Love Life Again: Finding Joy When Life Is Hard

Miles (Unsinkable Faith), a speaker with Proverbs 31 Ministries, shares her belief that one can overcome even the most disappointing and tragic circumstances through the daily, persistent pursuit of joy. She begins by divulging her shame and despair after her marriage of 26 years ended in divorce. Still depressed a year later, she slowly began taking steps to reinvent her life: she went back to church, got involved in ministry, started playing tennis again, and began spending more time with friends and family. “The life you are living today,” she realized, “all it includes or doesn’t include, is the life God has given you. You can choose to be content and joyful, or you can choose to be disgruntled and sad.” She goes on to list 14 actions for Christian women to consider when facing their own “worst case scenarios,” encouraging them to recognize their intrinsic value (apart from career or financial success), make amends for past mistakes, offer others forgiveness, and conquer loneliness by concentrating on being a good friend to others. Miles challenges readers to search for the good amid struggles, and many will find her story inspiring. (Aug.)