Finding Joy: The Year Apart That Made Me a Better Wife

"Though we at times feel alone, and utterly abandoned as if no one can understand, the Lord is trustworthy.  Dwell on that. He does not leave!  Though we may feel He is not listening, He is." 

-Hope N. Griffin, Finding Joy

Words that came to mind while reading Finding Joy: The Year Apart That Made Me a Better Wife by Hope N. Griffin, were wrestling and honesty.  In this book, we get to see inside the heart of a woman, going through a challenge, and coming through on the other side with a different perspective.  It is a story of deployment, but it applies to so many life situations.

Finding Joy is Hope N. Griffin's story of a one year separation from her husband (due to war), the challenges she faced, God's faithfulness, and how she made it through.  This book is for the military wife, but other women will be able to connect in going through a challenge, and discovering your strengths and capabilities, where you need help, but most importantly, that God is in the middle of it all, helping you through.

Hope has taken the stories of Esther, Bathsheba, Sarah and Hagar, and Ruth, and drawn parallels to her own life during that season.  You will find how these women prospered in the midst of their life challenges, and what you can also do to be successful.  

A few topics Hope addresses include:

* The words we say to our spouse

* How to guard our heart and minds

* Finding God in the midst of our challenge

* Battling bitterness and self-pity

At the end of each chapter are questions for further reflection on what you have read.  This book would make a good Bible study for military wives, especially those going through a deployment. There are tips within the pages to help your story be one of success and not despair.

I learned some things while reading this book.  Books with lots of theology often push me deeper into my study of the Word of God and I so appreciate that.  One of my favorite things about this book was the analogy she made of The Parable of the Ten Virgins to waiting on one's spouse to return from deployment.  With the same anticipation and readiness a wife would prepare for the return of her husband from war, is the same anticipation and readiness we should employ for our soon coming King!  I loved that!  It totally implanted a huge truth inside my heart.

I recommend this book to any wife, military spouse or not, who needs some tips or wisdom on how to make it through life's challenges, come out on the other side, and find God there walking with you through it all.

Many blessings to you as you journey through life with Him,

Beth

To learn more about the author, visit her blog here at hopengriffin.com.

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.  I was not required to give a positive review. The thoughts and opinions here are entirely my own.