| | | | | | | | |

When Being Grateful Is Not Easy and You Need Encouragement

Sometimes being grateful at Thanksgiving is not easy to do. Is that where you are this year or in this season? Or maybe it’s a close friend or family member. Whether the obstacles are large or small, we can all use an encouraging reminder to the power we gain from being grateful.

Are you facing a season of obstacles that make being grateful difficult? We all need an encouraging reminder from time to time. #thanksgiving #grateful #gratitude #gratefulheart #adoptionstories #christianbooks #surrenderedheartsbook

When Being Grateful Isn’t Easy

What is it that you are longing for? Are you willing to surrender to the One who makes the impossible possible? This book is our story of surrender and one of the miracles that has come because of that very act of surrendering.#SurrenderedHeartsBook #Godslove #ChristianAuthor #Adoption #NationalAdoptionMonth #authorsI remember when our family was in the middle of our adoption journey. We’d gone through 22 months of tumultuous ups and downs. After falling in love with a little girl and believing she was meant to be ours, we were told she had been given to another family. I grieved for months unwilling to surrender my vision and embrace God’s will. I allowed the grief to hold me in place unable to move forward toward whatever God might have planned for our family.

Until one evening amid 24-hours solo with God. It was Him and me – prayer, tears, and pouring out even the ugly parts of my heart, when I surrendered. I gave the child I loved back to God. I surrendered and accepted whatever story God may have for our family and my broken heart.

And that’s when the miracles began.

The miracles began when I surrendered my story and accepted whatever story God may have for our family and my broken heart #SurrenderedHeartsBook #Adoption #RefinedSeries Click To Tweet

Through a series of connections only a miracle could explain, that little girl became ours. Not right away, but eventually it happened. In August of 2010 we traveled to meet her and declare our intentions before the Bulgarian Court. Our trip only confirmed the conviction I’d felt.

This child was meant to be a Schumaker.

But then we had to go home empty-handed. It was a two-visit process and we had to leave our daughter behind and wait for paperwork to complete. They told us 3-5 months. However, by Thanksgiving of that year, we knew our wait would be longer. With every delay our daughter suffered without the love and care of a family.

She was hungry, sick, and longing for love. We’d told her we would come back, but after everyone who had let her down, would she or could she even believe what we said?

On Thanksgiving, as we filled our bellies with food and our time with family and love, our daughter lived in the gray world of a sterile orphanage.

On Thanksgiving, as we filled our bellies with food and our time with family and love, our daughter lived in the gray world of a sterile orphanage #thanksgiving #surrenderedheartsbook Click To Tweet

I struggled to be grateful. I wondered where God was and why He would allow her to stay there.

Friend, like I mentioned above, maybe you are in that space that makes being grateful difficult. My guess is that if you aren’t there right now, at some point, you have been there.

…. read more

Join me as I share the rest of this story as a part of Lyli Dunbar’s Refined Series. I know being grateful isn’t always easy, so I pray the words you find are the encouragement you need today.

Are you facing a season of obstacles that make being grateful difficult? We all need an encouraging reminder from time to time. #thanksgiving #grateful #gratitude #gratefulheart #adoptionstories #christianbooks #surrenderedheartsbook


Our Story of Being Grateful Turned Into a Book

November is National Adoption Month and I am thrilled to be able to officially share my new book release with you! It’s Selah’s adoption story, but it’s more. It’s God’s story of showing us He never leaves. And it’s a story that shows exactly how surrendering changed everything for us. It was the breakthrough that helped us move forward and then opened the doors to God’s version of how the story should go.

Want more information? The Surrendered Hearts website is HERE! You’ll find the Book Video Trailer and other goodies like sharable images, tweets, and a set of FREE Bonus Resources for the adoptive parent or for anyone needing a little extra encouragement in life!

Get your absolutely FREE set of Bonus Resources for the adoptive parent or for anyone needing a little extra encouragement in life! #SurrenderedHeartsBook #adoption #NationalAdoptionMonth Click To Tweet

Lori Schumaker: Surrendered Hearts Bonus Resources

Want to go straight to Amazon to get your book asap? Then you can click HERE!


The Surrendered Heart Bracelet: Choose to Live Surrendered to the One who makes the Impossible Possible! #LiveSurrendered #SurrenderedHeartsBook #Godslove #adoption #bracelet

The Surrendered Hearts Bracelet

In conjunction with the book, I have partnered with Theresa of  Tees Cherished Finds to create a Surrendered Hearts Bracelet! The message to Live Surrendered means that you are choosing to lay down your fears and live surrendered to the One who makes the impossible possible.  When you choose to Live Surrendered, you are committing to following Jesus where He calls. You are choosing to let go of your way and take hold of His way.  And when you purchase a bracelet for just $15 (look in the right margin), just as when you purchase the book, a portion of the proceeds will go to Lori’s chosen adoption ministries. Just click on the image below. It will take you to the Surrendered Hearts page where you can find out more and make your purchase (or just make it right now ♥)

Check out the Surrendered Hearts Bracelet and make a statement to LIVE SURRENDERED! #SurrenderedHeartsBook #NationalAdoptionMonth Click To Tweet
Don’t Miss Out!

If you haven’t signed up yet to receive updates, you can do so right HERE (or fill out the form below). Subscribing will get you my occasional updates. It also gets you full access to my resource-filled Library of Hope! It has a ton of stuff in it to help you meet life’s challenges head on with the best tool we have – the hope of Christ!


Similar Posts

I'd love for you to share your thoughts!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

6 Comments

  1. What an incredible and inspiring story! You did the only thing that you could do – turned the whole thing over to God and accepted his will. Blessings to you and Happy Thanksgiving.

    1. Yes! It took me a bit before I was willing to turn it over (and goodness, I still try taking things back that I shouldn’t) but we got there and the blessings were beyond our imagination ♥ Thanks for joining me here, Laurie!

  2. Thank you for continuing to share your story in such an honest and vulnerable way. Happy Thanks giving. laurensparks.net

  3. So grateful that God sent you Selah!
    Sure am blessed by you and by your ministry~
    Melanie