Breathe Again

A heartbreaking but hopeful story, Stacy Henagan's young daughter passed away after a 10-month battle with cancer. From the very beginning of the book, you know this will happen. Stacy then backs you up to the diagnosis, through her daughter's death, and life after. She's honest about loss, doubt and struggling with God's goodness. There are portions that felt long-winded or unnecessary, but it's still one I'd recommend to those who believe in God but are walking through a difficult situation or grieving the loss of a loved one.

"Sometimes it's the small decisions we make that have the greatest impact on our future."
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When the miracle-working God whom Pastor Stacy Henagan loved and served did not answer the prayers on behalf of her terminally ill one-year-old daughter as expected, she was left crushed with grief and struggling to understand.⁣⁣ Rather than choosing to remain in overwhelming pain and doubt, Stacy emerged with a much greater belief that God is good and trustworthy, even when we don’t think His plans make sense.⁣⁣
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⁣⁣"Joy flows from the fixation of the mind's eye."

This book absolutely wrecked me. Reading about another mama's loss of her child broke my heart. I think I cried at least once in every chapter. BUT...this book is also filled with light and hope. If you've ever wondered how someone can go through a heart-wrenching loss and still keep faith in Jesus, this book is for you. I was highly encouraged and challenged by Stacy's words. She's incredibly vulnerable as she shares about her deep grief and how it affected her relationship with Christ.

"No matter what level our pain is, God can give it purpose."

I think this will be the most impactful non-fiction read of the year for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All views and opinions are my own.

Recently, I've read a handful of faith based, self-help/devotional style books that were, for lack of a better word, fluffy. So needless to say, going into the book I had some trepidation wondering if it would be more of the same.

Rest assured. This book is not fluffy. Sadie Henagan bases the foundation of her book around loss, pain, and the age old question "how can a good God allow bad things to happen?" She weaves these themes around the loss of her own daughter who, at roughly two years old, passed away due to a terminal brain tumor.

This book is raw and transparent. And Sadie digs deep into the Bible as she walks through her struggle with the reader.

If you are currently struggling with asking "why, God?" this is a wonderful book to pick up. And even if you aren't asking why while the hurt is residing in the same space as trust, this is still a great book.

I would rate this book a PG.