"Left to Tell"

This past weekend my mom and I finished reading a wonderful book together that is most definitely blog worthy. (I like to blog about the books I read, especially when I find one that is as inspiring/uplifting as this one since I always appreciate recommendations of good books. Left to Tell Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust is the true story of Immaculée Ilibagiza, who lived through the holocaust in Rwanda in 1994. Here's a little bit more about her story:

Immaculée shares her miraculous story of how she survived during the Rwanda genocide in 1994 when she and seven other women huddled silently together in the cramped bathroom of a local pastor’s house for 91 days! In this captivating and inspiring book, Immaculée shows us how to embrace the power of prayer, forge a profound and lasting relationship with God, and discover the importance of forgiveness and the meaning of truly unconditional love and understanding-through our darkest hours. 

The thing I liked best about this book was Immaculée's trust and faith in God through her ordeal. I find it so refreshing when people acknowledge God and give Him the credit He is due. Immaculée went through something so horrific that it would be unimaginable to most people. However, not only did she survive the genocide of her people, but she actually made it through without losing her amazing spirit, her faith and her love of God. 

Left to Tell reminds me of one of my other favorite books, The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. Corrie survived a Nazi concentration camp and had a very similar outlook on life as Immaculée. Both books are extremely inspiring and would especially be great books for book clubs.

When horrible things happen, people often ask, "Why?" Adversity is difficult to understand, especially while you're in the thick of it. I love this quote by Dieter F. Uchtdorf because he clearly answers why suffering is necessary: "In stories, as in life, adversity teaches us things we cannot learn otherwise. Adversity helps us to develop a depth of character that comes in no other way. Our loving Heavenly Father has set us in a world filled with challenges and trials so that we, through opposition, can learn wisdom, become stronger and experience joy."

I know from personal experience that this is true because I've seen it in my own life. I'm SO much better of a person that I was before my accident and there's no way that I could be the person that I am if it weren't for the adversity that I have and continue to experience. Going through hard things is never easy, but it will smooth out your rough places if you let it.