Sweet Freedom: A Devotional

Gov. Sarah Palin has carried out many roles in her lifetime—from demanding public posts such as governor and vice presidential candidate, to her similarly taxing private roles as wife, mother, hunter, author, and reality television star.

Compounding the difficulty of each position has been an indisputably hostile media that has found no aspect of her life too private to seize upon. And yet, we’ve watched her manage each situation with grace, dignity, and class.

So, how does she do it? Those familiar with her previous bestselling books will already know that the secret to her success is due in large part to her deep roots in the Christian faith, which has helped her overcome life’s challenges, struggles, and questions. Now, in her new book, “Sweet Freedom: A Devotional,” she invites readers to spend the year with her navigating the vicissitudes of day-to-day life at the personal and national level.

In 260 devotionals, and nearly a dozen special entries for holidays, Palin presents a daily Bible verse, a concise yet captivating narrative, and closes with what she calls Sweet Freedom in Action—a simple challenge to the reader that has the potential to change hearts and minds for the day, and if one lets it, for a lifetime.  

On Day 106, for example, Matthew 13:21 is presented: “But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.”

Palin then opens up to the reader about some of the many challenges she’s faced just this past year alone—from having her family’s favorite dog getting killed by pitbulls; to her son’s redeployment to Iraq; to positive cancer biopsy results; and dangerous stalkers disturbing her family’s life (and this is just some of what’s on her list!). Through it all, she explains that God’s promises have pulled her through.

Her Sweet Freedom in Action for that day advises the reader to begin memorizing Scripture as a tool to help us get through to the other side. “Write verses on Post-It Notes and stick them on mirrors, the fridge, the TV,” she writes. “Commit to memorizing new Scripture every month so that when trials come your way, you’ll be locked and loaded and ready for spiritual battle!”

The entries touch on all aspects of life, from politics and persecution to prayer and fasting. And while the topics of the devotionals are diverse, readers will find that they are evergreen, with each having a lasting application to our private and civic lives.

Noting that many Americans feel both discontented and dismayed about the direction our nation is heading towards—and acknowledging they’re right—Palin ensures the reader it’s not too late for each one of us to save the country we love.

“Answers to personal and political struggles can’t be found in the next “great” politician, in any self-exalting self-help seminar, or in the next cultural trend,” she says. “[T]he answer to true freedom relies on a different sort of excitement. Showing you where to look in the Bible will confirm your commitment to live life well and vibrantly, and will unfold the blueprint to secure the deeply American principles of justice, faith, and freedom.”

The beauty of a devotional like “Sweet Freedom” is that it only takes a few minutes to read each day, but the impact its insights and Biblical principles can have on our personal and political lives has the potential to be everlasting.

Original CBC review by Townhall’s Leah Barkoukis.

Tags: Sarah Palin, Sweet Freedom