Book Review: The Hardest Peace

I cannot remember how I came across this author. Was it a recommended read in one of the many email services I receive? Was it a Netflix movie recommendation (once I read her books, I intend to watch the documentary)? I cannot believe I didn't find her story sooner. This book was written in 2014. The book I intended to read turned out to be a later book, Just Show Up: The Dance of Walking Through Suffering Together. Thus, I searched until I found Kara Tippett's first book, The Hardest Peace: Expecting Grace in the Midst of Life's Hard.

Bring tissues to your cozy chair if you sit down to read this book! Kara Tippett's story expresses pain, but persistently points to God's goodness. Church-planters Jason and Kara Tippetts received a devastating diagnosis after Kara discovered a lump in her breast. This young family, with four children, face down questions, confusion, despair, and suffering without ever giving up on the God who writes their story. Kara admits she is a broken woman seeking peace in the middle of vast pain. She writes, "Hard is often the vehicle Jesus uses to meet us, point us to that peace, and teach us grace." I cried hardest at her parting letters to her husband and children. This book bolstered my faith, with Kara's words to Jason, "The plan is beautiful, even if the path is hard. I trust Him, I trust Him, I trust Him!"