Just Be Honest

Craig Allen Cooper

"The compassion and empathy of Jesus may surprise you, and it will undoubtedly comfort you. For those of us who have experienced deep heartache, and for any who have walked with friends through unimaginable grief, the gems in this book are more precious than gold. Here is wisdom for our sorrows and solace for our pains. Very few people get through this life unscathed by suffering, and Just Be Honest helps us grasp that reality that Jesus is ‘hospitable to heartache’ and that ‘hurting people need to be heard.’ Absorbing and applying these truths can save your faith and help you brave the brokenness of life with those you love. Whether you are amid sorrow currently, preparing for sorrow eventually, or walking with others through their sorrows sympathetically, this book will prove to be a masterful guide!”

Adriel Booker

"With pastoral tenderness and wisdom, Clint Watkins shares how the practice of honest lament was the grace he needed to draw near to God in a time of acute pain and heartache. Watkins compels us to make space in our personal lives and faith communities for worship practices that engage the whole spectrum of human longing and need. In an age when we’re rewarded for putting our best selves forward, Just Be Honest is not a blueprint for a better way but an invitation to enter one."

“A must-read for every believer”

If there is one book that I can press upon you to read this year (outside of the Bible), it is this one.

In the Introduction, Clint writes, “Whatever season you’re in, I pray that you will discover God’s gift of lament, and feel better equipped to help others do the same.”

And as you read this book, you will do just that. Though I am not personally walking through the valley, I have friends who are, and this book did just as Clint prayed it would—it opened my eyes to this beautiful gift and better equipped me to come alongside those whom I love and who are hurting.

This book itself is a gift, a genuine blessing.

“A must read”

Title: Just Be Honest
Author: Clint Watkins
Length: 158 Pages

“Dry eyes are not a tell-tale sign of strong faith.”

Lament is a topic that you don’t hear a lot of sermons on. I didn’t even know what lament was until my mentor gave me a copy of the book “Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy” after our son’s first major heart surgery. Understanding and using lament was such a comfort for me as we grieved so many things at that time.

We often think that our grief should look a certain way or fit a specific time table. But that just isn’t what is shown to us in the Bible. What we need to understand is that lament is a form or worship! Lament is the language given to us in scripture to cry out to God in our pain and grief. It is something that I believe every Christ follower needs to know about. In his book, “Just Be Honest”, Clint Watkins does a wonderful job of explaining and applying lament.

I am so glad I learned to lament three years ago. Just be Honest came at a perfect time for a refresher on lament. I read this book through tears and felt like I could have highlighted the whole thing! I already know that I’ll be reading sections of it over and over. If you are walking through a hard time, this book will be a balm for your hurting soul and will help you use scripture to cry out in faith to God.

If you are not currently in a season of grief, DO NOT WAIT until you are to read this book. Do yourself a big favor and read it in preparation for when hard times come.

“If you’re in Christ, you belong to the one who has power over the grave. Your laments ring out under the banner of a resurrected King. When he returns, all eventual praise will turn eternal. Joy will not longer be eclipsed by sorrow. And death will finally die. You can trust the Lord through tears, knowing that Jesus will one day wipe them away. So struggle faithfully. Groan boldy. Hurt with Hope.”

I was gifted this book by The Good Book Company to give an honest review.

“Incredible Book”

I wish I had the words to do this book justice. It’s incredible, a must-read, a book where every.single.page is full of hope and truth, and a balm to a hurting soul. This book takes thoughts of “I can’t honestly speak to God about this”, and turns them into prayers. Every day that I picked this up, my heart was encouraged.

You’ll love this if you:
•are in the midst of sorrow and aren’t sure how to be honest with God about it
•aren’t sure how you feel about God and his place in your suffering
•are scared to include others in your sorrow
•are walking through suffering with a close friend or family member
•need a hope-filled read

Bonus: If you’re looking for real-life practical ways to move closer to God in your suffering, move closer to others in your suffering, and help others who are suffering; this book is your resource! I will be referencing back to this one often.

Favorite quotes:
“Strong faith weeps”

“Some of the most steadfast believers look at the world through tears and walk with a limp.”

“And when you can’t understand why God is allowing such agony, hear Christ’s cry from the cross. Suffering can reduce your prayers down to one word: Why? Jesus punctuated his prayer with a question mark. You can, too.”

“Sorrow belongs in the sanctuary.”

“Learn to meet tragedy with a ministry of tears.”

Thank you @thegoodbookcompanyusa and @clintdwatkins for the free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is a book I will be buying many more copies of ❤️

“Powerful Book!”

Wow, this book was AMAZING! It stands out as one of the best books I have read on the topic of grief and lamenting. I genuinely believe everyone needs to read this, seriously.

In this short yet powerful book, Clint Watkins shares his own personal story dealing with pain and loss to provide hope to readers. It's not a fluffy hope with platitudes but one rooted in Jesus and the Gospel, offering genuine hope in the darkest moments. I love how Clint encourages us to push past pretending when grieving and to be honest in a way that is raw and reverent.

This book is incredibly beneficial, not only to those who find themselves in the midst of grieving but also to those who want to faithfully walk alongside brothers and sisters who are hurting. I appreciated the insight into normalizing grieving in corporate worship. The author also speaks about the lack of modern worship songs addressing lamenting and how we often only sing about mountain-top experiences.

There's so much to love about this book; it's challenging to put it all into words. It's one of those books you finish and think, "WOW, I needed that," knowing you will never be the same after reading it. This book has inspired me to grieve more honestly and be there for others in a deeper way. I was touched by many of the ways Clint shared how he and his wife were served in their suffering.

“Deep and Powerful”

Clint Watkins shares important spiritual truths about lament in this book, alongside his personal story of losing his firstborn child due to a tragic prenatal diagnosis. He reflects on how difficult it was for him to know how to relate to God during this time, since he was so devastated and angry, and he draws on his own experience to illustrate common struggles that Christians face when they are walking through deep suffering.

Watkins encourages readers to be honest with God and with each other, and he highlights instances from Scripture where faithful believers and Jesus Himself openly grieved and expressed the depths of their feelings to God. Watkins explains that even though grieving Christians often feel displaced in contemporary church culture, believing that they need to sound upbeat and hopeful in spite of their losses, God welcomes the reality of what we feel.

Although the first half of this book focuses on being honest with God, the second half is about being honest with other Christians. Watkins speaks to both sufferers and the people supporting them, and he offers practical advice for how individual Christians and churches at large can better support and include the hurting people in their midst. Watkins also shares thoughtful responses to questions that people might have, such as how to distinguish biblical lament from grumbling, and how to strike the balance of letting a friend vent their honest feelings while still speaking truth into their lives.

This book will encourage Christians in a variety of difficult circumstances. Watkins's heartfelt reflections about losing his son will especially resonate with other bereaved parents, but the book's universal themes make it relevant to all suffering Christians and their supporters. This book is honest, deeply grounded in Scripture, and very thoughtful, and I highly recommend it.

Note: I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“Impactful!”

In his book Just Be Honest: How to Worship through Tears and Pray without Pretending, Clint Watkins shows us that as Christians we do not need to have a stoic faith. Watkins encourages us to wrestle and lament as it is often the pathway to renewing our trust in God and eventually leads us to praise. As we struggle, God does not condemn us but gives us grace as we go to Him with all of our feelings and questions. Watkins also reminds us that it is okay to ask God to change our circumstances, drawing from many examples of people in the Bible. Towards the end of the book, he also stresses the importance of bearing each others’ burdens which includes listening with compassion, praying, etc. This was a much needed book on lamenting and it has impacted the way I approach God in prayer!

The Good Book Company provided me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

“Very informative”

I found this book to be so helpful as it dove into what it means to worship God when things are hard and how you can be honest without grumbling. Watkins gives a number of examples from the Bible where one can see the emotion being displayed by somebody before God in their prayers or songs.
One quote that stood out to me was, “Your weeping is not weak. Your wrestling is not wavering. And, as you are about to see, Jesus authorizes your groaning and joins you in your grief. So don’t wipe away your tears or walk around your questions. Struggle faithfully.”
That quote is a great picture of what to expect when you are going through this book. Watkins empathizes with you and encourages you to come before God, providing helpful tips along the way. One key distinction Watkins makes is between lamenting and grumbling which is so helpful because for many it may be difficult to know where that line is so I loved that it was included in this book.
At the end of the book there are helpful Psalms and songs you can go through as you lament. There are even QR codes for Spotify playlists for individual wrestling and corporate lamenting which I thought was thoughtful to include.
Overall I would definitely recommend this book as it is a shorter yet very informative read that is full of faith and empathy.

I received a copy of this book from The Good Book Company in exchange for an honest review,

“A much-needed book about biblical lament!”

If 1/3 of the psalms written for ancient corporate worship were psalms of lament, why are we so uncomfortable with being honest with the Lord in this way—both personally and corporately?

In this book, Clint Watkins does much more than just present a compelling case for the validity and necessity of biblical lament as a form or worship—he also lets the reader into the deepest, most painful season of his life and cracks open the door to his wrestling with the Lord there.

In two parts, he walks the reader through personal and corporate lament. After helping us gain a better understanding of lament, why it’s so vital to honest and healthy worship, and how it’s different from sinful grumbling, he shows us the importance of lament having space in our Sunday gatherings.

Whatever season you’re currently in, this book will serve as an incredible resource. It may be a balm for your weary, aching soul today. Or help prepare you for when suffering comes. Or equip you to “weep with those who weep.” Highly, highly recommend!

I received a copy of this book for free from The Good Book Company in exchange for this honest review.

“Just Be Honest”

“How to worship through tears and pray without pretending” is what captured my attention quickly. It felt like a book that I needed this season and for future moments.

I read those words and felt the ache in my heart. The amount of times I have personally “pretended” is terrible.

I didn’t fully know what the contents were, but God did. He always knows. It was exactly what I needed to read. I don’t understand grief, but I understand depression and the abyss of it.

This book brought me to tears. Tears from my battles and tears for the author who aches for losing his son. Writing this review was hard, not because I didn’t like it, but because it hit many points in my life that I didn’t think would. I have not experienced the grief of losing someone close. I have lost pets and distant relatives, but not people whom I’m so close to. I have someone close who does have cancer and I have asked God why. I'm even on edge most days waiting for “the call.” is it premature grief? I don't know, but I do know this book is going to help me again when it comes. I used to think it was wrong to ask God questions, but more and more I’m learning. The author mentions writing laments. Psalm 13 will be my go-to as I weep for those who are aching.

A whole chapter for those like me who haven't fully understood sorrow and grief. That is a chapter I needed. I know people who ache and I will be reading that chapter a lot.


This is a book that you either rush through because it is so good or a book you’ll want to slowly read through because it hits you hard. Grab your bible. He walks through God's word so you’re reminded of the truth. Some parts are hard to hear.

Overall, I will be picking up again and again. It isn’t a one-time book. It is a book that will be referenced and recommended.


Thank you The Good Book Company for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.