Sometimes reading someone else’s story can help you make sense of yours. That’s one of the things I love about memoirs. Many of the memoirs I’ve read share the common thread of finding hope and healing in the midst of trials. Today I’m sharing with you some of the most moving memoirs I’ve read that fall under this category.
From the very beginning of time, all the way to this date on the calendar, right there in the modest Ohio neighborhood where a little Muslim girl quaked under her father’s abuse and longed for answers that she wanted to believe were out there, God was already working His wonders. Fashioning the heavens and the earth. Moving among the formless darkness of an uncreated universe.
He was here.
He was everything I’d been searching for.
— Rifqa Bary
Hiding in the Light by Rifqa Bary — For Rifqa Bary, following Jesus meant leaving her home and separating herself from her family so that she could practice her faith freely. Yet even then, her trials were far from over. In a sense, they had just begun. But there’s no resentment in her voice as she shares her testimony of deliverance. Instead, her sweet and gentle spirit shines through beautifully, and Jesus’ presence with her through all of her trials infuses the book with a sense of settled peace and undying hope.
Rifqa’s story is all at once encouraging and challenging, reminding readers of both the reward and the price that comes with following Jesus wholeheartedly.
Giving my cruelest suffering to God has softened me. It has worn off the sharp edges of my critical and judgmental spirit and drawn me to the Lord. That process didn’t happen overnight. Truthfully, it took closer to ten thousand nights. But I learned that Jesus is enough. I don’t need to prove myself to others, to measure up to their expectations, or to define myself by their words. My identity is in Christ.
— Vaneetha Rendall Risner
Walking Through Fire by Vaneetha Rendall Risner — Riveting and relatable, Walking Through Fire tells the searing story of Vaneetha Rendall Risner’s life, which has been laced with numerous trials—including polio, multiple miscarriages, loss of a child, and divorce. I stayed up later than I should have two nights in a row reading it, and would have read it in one sitting if I could have.
In this intimate memoir, Vaneetha is gut-wrenchingly honest about the pain and suffering in her life and her response to it. She imparts weighty life lessons along the way, studded with sparkles of humor. Her deeply moving story is a powerful example of how God works through trials to accomplish His higher purpose.
I want to leave ripples in the lives I leave behind.
— Katie Vaudrey
Colors of Goodbye by September Vaudrey — After her daughter Katie was killed in a car accident, September Vaudrey embarked on a journey no parent wants to take: walking through the aftermath of losing a child. Even though many souls were drawn closer to God through Katie’s death, September admits that she would still like to go back to a picture-perfect life where her vivacious middle daughter is present. Since she can’t return to the past, September has learned to see the beauty in the life she’s been given.
This heartfelt memoir is structured around a unique framework that perfectly suits the nature of Katie’s legacy. She was a talented visual artist, and each chapter of this book is named after a shade of paint, drawing symbolism from a medium she loved working with. I liked this way September honored her daughter’s artistic bent.
Portions of the book are written in the present tense, making readers feel as though the events are unfolding before their eyes. September’s remarkably astute grasp of grief adds richness to this book. It reads like a study of grief written through the lens of one family’s story.
If one life comes to know Jesus Christ as their Savior through what I go through, it will all be worth it.
— Melissa Camp
Melissa, If One Life by Janette Henning and Melissa Camp — She’s best known as the first wife of singer-songwriter Jeremy Camp, whose story was made popular a few years ago through the movie I Still Believe, which is based on their love story. But there’s a lot more to Melissa Camp’s life and faith, and Melissa, If One Life delves into those depths.
Hungry. That’s the word I would use to describe how I feel after reading this book. The depth of Melissa’s faith is absolutely amazing. Reading about her relationship with Jesus makes me crave a deeper relationship with Him.
Weaving together unedited excerpts from her journals and heart-stirring narrative by her mother, Janette, this book offers a powerful and intimate glimpse into Melissa’s rich interior life. The book itself is lovely, with a gorgeous pink floral theme, but the most beautiful thing about it is how it unveils Melissa’s heart for God and those she loved. Her life inspires me to trust in Jesus more and pursue a deeper relationship with Him.
For me, music has always been a pleasure, a protector, and my passion. The words my favorite artists sang gave me strength and courage and inspiration and motivation to keep going, to keep living, and to believe something better was around the corner. Music gave me hope when I felt hopeless. Love when I felt unloved. A reason to embrace life when I was dying inside. If a song moved me, then I felt I was alive for a reason. Later I came to the truth of knowing these blessings were all gifts from the Lord. Music was simply the conduit for them to reach my heart.
— Bart Millard
I Can Only Imagine by Bart Millard with Robert Nolan — Based on the fun-loving and upbeat personality of the lead singer of MercyMe, you would never guess the difficult childhood he had and the rocky road he’s traveled. But the darker the night, the brighter the stars, and Bart Millard’s story is proof of that. In I Can Only Imagine, he takes readers behind the scenes of his success and recounts how the Lord has brought him to where he is now.
This book reads like a movie, fast-paced and filled with colorful characters and unexpected twists. It’s also packed with thrilling testimonies of God’s transforming power and guiding hand at work. Readers are reminded that God is always working in our lives even when we can’t see it. His plans for us are greater and grander than we can imagine.
Could it be that the broken parts of your life, the trials you are facing or have endured already, are places where God can reveal his strength through you?
And if so, are you willing to tell your story?
Will you gladly boast of your weaknesses to show God’s strength?
Can God meeting you in your trials be your strength, or even the beginning of your ministry?
— Laura Story
When God Doesn’t Fix It by Laura Story with Jennifer Schuchmann — Bringing together brutal honesty, gentle humor, and a hopeful heart, When God Doesn’t Fix It offers an up-close perspective on the trials worship leader Laura Story and her husband, Martin, have faced. It’s not an easy read, but it’s an encouraging one.
Laura is transparent about her questions, doubts, and struggles, as well as her disappointment over the distance between the life she expected and the one she has received. It’s almost disarming, the way she expresses her disappointments. Yet it’s also encouraging to hear someone honestly admit their faith struggles without abandoning the truth. I appreciated the emphasis on telling our stories for God’s glory.
I think there’s something profound about hope. I think there’s something so meaningful when you cling to something beyond what you know and understand. And when that’s in there, deep in your head and in your heart, and you believe it with every ounce of your body—something happens. Hope heals…where it hurts the most, which is your soul.
— Katherine Wolf
Hope Heals by Katherine and Jay Wolf —The story Katherine and Jay Wolf have to tell is one they would never have asked for. Just when their dreams of a storybook life were on the verge of coming true, the plot took an unexpected twist after Katherine had a brain stem stroke at the age of 26. The couple was instantly plunged into a new world where nothing was normal and hope felt far away.
The Wolfs’ journey to healing is heartbreaking to read, yet it also testifies to the hope that can be found in even the hardest places. Their story of struggle and victory inspires readers to rely on Jesus’ strength to overcome whatever they may face.
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