Choose Joy – Book Review
Are you facing a heart-breaking circumstance in your life right now – a situation where you simply cannot find a silver lining to get you through?
Perhaps you are dealing with the loss of a loved one… a devastating illness… chronic pain… difficulties in your familial relationships… financial difficulties… legal problems… or know someone who is.
If so, I’d like to introduce you to one of the most inspirational books I’ve had the privilege to read – a book filled with words of hope and encouragement from a young woman who lived a life filled with pain yet found a way to overcome her circumstances and inspire everyone she met.
Meet Sara Frankl: a popular blogger who is no longer with us, but whose words and spirit live on in Choose Joy: Finding Hope And Purpose When Life Hurts by Sara Frankl and Mary Carver.
Choose Joy tells the story of Sara, a young woman in her 30s who lived with a painful autoimmune disease called ankylosing spondylitis. As the disease progressed, she was eventually confined to her home before she left us at age 38.
While she lived, however, she made the most of every moment. Sara chose not to focus on the painful circumstances that she faced each day, and the things that this terrible disease took from her, but instead, on how she could encourage others through her faith in God.
Mary Carver – one of Sara’s blogging friends – had the privilege of meeting Sara before her death, and through Choose Joy, paints a picture of a woman who was a beacon of light shining in a dark world.
Sara chose to live a life of joy in spite of her painful circumstances, and she encourage her family, friends, and online community to do the same.
When asked to define joy, this is what Sara said:
Joy is the unwavering trust that God knows what he’s doing and has blessed me with the opportunity to be a part of it – not despite what’s happening in my life, but because of it. When everything earthly feels heavy, He gives me an internal lightness that can’t be touched.
If you are looking for a book that has the potential to change your outlook on life and how you see the world around you, Choose Joy is it.
I highly recommend this book to you.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
About Mary Carver
Mary is a wife, mom and writer who lives for good books, spicy queso and television marathons. She’s abandoned perfection and lives because of God’s grace!
Resources
For More Information
- Visit Mary’s Website.
- Connect with Mary on Facebook and Twitter.
- Choose Joy is available on Amazon.
For More Great Books
- Visit Create With Joy – Book Reviews.
- Follow Create With Joy on GoodReads.
- Join us at The Book Nook At Create With Joy – a community for book lovers!
Stay In Touch!
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Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review purposes as part of the Choose Joy Launch Team. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
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This book sounds so inspirational, thanks for sharing!
This looks like a good read! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Happy Sunday Ramona- I hope your day is blessed that looks like a good book
This sounds like a fabulous book! Thanks for sharing with #SocialButterflySunday! Hope to see you link up again this week 🙂
Very nice review, thanks for sharing with Hearth and Soul blog hop
This sounds like a wonderful & inspiring book. In addition to my book blog, I also blog about living with chronic illness (with a string focus on joy!), so this sounds right uo my alley. Thanks for telling me about it.
I found this post through Small Victories Sunday linkup.
Sue
Book By Book
I enjoyed reading Sara Frankl’s writing on her blog, and I’m so glad her words are being shared with the world again.
Joy is a choice. It is so true, but so easy to forget! Thanks so much for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday on Mommynificent.com this week!
Tina
This sounds like a powerful book! I’ll have to look for it 🙂 I hope you can stop by:
http://collettaskitchensink.blogspot.com/2016/01/book-review-picture-perfect-by-janice.html
Colletta
Hi, thanks for linking up with us again at Literacy Musing Mondays. This book is so poignant. can so identify, but now I feel so blessed. My disease is not as advanced as this young ladies. I know her pain, but God is letting me live a long life. I have no reason not to choose joy. 😉