By Martha Metzler

What if the sandpaper moments of life are nothing to fear, but lead us to smoother edges?

Transforming challenges into triumphs and finding meaning in the messiness of life with both grit and grace.

Have you ever wondered how your anxiety, uncertainty, and tough times can smooth your rough edges and lead you to wholeness?

Sandpaper Moments: Growing through Life’s Friction with Grit and Grace will help you discover how life's toughest challenges can actually be your secret weapons to lead you into a deeper knowledge of yourself and your Creator. 

In this captivating journey, Martha delves into the concept of "sandpaper moments," those gritty, uncomfortable experiences that wear us down to our core. From anxiety to navigating unfamiliar terrain, these moments challenge our very essence yet hold within them the opportunity for God to smooth our rough edges and lead us to wholeness.

  • "Sandpaper Moments is a great example of how vulnerability can help others. Martha blended her clinical background, authenticity, and delightful character and put it to paper in a practical and charming book that encourages personal growth."

    - Marissa Fortier, Managing Director, Michael Phelps Foundation

  • "Martha has a way of weaving raw emotion with the levity of humor--all pointing to the gritty grace of this complex life. I trust her to take our hand as a guide as she models the art (& science!) of allowing our Maker to smooth the splintery surfaces of our stories with tender, yet bold care. May you laugh your way through as the most practical-permission-giver-of-all-time simultaneously brings tears to your eyes."

    - Meredith McDaniel, licensed professional counselor & author of In Want + Plenty, hunter of manna in the midst of this wild land of the living

  • "This book drew me in from the title (we can ALL relate to sandpaper moments, can't we?) and once I started reading I didn't want to stop. Martha is relatable and funny, and I love that she shares stories from both her professional and personal life. Whether you're facing anxiety or a difficult season, or you just want to respond to everyday stressors better, I think you'll find this faith-filled, practical guide to be a huge blessing."

    - Monica Swanson, author and host of the Monica Swanson podcast

  • "It brought me great joy to read this! My wife and I have been friends with Martha for nearly 20 years, and I am thankful that we have had the great privilege of knowing the woman behind the remarkable words in this book. Martha is the freakin real deal and is as authentic as they come. As someone who spent far too much time fighting intense battles with paralyzing shame, I can surely attest to the fact that the beautiful concepts Martha lays out, coupled with the magnificent power of the Holy Spirit, are truly life-transforming. Martha sets forth the perfect analogy for the journey of self-discovery, self-recovery, and self-awareness, all taking place inside the hands of a loving Father who holds us as treasures as He works on His masterpieces. This book gives such palpably tangible access to the all tools we can use to have deep grace for ourselves as we open up to the carpenter who knows exactly which sandpaper to grab as He smooths and sculpts the edges of our hearts."

    - Scott Cash, We The Kingdom

  • "With wit, warmth, and wisdom, Martha Metzler shows us how the stuff in life that rubs us the wrong way can actually make a whole lot of things more right. If you’d like to discover a way to reinterpret and redeem life’s abrasive challenges, you’ll relish these pages. Though she has the expertise and skills of a licensed counselor, Metzler’s writing feels more like a conversation with a good friend. Transparent, Christ-centered, and practical, Martha Metzler has brought us a much-needed tool for healing through the intersection of grit and grace."

    - Alan Wright, Multi-site pastor, national radio teacher, six-time author, including Free Yourself, Be Yourself and The Power to Bless

Meet Martha

Martha B. Metzler, a licensed psychotherapist, brings over a decade of experience to her private practice in North Carolina. She is a speaker, a valued member of the Michael Phelps Foundation Advisory Council, and a dedicated advocate for mental health in her community. She loves weaving truth and humor into her ministry of counseling and speaking engagements.

Martha lives in North Carolina with her husband and three delightful (sometimes feral) boys. She is surrounded by an amazing community of friends who hold the space for vulnerability and an infinite love of all things chips and salsa… extra salt.

  • From the book

    “We have chosen to walk out from the shadows where our shortcomings can take us to a place of self-loathing. We can bravely choose to bring our shortcomings into the light...even when it feels like an unflattering light.”

  • From the book

    “Developing self-awareness so we can respond to our struggles in healthy ways requires us to sit in them. If we don’t sit in these hard moments with patience and trust, we won’t learn what we have inside of us that will move us through the next hard thing.”

  • From the book

    “Desire, if followed by discipline, can lead to delight. I wish we could skip over the discipline part but it is a necessary part of delightful transformation.”

  • From the book

    “The shame and the growth opportunity collide and it all feels so overwhelming, you begin to believe the lie that it is easier if you just became a different person. But I will preach this truth as long as I have breath in my lungs: shame is the biggest roadblock to true transformation.”

  • From the book

    “I have realized there are some expectations in my relationships that I need to let go of. They are more about control than connection. They are uninvited and unfair rather than uniting. They are in the shadows of the unspoken thoughts instead of being communicated clearly and brought into the light. I feel sandpaper in my spirit when my expectations of the people in my life inevitably crash into their humanity and something has to change… And not within them, within myself.”