Customer Reviews

Holding On to Hope: A Pathway through Suffering to the Heart of God

5 star:		(32)
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I bought a copy of this book yesterday afternoon at my local Christian bookstore to give to my niece whose unborn baby has been diagnosed with a chromosomal condition which as her doctor puts it, is not conducive to life. Even though I knew this book was written with people who have already had a loss in their lives in mind and my niece's baby is still alive in her womb, I thought that it might be something to help her and her husband better understand why God allows suffering in believers' lives.

Before giving it to my niece however, I decided to read it myself to make sure it was appropriate and that it conveyed what I believe and feel. Once I started reading it, I couldn't stop and I read it all the way through.

I have just mailed the copy I bought yesterday to my niece and I have just ordered three more copies from Amazon. One is for myself, which I plan to read again and then lend out to family and friends, and two are to have available as gifts.

While reading this book will be of comfort to anyone experiencing a tragedy in their life, it can be very helpful to friends and family members of this person as well. So many times we want to be there for someone in pain, but we are afraid to upset them even more by either saying or doing the wrong thing. Since this book is written from the perspective of someone who has survived a tragic loss in their life, the reader gains insight into what the author found to be the most comforting and the most hurtful things said and done by others during her grieving period.

Therefore I highly recommend this book not only to anyone who may be experiencing a tragic loss in their life, but also to the friends and loved ones of such a person.

I read this book only weeks after losing my son due to a stillbirth. His heart stopped beating only 1 day before he was to be born. This book gave me so much comfort, hope and understanding during those very difficult days when I was in shock and disbelief. The author relates one's loss and hurt to the experiences of Job in such an incredible and practical way. She devotes chapters to understanding despair, blame, and the question of "why did this happen?" to name a few. This was by far the most helpful and comforting book I have read to help me get through the grief process. It gave me hope and strength, amd helped me to understand that God has a divine plan, even during our times of suffering. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone experiencing the loss of a child, or any loved one.

Sooner or later all of us will face grief, loss, dissapointment. Nancy Guthrie offers us the same comfort she has found in looking to God for meaning in what appears to be senseless tragedy. This is a book to read in small bits and pieces. Yes, it may bring tears, but tears of healing for broken hearts. This book lives up to its title, and does inspire hope and a sense of purpose - even in pain. While written from a Christian perspective, anyone who believes in a mindful God with a larger plan than this life, will find comfort.

I thank Ms. Guthrie for writing this book as it has helped me alot since the death of my 20 yr. old daughter on Oct. 29, 2004. This precious child went Home to be with God after a tragic automobile accident and I cannot describe the grief and pain that I have felt since she left. This book deals with the pain that only a parent who loses a child of any child can identify with. Although my grief is great, I rejoice in the fact that I will be reunited with her in heaven one day. Thank you for writing such a legacy to your own heavenly babies and for helping other parents who are members of "the club no parent wants to join." My real name is Margie Everett and I live in Preston, GA. My daughter's name is Rose Ann Everett and she now lives with God and all the saints of heaven!

While in a bookstore searching for this book I was told that it could be found in the "Grief" section. Considering that the Guthries have lost two children, this would be a logical place for the book. After reading Holding on to Hope (and hearing Nancy Guthrie speak), I find this book to be more than worthy of placement in a "Life/Living" category as well.
In telling their story of the death of two of their children (primarily written about their daughter, Hope), Guthrie draws from the book of Job in the Bible and Job's reaction to his suffering, loss, and healing.
Her style is down to earth and honest. Her faith is strengthened rather than weakened through her loss. She directs her writing to any one who has suffered a loss....of a marriage, a job, a dream, a diagnosis that is not wanted, or, like the Guthries, the loss of someone dear. How appropriate that her daughter's name (given before they knew of the child's condition) is Hope. Guthrie and her husband hold on to a divine hope as they let go of their tiny daughter. Nancy Guthrie makes no quick-fix, easy answer promises to pain and loss. She very openly stands on her faith in God and focuses on His purposes rather than man's purposes. Through her writing shines an incredible treasure about the joy of life in spite of sadness and pain in life.
This is a book that is a short one, but it is one that likely to be read more than once. Its truths are solid. This is a book to be shared.

Brilliant. An exploration of the Book of Job, not academic, but from the author's considerable experience with suffering, complete with all of the agonizing questions it raises. Nancy Guthrie offers you her hand, to accompany you through your own loss. Take it. You'll be glad you did.

Nancy Guthrie understands pain. In Holding on to Hope: A Pathway through Suffering to the Heart of God, Guthrie leads readers through the dark abyss of pain into a place of hope and healing. In 1998, doctors diagnosed her newborn daughter, Hope, with Zellweger Syndrome, a rare congenital disorder that gave her less than six months to live. After Hope's death, Guthrie's husband had a vasectomy. Nevertheless, a year and a half later, she finds herself pregnant again. With only a 25 percent chance that this baby would be born with the disorder, Guthrie is hopeful. However, her hope is short-lived. Her son, Gabriel, also has Zellweger Syndrome and dies one day shy of six months.

With raw emotion and gut-wrenching honesty, Guthrie frames her story with the biblical book of Job, challenging readers to move beyond the question "Why?" Guthrie encourages readers to embrace their suffering. "Would you allow suffering to lead you to the very heart of God, a place where you can find the comfort and peace that you crave as well as the hope that has the power to transform your tomorrows?" She reminds readers that all suffering is meaningful. "If God has allowed suffering into your life, it is for a purpose. A good purpose. A holy purpose."

While claims like these might seem unbelievable, Guthrie's authenticity and genuineness throughout the book reveal that she did not reach her conclusions lightly. She has journeyed through the pain to the other side, where she has found hope. Eternal hope that is found in Christ alone. Through her pain, she extends her hand, inviting readers on a journey to the heart of God. "The truth is there is no comfort to be found away from God," she writes. Her painful experiences make her a trustworthy guide through the valley of suffering.

As someone who lives with the chronic pain and suffering wrought by Rheumatoid Arthritis, I appreciate Guthrie's conclusions, but even more so, her journey. She avoids trite sentimentality and pithy platitudes that attempt to cover raw, gaping wounds with a band-aid. Her book resonates with insights that come only through the furnace of affliction. Her words wrap their arms around you, offering warmth, comfort, and hope.

Guthrie is a writer with a lot to say. My only regret is that she failed to say more. While she addresses topics like tears and mourning and our tendency to blame God when we suffer, I would have liked a practical section added to her book, one that addresses the daily challenges those living with pain and suffering face, along with suggestions for how to navigate through the mundane daily chores we face during the healing process.

Guthrie's book is one of the best on this topic. Guthrie's bright faith shines through the dark clouds of adversity, offering warmth and light to those who journey with her on a pathway through suffering to the heart of God.

After our own daughter Madeline was born missing 1/2 her heart, my husband and I found ourselves thrown into a whole new world of children's hospitals, suffering and loss. And though our own little one is still with us we know that at any moment we may have to say good-bye. I found this book to be exceptional to hand out to other parents with sick children who are struggling with the path God has choosen for them. Her words are a blessing and a comfort and really hit home on how to deal with what life hands us. I would love to see this book in the library of every Ronald McDonald House!!!

I had the pleasure of meeting this lovely woman when she came to our area and spoke at a local church. I, myself, just lost my 4 1/2 month old daughter to Edward Syndrome (Trisomy 18), a chromosomal syndrome which they say is "incompatible with life." Nancy is such a compassionate person and this shines through in her book. If she can survive the heartwrenching pain of losing two children to a horrible disorder, she gives me hope that I can do so also. I never knew much about the life of Job, but have learned much from her book. It is a real page-turner!
I hope she writes some more books in the future!

This book gave me a hope and perspective that no other book has. It's intelligent and real, and I immediately thought of 10 people I know who need this book who are going through losses and failures of many kinds. So many books only touch the surface, or give typical, dare I say "trite," reasons for loss and suffering. This book delves deep, recognizes the reality of the pain, and offers real comfort. Real direction. This author can relate, yet gets beyond her own story to give hope to others.