How do you trust God for good when everything looks so wrong? How do you hold onto hope when your world is falling apart? It's easy to forget the goodness of God when the brokenness in our world feels louder and bigger than hope.

In this episode of Living the Grace Life, host Jennifer Sakata sits down with Julie Sunne, whose multiple miscarriages, life's hard, and caregiving for her adult daughter with significant intellectual disabilities have led her to the substance of hope: God Himself.

Julie's latest book, Sometimes I Forget: 60 Reminders of Hope for Your Hard Days, outlines 60 characteristics of God that root us in hope despite difficult circumstances.

Together, we address the importance of letting go of our expectations about life, especially during acute trauma.

The next steps to hope include:

By turning to the Bible and authentically crying out to God, we open ourselves up to the possibilities God can bring through our circumstances. 

Listen in to discover how God's characteristics can turn impossibilities into possibilities, encouraging listeners to ask, 'What are you going to do with this now, Lord?' 

Julie is also the author of Everyday Praise: Walking in Greater Peace. Julie's writing has been featured in print devotionals by Proverbs 31 Ministries and Guideposts; Celebrate Life Magazine' Proverbs 31 Ministries' Encouragement for Today, and several online sites. Julie and her husband, David, are parents to three grown sons and a daughter. They reside with their daughter in rural northeast Iowa.

Grace Quotes from Julie Sunne:

"I wasn't prepared to reconcile the God that I knew with the bad things that can happen in life."

"When life is hard and things turn tragic, we are quick to believe God has taken his eyes off us. But God is never stretched too thin. You always have God's undivided attention."

"As we continue to unwrap the gift of surrendered faith, some of what looks to be mean and ugly in our lives transforms into precious gifts that stretch, grow, and heal us."

Resources mentioned:

Complete show notes here

Advent Devotional: Make Room for the Quieter Voices of Christmas by Jennifer Sakata

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