I can say with confidence that there have been many times in our nearly 20 years of marriage where the unexpected happened. Sometimes the unexpected was good and sometimes it was bad.
This unexpected is something that has turned out to be good and beneficial for many. I hope.
I never expected to become a published writer. I enjoyed writing when I had the time and putting some thoughts on paper (or screen), but I didn’t think that it would actually turn out in print. As the story of our family began to unfold, it seemed that it had to be in print. But if our story was going to be told, I would most certainly point out who the Hero of our story continues to be.
I was picked up by a publishing company last year and we began working together to organize and fill in pieces of our story that were important to share.
After Tullie’s and Eli’s birth I had become frustrated with Christenese in the church. Different phrases that I had grown up hearing and used were beginning to burn my ears and not make sense. “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” “God works all things together for good.” “He’ll give you the desires of your heart.” And so on. It became frustrating as our suffering continued, because these promises seemed trite and untrue. They were difficult to believe. I realized over time, however, that these verses or phrases had been taken out of context of the scripture that they represented. God WAS going to give me more than I could handle. God’s definition of good is not my definition of good.
I have been raised in the church and went to Sunday School as a child. I also did not know the gospel. I thought God would bless me if I kept the rules. By his blessings, my mean, I would have a happy life and happy children. God did not promise that his children would not suffer, in fact, it’s the opposite! Jesus promised that we WOULD suffer when we love him, but that he had conquered the world!
The book happened because of our life events. The book happened because I wanted to share that Jesus is in the midst and the heart of our suffering with us. The book happened because I wanted to share the hope of Jesus in the midst of all of our darkest hours.
All of our dark hours look different. Not all dark hours are the same. My hope is that you will see Jesus in this book and that you will be reminded that Jesus is with you in your dark hours and his has lavished you with grace and he sustains you through your days. (Psalm 3:5)
