Choose Joy: Finding Hope and Purpose When Life Hurts

by Sara Frankl, Mary Carver

Overview

"Sara's story only grew louder, braver, bolder with her death. It's a story that we all need to keep hearing." — Lisa-Jo Baker, bestselling author of Surprised by Motherhood

Sara Frankl knew she had a terminal disease, but she didn't let it stop her from living. In the face of immeasurable pain, Sara chose joy — again and again. Her unforgettable message of hope and purpose lives on, even after her death, in her words. Choose Joy is a compilation of the lessons Sara learned while she was dying, written in her own words and sewn together by her close friend Mary Carver. It is a reminder to see the beauty in life, even when it looks nothing like you hoped or planned. In a world full of tragedy, choosing joy is no small task — but, as Sara knew, the importance lies in the choosing. Once you learn to make that choice, every day, no matter what happens, joy will come.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781455562800
Publisher:	FaithWords
Publication date:	01/03/2017
Series:	Devotional Inspiration
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	653,257
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

Sara Frankl died in 2011 at the age of thirty-eight. Her last few years were spent blogging about her illness (a.k.a. GitzenGirl), keeping journals and correspondence, and painting. Her blog's cumulative total was eventually 2,000,000 unique visitors a month and still averages over 20,000 monthly.

Mary Carver is a writer of a personal blog, Giving Up on Perfect, and has been published in several blogs and magazines. Mary lives with her husband and two daughters in Kansas City.

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

1 Roses in December: On Dreams and Stories 1

2 Silver and Gold: On Losing Abilities 12

3 Here to Be Changed: On Facing Pain 28

4 Resting Quietly on the Heart of Jesus: On Dealing with Fear 42

5 Giving Up and Letting Go. On Expectations and Goals 57

6 Rainbows and Rain: On Wanting What You Have 71

7 Placed Purposefully: On Surrender and Trust 87

8 Everything Is a Miracle: On Gratitude and Praise 100

9 Giving What We Are. On Serving and Community 115

10 God's Best: On Being Thankful for What You Had 133

11 The Life You've Been Given: On How I Want to Be Remembered 147

12 God Is Awake: On Living and Dying Well 158

Acknowledgments 173

Appendix: Tributes to Sara 177

Editorial Reviews

Sara never stopped choosing joy—and her life never stops inspiring me to do the same.
—Ann Voskamp, author of New York Times bestseller One Thousand Gifts

Sara was one of the kindest, most generous souls I've ever known...This book [is] chock-full of her spunk, zest, and grace-filled wisdom.—Lysa TerKeurst, author of New York Times best seller, Made to Crave

[Sara's] story only grew louder, bolder, braver with her death. It's a story that we all need to keep hearing.—Lisa-Jo Baker, bestselling author of Surprised by Motherhood

[Sara's] words, faith, and joy still echo in my heart...All of us need Sara's message of resilience and hope in a hard world.—Holley Gerth, bestselling author of You're Going to Be Okay

This isn't a story about dying. It's a story about living.—Liz Curtis Higgs, New York Times bestselling author

From the Publisher