Just Show Up

Kara Tippetts’s story was not a story of disease, although she lost her battle with terminal cancer.

It was not a story of saying goodbye, although she was intentional in her time with her husband and four children. Kara’s story was one of seeing God in the hard and in the good. It was one of finding grace in the everyday. And it was one of knowing “God with us” through fierce and beautiful friendship.

In Just Show Up, Kara and her close friend, Jill Lynn Buteyn, write about what friendship looks like in the midst of changing life seasons, loads of laundry, and even cancer. Whether you are eager to be present to someone going through a difficult time or simply want inspiration for pursuing friends in a new way, this eloquent and practical book explores the gift of silence, the art of receiving, and what it means to just show up.

More about the authors: The late Kara Tippetts was the author of “The Hardest Peace” and blogged faithfully at mundanefaithfulness.com. Cancer was only a part of Kara’s story. Her real fight was to truly live while facing a crushing reality. Since her death in March 2015, her husband, Jason, is parenting their four children and leading the church they founded in Colorado Springs, Colorado. ***||*** Jill Lynn Buteyn is the author of “Falling for Texas,” an inspirational novel, and a recipient of the ACFW Genesis Award for her fiction work. She has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Bethel University. Jill lives near the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her husband and two children.

My thoughts: I knew this book was going to be a hard one to read when it arrived in my mailbox! I read Kara's first book around the time my MIL was diagnosed with breast cancer, so it hit me hard. To see that Kara lost her battle to cancer at such a young age seems unfair. But, as I read the book, I was amazed at the message of hope found in it, one that I should of seen as a Christian. Even though it is tragic that she left behind her husband and young children, she is in a better place where there are no more tears, no more suffering.
If you have had tragedy hit the life of a friend and you just don't know how to handle being their for them, I highly suggest this book! It is a wonderful resource for those who want to help but don't know how to be there for a friend or loved one. I like how Jill points out that many offers to help are broad, leaving the one suffering to wonder if it was an honest offer or not.
One of my favorite quotes from the book: "we put so much pressure on ourselves to do everything right that many of us decide it's too hard to even attempt entering into someone else's suffering."
I received this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review.