Promises of Hope for Difficult Times


Christian - Devotion/Study
143 Pages
Reviewed on 03/18/2013
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Lela Buchanan for Readers' Favorite

We all need hope; hope provides buoyancy when the struggles and challenges of daily life work to keep you mired in the mud. "Promises of Hope for Difficult Times" by Jane Kirkpatrick is only a small book but it offers a wellspring of that critical life ingredient--hope! With short vignettes, Kirkpatrick opens the door to her inner sanctuary, sharing the emotional and spiritual adaptations she must make as those she loves most begin to age and develop various infirmities. Nor does she shy away from the biggest losses we each face on our life's journey--that of the passing of beloved family members. How many of us carry around a suitcase packed with worry or guilt, longing to feel light and free, but never quite able to unpack it or discard it? "Sometimes in my effort to get all my ducks in a row, I instead add new ducks that don't need to be there," Kirkpatrick writes referring to her own needless worries in a specific health situation.

Every page will inspire you or challenge you to look at your own imperfect life and persevere. The author's observations about life are insightful, such as giving value indiscriminately to others, or learning not to judge a life by its productivity but "just because they exist." She speaks of "word wounds" and the time and energy needed to heal those kinds of wounds. Kirkpatrick believes in giving hope and she does it with grace and dignity. "Giving is the yeast of life," she writes, "it always rises more than expected and gives us more than imagined." You will receive the precious gift of hope as you read this beautiful devotional.