As you can see from the picture, my hands are not the image of beauty. You can see the psoriasis, the swelling, the redness....and this is just a tiny outward image of the havoc that is going on inside my body every day. I chose to review Audaciously Alive because it is about a woman with an autoimmune disesase.... someone like me.
I have a feeling a lot of people will pick up this book because they suffer from AS (ankolysing Spondolitits) like the author, or perhaps Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Lupus, Lyme Disease, Cancer.... because they are desperate for any help they can find. I certainly can relate. Loosing your health turns all your other priorities upside down. For me, I felt encouraged after reading 'Audaciously Alive'. I devoured the book in a single day, desperately reading in hopes that I would find some sort of 'magic cure' or something. I honestly don't know what I was expecting to find.... but I did walk away with a semblance of hope.
Roxanne is very open about her life and her experiences, and doesn't shy away from showing how crazy hard it is to suffer from an autoimune disease where your body literally starts to attack itself. For every story of how bad she became though, there is a follow up story of how she pulled herself back out of the valley. These stories were the source of my hope. Reading along as she fought to recover brought me hope that there is something I can do to help improve my health, but it also was a strong reminder to brace myself for a serious, life-long battle. Health wont just fall back into your lap. It takes effort and a lot of 'showing up' as Roxanne puts it.
I'm not necessarily ready to jump on board with all the health recommendations that Roxanne mentions, but her heart is in the right place and I think most of what she says has merit to at least be considered. I love her emphasis on the power of the Lord's healing and on prayer.
I valued the time I spend reading this book and will likely read it again (though slower this time!) to get more out of it.
Thank-you to Graf Martin for a copy of this book to review.
Back Cover:
In Audaciously Alive: Choosing to Live Well on Purpose, Roxanne Harris helps readers see where they are in their own struggle with autoimmune or chronic disease—and the pitfalls, confusion, and torment that goes with it—to find the path back to freedom and true living.
After a devastating diagnosis of an autoimmune disease, ankylosing spondylitis, just two weeks after the birth of her fourth child, Roxanne Harris refused to submit to life in a wheelchair and began the fight of her life—to create beauty from the ashes of disease, broken relationships, and the crippling of her body.
In Audaciously Alive, she shares her pain, the many trials she faced, and her most audacious moments of standing firm and not giving up. She highlights keys to living well and gives insight and wisdom so that you can better see the traps and speed bumps that could derail you in your own path to recovery. Packed with practical tools, Roxanne will help you turn the freight train of your health and life around and get back on track physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
You no longer have to live in panic, confusion, or fear after a diagnosis. Instead, you can choose to be audacious and live on purpose every day.
Say “no” to sickness and the label of disease and choose to live audaciously.
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