Today I welcome back debut author Sandra Kathleen for her second of three posts. If you missed the first one, check back to July 19th. You won't want to miss it?

Feeling hopeless and defeated, Samantha sat staring at the blank computer screen. The approaching deadlines and constant phone calls from her boss did nothing to help her focus. Her attention was drawn to everything except the task at hand. The mild throbbing in her head; the exhaustion and fatigue that plagued her during the day, compiled with her inability to sleep soundly at night; the laughter she could hear from her daughter in the other room, and the nagging guilt that she should be there playing with her instead of stuck in the office working.

Samantha felt she deserved more. Why should she be under all this stress while her husband seemed to have a light and carefree life? At the same time, however, she felt guilty when she asked him to help her more. She should be able to get it done. Other women were able to manage a career and a family. Why couldn’t she? Then her mom’s voice rang through her mind, “You just aren’t good enough. You can’t do anything right.”

Samantha weighed her commitments and felt stuck in a rut. As much as she wanted to believe better time management and personal discipline could be the solution to her troubles, she didn’t realize what she really needed was a complete transformation of her mind and heart. Her focus needed to shift.



Samantha is not alone in her trials and frustrations. No one is immune to the feeling of despair created when our burdens are too heavy and our lives are not what we expected them to be. Many times, we wish we could just go back and do it over again.

Regardless of what is going on with work, family, and the ins and outs of daily life, we can learn how to shift our focus from our frustrations and stressors and to our Heavenly Father. This is the first step in learning to be free of the burdens that weigh us down, finding renewed joy in all our situations, and experiencing peace even in the middle of the storm. As we begin to walk in the reality God is with us and in us, and He is in the process of renewing us and transforming us, we can learn to rejoice and give thanks in all circumstances, even in those extremely frustrating days when nothing seems to go right. There is hope!

I have found true hope and joy, that peace which surpasses understanding (Phil. 4:7). My life today is nothing like it was years ago. Like Samantha one day will experience, I have gone from feeling hopeless, defeated, depressed, and exhausted to finding there is joy and peace to be discovered each and every day.

I want you to find this same hope! 

Tomorrow begins my “Launch Week of Celebration” as I give thanks for all that God has done and will do through the messages in my new book, Mature and Complete: How God Uses Trials, Brokenness, and Wilderness Times for Our Good. I pray that as you read, you will allow the scriptures and testimonies to help you in your own trials to learn how you too can give thanks and even have joy in the midst of trials.

As a sales promotion for this Launch Week, the Kindle edition will be on sale for $2.99 and on 8/8, the 8^th day of the Launch Celebration, the paperback will be on sale for $8.88.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sandra Kathleen has been living internationally for more than twenty years and has a heart to see believers grow in their faith. She has extensive experience speaking to international audiences. She is also involved in discipling, mentoring, and training individuals from various nations, as she spends time listening to their stories and investing in their growth. She hopes her experiences as captured in this book will be used to encourage the church and set people free so that they can continue to do the work God has called them to do, regardless of occupation or location. To contact author: sandra.kathleen@outlook.com