Introduction
Sometimes God leads us where the road is paved with sunshine and an understanding of who we are and where we are going. It’s easy to trust Him in those times, because we sense a security in the here and now. But sometimes, life throws us the unexpected. The simple things in life suddenly become complicated. Challenges turn into burdens. Expectations reach unbearable heights. Pain is masked in anger. Freedom becomes a prison, and love feels like it will never come back around. It is in those moments God is bigger, still. His arms hold tighter hugs. His lips speak tender words, and His eyes smile a deeper acceptance than ever before. That is what this book is all about. God hasn’t given up, even if you’ve given in!
Hope’s story is one of promise—a bright future, a path of unending possibilities and fearless options, a teenage girl’s unwavering faith and trust in God. Then middle school comes along and slander taints her reputation and smears her family’s good name. The promise of tomorrow begins to morph into a trail of lies, which follow her into adulthood. Dark shadows lurk. Menacing figures linger. Pending doom assaults her sanity and peace of mind at every turn. Her core beliefs are tested at their very foundation, and she witnesses the sacred spaces of her world become marred and cold. All About Hope will walk you through some of life’s greatest storms as Hope searches for the value in living, struggling to piece together the elaborately complex puzzle left behind from the collateral damage of rape, abuse, and on-going fear. What she learns might surprise you.
When the lies of Hope’s enemies piled up all around her, and she couldn’t fathom facing another day, God gave her courage and wisdom to hold on. “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (ESV) When fear paralyzed her in the face of being raped, and her innocence shattered into a million pieces, God spoke into her humiliation and pain. “Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” Psalm 34:5 (ESV) And when depression clouded her vision with darkness, and anger became her only acknowledgement of existence, God reached out and said, “‘For I know the plans I have for you…plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
God took what Hope couldn’t give and replaced it with something valuable, and He can do the same for you.
