Book Review - Words of Hope for Women

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
John 16:33

In the face of our trials, it is easy to become discouraged. We can only see the pain of the past and the challenges of the present, leaving no room for hope for the future. But God is not limited by the confines of time as we are, and he is working all things out for our good and his glory.

Words of Hope for Women offers you ninety inspiring devotional readings that will remind you that God has a plan and a purpose in everything--even the hard stuff--and you can trust him to keep his promises.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Carolyn Larsen is the bestselling author of more than 50 books for children and adults. She has been a speaker for women's events and classes around the world, bringing scriptural messages filled with humor and tenderness.

MY REVIEW:

This lovely little book really spoke to my heart - especially now as I am battling cancer. Each devotion is so encouraging and uplifting! I was reading them one after another because they reminded me that there is hope when we trust the Lord with our circumstances.

Each devotion is short but so powerful. They begin with a Scripture regarding the topic which include trust, attitudes, silence, giving and more. The author then has an encouraging devotional that uplifts the spirit and gives a feeling of peace. The devotions are Biblical and because they are, they bring about a sense of comfort that only God can give.

I highly recommend this devotional. It's such an encouragement and will bring about hope and comfort in your quiet time or when you need to be reminded of the hope of Christ. I give this 5 stars.

*This book was provided to me by Revell.  I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this book.

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Blessings - Julie

A Good and Holy Purpose

I awaken and in those first few moments of morning light, everything feels normal in my life. Then I remember that things are out of my control. I remember that I have cancer and that my dear husband has been in the hospital for over six weeks now.  It’s a jolt to my heart and mind when I realize this each day. It’s then that I also remember I have a choice. I can rely on my own strength and wisdom or I can rely on the strength and wisdom of God. This seems like a simple choice really, but my first inclination is that I need to fix things and figure things out myself. Why do we do this when we have a great God who reminded us over and over in His beautiful Word that He is our rock, our strength and our shield? There is still that pride within ourselves that we know best. However, only God’s way is perfect and only He can make my way perfect. So, after a few moments of the inner struggle, I bow my heart and head to give it all over to the Lord. 

As of today, my husband is still in the hospital. I believe the issue we took him in for has finally been addressed but it’s been an up hill battle (literally) to get anything done.  They are so focused on his age that they didn’t even look at the obvious. It was only after he had a bleeding episode that they finally got him in for the colonoscopy that we had been asking (demanding) be done. That was when they found 3 ulcers in his colon and an open, bleeding blood vessel! The doctor cauterized them and fixed the blood vessel and we are all so happy to see my husband improving day by day. That being said, because they waited so long to deal with this, he has a long road of recovery before him. We are most anxious to get him home and help him regain his strength and health. He longs to be home, too, and talks about it all the time with all of us.  Of course, since I’m in the process of doing chemo, I haven’t been to the hospital to see him.  My immune system is too compromised, and with all these horrible viruses going around in my area, it would be foolhardy to do so.  I have talked to him on the phone so I’m thankful we have been able to do that. 

Speaking of my immune system, this last blood test showed my white blood count dangerously low so now I'm even more compromised and being more careful than ever. The shocking thing is that I cannot eat any fresh veg or fruit because of the chance of bacteria being on them even after being washed.  I miss the fresh stuff but am making sure to eat my frozen veg, which has a lot of good stuff in it.

I have one more chemo treatment before surgery I am so anxious to get it over with as I am getting sicker and weaker with each treatment. My fingers are so numb now that I can barely type this. There are so many side effects to chemotherapy that we don't even realize until we're in it. I thought going into this that I would be able to get a lot of cross stitch and crochet done but my hands won't work well enough to do so.  I am trying to do other things, but honestly, I'm getting to the point where I sleep a lot because of the weakness and exhaustion.

The hardest part of all this is that some don't understand. I have been judged because of my husband being in the hospital so long. I have been judged for not being able to visit him. It's not easy to walk this road but it's even harder when you feel the judgement of others over things you can't control. This is when knowing Jesus is with me makes all the difference. He understands and has my circumstances under control and I have to trust Him in this journey. It's the same for you in your circumstances, whatever they may be.

I long for the normal days again. I long for days when I'm not so exhausted that walking from my bedroom to the kitchen feels like a marathon run. I long for feeling my fingers and toes again. I long to hold a needle in my hands without dropping it. I just long to feel like ME again. This person with cancer doesn't feel like me but it is.

God has a purpose in all this. He has brought other cancer survivors into my life to comfort me and I know that I will turn around and be a comfort to others on their journey. It's what we do. Our purpose is to know these hardships, just as Jesus did, so we can stand beside others, just as He does us. That, my friends, is a great and holy purpose that brings good out of the bad. In that, I can find joy.

Blessings - Julie