Writing a book requires a certain amount of presumption. Penning a collection of your life experiences even greater still. You must assume that your thoughts are worth gathering in a single volume. You must discern that others will somehow benefit from your words. Finally, you must trust that people will take the time to actually read what you have written. These determinations are a milestone in and of themselves. The hope and vulnerability that follows any kind of publication are not lost on those who have braved an audience full of cynics and critics. So why have I chosen to take a leap of faith in order to share Hope When Life Unravels?
At the risk of sounding melodramatic, divine compulsion. During my son Carson’s battle against leukemia, it quickly became apparent that God was teaching me the most significant lessons in my life thus far. Though the trial was truly horrific, it was also formative. Truths I had been sharing with others for years became more precious to me as I had to rest on them every day for nearly three years. My initial prompting was to keep a detailed journal that I could one day present to my son so that he, too, could benefit from the hope we found during his illness. Knowing that Carson would forget the ordeal as he aged, preserving a record of the events surrounding his treatment became my priority.
Then, over lunch at the hospital cafeteria, it seemed that the Holy Spirit stirred within me a calling to articulate God’s comfort and hope in order to share with other people as well. Though the idea frightened me initially, I could not shake it. Despite my apprehension for sharing these intimate details from our journey, a profound sense of responsibility and stewardship emerged. God’s investment in me, it seemed, was not just for me.
Hope When Life Unravels is more than a book. These pages represent over six years of prayerfully seeking the Lord to discern what to include and how to encourage those who might be hurting. My prayer is that you will benefit these lifelines as much as we did. Every trial is different, but God’s truth remains the same. May the Lord give you hope under the weight of your greatest burdens!
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