Life – Why I Wrote Sustaining Hope
This month marks the first anniversary of my book, Sustaining Hope!
It’s exciting to write a book! There’s a special moment when you write it all out on a computer, edit it a bunch of times, and then hold the first printed version in your hands. A year’s work is marked by this book. It’s been a process of many stages of editing to get it to the final print. Many times I wondered what the point of it was and if it was worth making available to others. That was until a few people shared how the book helped them. That’s when I knew it was worth every moment.
It’s been a year of intentionally stretching myself and trying new things in order to spread the word about this book. You’ve heard about it and thought about buying it. You may have listened to or watch interviews about it, but haven’t read it yet. Let me share with you the reason I wrote Sustaining Hope.
Infertility, Post Concussion Syndrome, and financial challenges are all hidden problems. You may hear about them or see a bit of the affects they have on the person, but they’re all like the tip of an iceberg. Many people silently grieve these things and feel lost while at home. They feel unseen, misunderstood, and even rejected at times.
Infertility, chronic illness, and financial challenges are very common, and can be major triggers which lead to divorce.
Coming from a family affected by divorce, I have a passion to help other couples have tough conversations in order to strengthen their marriage rather than tear it apart.
Michael and I have learned to navigate through each one of these issues. Often times, we either had to seek help or figure things out on our own. A lot of people, including pastors, don’t always know how to help couples navigate these problems in detail. That isn’t to discourage anyone. It’s hard if they haven’t had any experience or understanding of that situation.
So, as the Lord brought healing to my story, the passion grew to help others find help and hold onto hope for their situation as well.
I chose to be quite open in the book for three reasons.
Firstly – I think it is important for people going through these things to know they are understood. They aren’t crazy or shameful for feeling the way they have. Anger, shame, insecurity, doubt, and other emotions can plague people going through any of these categories. They often feel worthless or foolish which is why they remain quiet. People have made harsh comments to them out of ignorance which has added to their wounds. So, I want them to know they are understood. They aren’t alone. And, there is hope for them. They don’t have to stay in that status their whole lives. I’m here cheering them on towards healing.
Secondly– I also wrote it for family and friends whose loved ones are struggling with these topics. Often times people who know loved ones going through infertility, chronic illness, and financial challenges, if only superficially, want to help but have no idea how to. They act awkwardly because they don’t understand the depth of the struggle their loved ones are facing, or they may even back away entirely for a time because they feel that’s the best way to help. So, I wanted to give an opportunity for others to get a deeper glimpse into the struggles their loved ones face in order to know how to encourage and cheer them on through these hard times. Knowledge brings understanding. Understanding brings compassion.
Thirdly – Regardless of whether you’ve gone through this, or have known others who have, I also wrote this book to generally encourage you in your faith. Life is a roller coaster of highs and lows. You will be challenged in some way by hard times. But in this, the Lord gives you a beautiful gift called hope to help you through. His hope looks differently than the hope this world offers. This book helps you see the difference, and shows how to add the Lord’s eternal hope into your daily life too.
I also wanted to give you an opportunity to understand a bit more of my story and why I offer the encouragement and discipleship tools I do at, Hope Through Hard Times. It is a way I can connect with you, no matter where you live.
If you haven’t read the book yet, I encourage you to do so. I really think it’ll help you personally, as well as help you grow in love and compassion for those around you going through infertility, financial challenges, post-concussion syndrome, and their faith.
To those who’ve invested in this book and ministry – thank you! Thank you for your encouragement, prayers, and support. I have greatly appreciated every note, review, prayer, and blessing.
To get your copy of Sustaining Hope, click the picture below or check on Amazon, Kindle, or Kobo.
