is doing in their lives. For this reason, it is important for you to be fully committed to the group and attend each session so you can build trust and rapport with the other members. If you choose to only go through the motions,
or if you refrain from participating, there is a lesser chance you will find what you’re looking for during this study.
Second, remember that the goal of your small group is to serve as a place where people can share their struggles with perfectionism (or other challenges they are facing), learn about God, and build intimacy and friendship. For this reason, always seek to make your group a safe place for people. This means being honest about your thoughts and feelings and listening carefully to everyone else’s opinion. (If you are a group leader, there are additional instructions and resources in the back of the book for leading a productive discussion group.)
Third, resist the temptation to fix
a problem that anyone in the group might be having or to correct another person’s theology, as that’s not the purpose of your small-group time. Remember Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:8–9: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
Extend grace to those in your group, and keep everything the members share confidential. This will foster a rewarding sense of community in your group and create a place where people can heal, be challenged, and grow spiritually.
Following your group time, maximize the impact of the course with the additional between-session studies. This section includes not only personal Bible studies for five days of the upcoming week but also practical tips and tools that you can use to simplify your life and get more organized (without the pressure of feeling you have to be perfect
!). For each day, you may wish to complete the study and exercises in one sitting or spread it out over the course of the day. Note that if you are unable to finish—or even start—your between-sessions personal studies, still attend the group study video session. You are still wanted and welcome at the group even if you don’t have your homework
done. It’s all about grace!
Keep in mind this study is an opportunity for you to learn new patterns of thinking and implement new behaviors that will affect the way you see yourself and your journey with God. The video sessions, discussion questions, and activities are simply meant to kick-start your imagination so you are not only open to what God wants you to hear but also know how to apply it to your life. As you go through this study, be listening for what God is speaking to you as it relates to letting go of striving for the perfect
life, surrendering complete control to God, building authentic community with others, and just living in God’s grace.
Session One
LET GO OF THE PERFECT LIFE
It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
EPHESIANS 2:8–10