“Am I Enough?” Graduating Baylor senior becomes a published author with new inspirational book

“Am I enough?”

It’s a question many people — especially many women — ask themselves their entire lives. “Am I pretty enough? Smart enough? Successful enough? Good enough?” Having battled such questions herself, Baylor senior Grace Valentine has found answers in God’s word — enough to compile into a book, and written in such a way as to attract interest from one of the world’s largest publishing companies.

Am I Enough? is set for release on July 17 from HarperCollins Publishing, which also counts Baylor alumni Joanna Gaines, BA ’01, and Robert Fulghum, BA ’58, among its stable of authors. Valentine’s book encourages young women to stop comparing themselves to others in this world, pointing to Scriptures such as 1 John 2:15-16:

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — comes not from the Father but from the world.”

Valentine’s journey to becoming a published author began with blogging for various websites as a Baylor freshman. Even then, inspired by her own doubts and worries, she was writing to encourage young women not to hold themselves to the world’s expectations. Two years ago, she launched her own website and blog, which has since been viewed by more than 6 million people from all over the world.

Never claiming to have all the answers to life, Valentine’s writings are inspired by all the times she felt she wasn’t enough: after watching a Victoria’s Secret fashion show, after a boyfriend wasn’t faithful to her, after she failed a test she spent all week studying for, etc. At one point, she was even working out for hours a day and doing serious harm to her body just to meet the world’s standards.

“It’s just kind of crazy to me,” Valentine told KWTX in a recent interview. “One of my goals when I began writing was to be the person that I needed when I struggled with insecurity and when I felt down. I think it’s just been a great tool. I can lift God up and praise him through this platform. It’s not anything that I’ve done so great; it’s just something that the Lord has done with this opportunity He has given me.”

Sic ’em, Grace!