She wanted to die. God had other plans.
Why does my life have to be so painful?
What’s wrong with me?
It’s not going to get better.
It could all be over soon, and then I won’t hurt anymore.
Kristen Anderson thought she had the picture-perfect life until strokes of gray dimmed her outlook: three friends and her grandmother died within two years. Still reeling from these losses, she was raped by a friend she thought she could trust. She soon spiraled into a seemingly bottomless depression.
One January night, the seventeen-year-old decided she no longer wanted to deal with the emotional pain that smothered her. She lay down on a set of cold railroad tracks and waited for a freight train to send her to heaven…and peace.
But Kristen's story doesn’t end there.
In Life, In Spite of Me this remarkably joyful young woman shares the miracle of her survival, the agonizing aftermath of her failed suicide attempt, and the hope that has completely transformed her life, giving her a powerful purpose for living.
Her gripping story of finding joy against all odds provides a vivid and unforgettable reminder that life is a gift to be treasured.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kristen Jane Anderson has been featured on Oprah and is a popular speaker at colleges, women’s and youth events, churches, and suicide prevention outreaches. A graduate of Moody Bible Institute and the founder of Reaching You Ministries, Kristen seeks to help those who are hurting, hopeless, lost, suicidal and depressed.
MY THOUGHTS:
I am impressed at how real and how honest Kristen was in this account of her death to self and true life in Christ. I was encouraged and convicted to be real and transparent even in my blog posts and how I present myself to those around me. That is probably why I haven't been quick to blog about much lately. In the beginning Kristen mentions that her story probably isn't that much different from the reader and at first I really brushed that notion aside. I may not have laid down on railroad tracks ready to end my life or tried to fill a void with drinking, drugs, or partying; but there was clearly a time in my life before Christ where I attempted to fill a void in my life with activity--school, sports, extracurriculars, etc. Frankly, everyone is trying to fill that void with something. What are you trying to fill yours with? It's a void that can only be filled by Christ.
Read chapter one HERE.
This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.
No comments:
Post a Comment