Have you ever wanted to give up on life? Author Hope Joy’s book “Dying to Live: A Call to Joy – The Power of a Testimony” is a testimonial about moving from depression and thoughts of committing suicide to joy and hope as a result of a life-threatening illness. She wrote the book but delayed publication for over a year because she was loathe to expose her true self. Hope Joy is a Christian, a lawyer, and a small business owner whom most people thought had it all together. But as the book reveals, she was wearing the masks she needed to wear to make it through her days. Most of us do. We wear masks at home, work, church, and everywhere else we go to show what we want others to see. But inside, Hope Joy was dying. She felt sad and hopeless, and despite having a wonderful support system, she felt alone. There’s nothing worse than having loved ones around you and feeling all alone. Part of Hope Joy’s problem was she was too proud to ask for help. She reveled in the thought, to her detriment, that everyone saw her as strong. As a matter of fact, people came to her for advice, including on depression, and instead of sharing her own struggles, she felt the need to hide behind their problems—too proud to reveal her own pain. But as we know, pride comes before the fall. And Hope Joy was on a major downward spiral. She was so focused on her problems, and nothing and no one could soothe the pain. Being a victim was her chosen path, and the result was that the universe was acting in accordance with her intentions. We draw to us what we give importance in our lives.

After feeling physical pain for quite some time, Hope Joy found out that she had a life-threatening tumor. It was attention-getting time. God’s attention-getting time. Hope was so busy focusing on herself and her problems that she wasn’t focusing on God. It was only by focusing on her blessings rather than her problems that she realized that she didn’t want to die, she wanted to live. She had everything to live for. What a blessing it is to know that every day God allows us to wake up, He’s giving us another opportunity to make a difference. And the difference Hope Joy decided to make was committing to joy in her own life and sharing that joy with others. Having joy in the midst of difficult circumstances--in this case serious illness--is very challenging. But the alternative was not an option. Finding joy taught Hope Joy how to live in the here and now. She changed her focus from victimization to victorious living, and the universe has been meeting her there every single day. She is now living her dreams with a vengeance, and not letting anything or anyone steal her joy. That process has been painful because people in your life who remember who you used to be do not always get with the new program of who you are in the present. But whatever the cost, it’s worth the price to heal and find the joy in your own life. Then you can be an example to others to help them find their own joy.

“Dying to Live: A Call to Joy – The Power of a Testimony” is part of the plan. Hope Joy had to remove all of her masks to find her joy, and her goal is to show others that it is possible to find joy even in the midst of difficult circumstances. The book includes thought-provoking questions for the reader to examine their own circumstances and a workbook for the reader to share their own testimony. Everyone has a story to tell. Will you share yours?