My Story of Finding Hope in the Midst of Tragedy

by Shelley Hitz

Don’t miss out on this free Christian inspirational book! FREE on Wednesday 8/8/12 and Thursday 8/9/12 "Finding Hope in the Midst of Tragedy" by Shelley Hitz.

Get your copy here: Hope for the Hurting

Not only will you be able to download Shelley’s book for free, but also three other Christian books during her special book launch.

Excerpt from the Book “Finding Hope in the Midst of Tragedy”

I recently heard the word hope described as this acronym: Hold On, Pain Ends. And I have found that to be so true in my own life. One of my heroes of the faith and Nazi prison camp survivor, Corrie ten Boom, describes it this way, “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”

This book is my own personal journey to finding hope after a tragedy hit our family. However, I did not want this book to be my story alone. Instead, I wanted it to be a resource for you to find hope in the midst of your own difficulties. That is why I have added the sections that you will see through the book called, “From My Life to Yours,” where I add journaling prompts and suggested prayers for you to apply what you are learning to your life. I pray that God leads you to find His hope no matter what you are walking through.

My Story

I had no clue how drastically my life would change this year. I thought some of my worst days were over. I thought that I had dealt with enough trials for one lifetime. However, on July 1st 2009, that all changed when my dad, Chuck Sandstrom, was assaulted. Once again, a violent act was committed against our family and this time it hit even closer to home, my dad. Dad was assaulted so severely that it left him in a coma for almost six weeks and resulted in a severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

At first I was in shock and was numb. But, eventually, many emotions began to surface. Anger, grief, pain, unforgiveness. I heard myself saying, “Lord, it’s not fair. Why our family, AGAIN? I don’t know if I can handle this.” I realized it was time for me to walk through the path of forgiveness once again and choose to trust God with the pain, the hurt and the unknowns of this tragedy. And He led me down a path to find hope…hope in the midst of tragedy.

I won’t lie to you. It hasn’t been an easy road. And it’s not over. Dad is now out of the coma and progressing every day. He is walking, talking and eating again. He is now home. But, there is a long road ahead. Dad still needs a lot of speech therapy and cognitive therapy. He may end up losing his job. And they still haven’t found his perpetrator. Yes, there is still a long road ahead of us. But, looking back, I can see God’s Presence with us every step of the way. Every tear, every emotion, every joy, every disappointment. He has been here.

I’ve found out once again that what Jesus teaches is applicable to real-life. In the midst of pain, tragedy and some of the most difficult days of my life, Jesus brought me hope.
And He wants to do the same for you, if you’ll seek Him and apply His teachings to your life.

What I share in this book in my “journal” that I posted on my blog through the difficult days after my dad’s assault, coma and resulting traumatic brain injury. I opened my heart for all to see my journey…my journey to finding hope in the midst of tragedy. I pray God uses this book to encourage and inspire you.

Download your free copy and let your friends know about this special offer here on 8/8/12 and 8/9/12: Hope for the Hurting

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Shelley Hitz is the author of the book, “Finding Hope in the Midst of Tragedy” which you can download for FREE on 8/8/12 and 8/9/12 here: Finding Hope in the Midst of Tragedy. Shelley’s main passion is to share God’s truth and the freedom in Christ she has found with others. She does this through her books, websites and speaking engagements.