The Good in the Awful

The reality of life is that death happens. And if you have had the beautiful opportunity of escaping its crippling impact, there is no doubt that you have been jarred a time or two with unexpected losses. This is not a matter of if, but when, as everything we hold dear has the potential to be taken from us.

Whether you have experienced a loss of the life of a loved one, a dream you have held on to for years, the trust you once shared in a relationship, or a change in physical ability after a diagnosis or accident, you have battled the great darkness that comes flooding into your life. This ever-present heaviness brings with it life-altering questions and settles on your shoulders making perfectly normal situations almost unbearable to face. This loss, this breaking, has the ability to blind us from the Truth and change everything we have built our lives on.

In her book, The Good in the Awful, Vanessa invites readers to join in on an honest conversation about pain and what it is to look for God in the darkness, using her own story of crippling grief as the guide to discovering if God is still good and at work in our brokenness. Are you up to join in on the challenge? A great expedition through unknown waters and deep pain to find the good that God is working on in the middle of our mess?

Because despite our feelings of God being distant and indifferent to our pain, He isn't. He is ever present and still in the business of using our broken pieces to build an even greater story. For our benefit and the good of others, wasting nothing. If any truth can be found let it be this, that our Redeemer (your Redeemer) lives!

Vanessa Shepherd is a truth-bringer, word-slinger, and self-proclaimed big dreamer. She spends most of her time and energy raising two very active boys and co-pastoring Canyon Hills: SLO church alongside her husband Rich. Since ministry, specifically discipleship, has always been near and dear to her heart - Vanessa began a decade ago with writing her way through life, loss, and the pursuit of holiness, inviting others on the journey to deep personal growth rooted in the Word.