Finalist in the the Feathered Quill Book Awards

How do you survive when life falls apart?

Life can change in an instant. Sara Ward understands this deeply.

In less than forty-eight hours, her world is turned upside down by two devastating tragedies. The heartbreaking loss of her child forces her to wrestle with difficult questions: 

How will I survive this? Can anything good come out of brokenness?

As she searches for answers, she discovers a new purpose and a life-changing realization. From the worst pain, beautiful gifts can emerge.

Made for Hope shows us what God has to offer in the midst of our brokenness as we grasp to make it through a difficult season. A heartfelt and vulnerable story, it provides hope for those who have gone through grief and loss.

Made for Hope offers us:

• fifteen unexpected gifts we can find in brokenness, no matter the circumstances
• inspiration to rediscover hope, joy, peace and redemption in our pain
• validation for all those who have grieved the death of a loved one or a dream unrealized
• hope of how God can take our worst tragedies and give us surprising treasures 
• a go-to guide for grieving friends or yourself.

Made for Hope: Discovering Unexpected Gifts in Brokenness reminds us of timeless truths and enduring hope. Even if our whole world crumbles, none of it changes that we are loved by a sovereign God. In every place, we are his.

Made for Hope will become your go-to guide for grieving friends.

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What Others Are Saying about Made for Hope

Sara’s bravery and honesty in telling her story make Made for Hope a compelling and impactful read. As a personal friend of Sara’s, who already knew most of these stories before reading the book, I still couldn’t put it down! It was that well-written and moving! Sara’s expression of her own heartbreak, joy, growth, and faith challenged and encouraged me in my own life and faith. Sara lives what she writes, and that may be the most wonderful aspect of her story. She has truly modeled what it looks like to be made for hope. I can’t wait to see the impact and influence her words will undoubtedly leave on many hearts.

-Christy Cabe, author, Brownie Crumbs and Other Life Morsels and If Only It Were a Piece of Cake 

So many times, stories about loss leave us despondent and fearful. Sara and Sam’s journey with their son, Silas, is a reflection of grace and soulful resilience. What a joy to hear their testimony as a song of victory and not merely a test of survival. As readers, you will be blessed by the beautiful authenticity of emotion, expressed through a young couple’s pursuit of God’s calling to live in family.

-Dr. Sherilyn Emberton, President, Huntington University

Made for Hope tells an achingly beautiful story full of twists, turns, and tragedies and one woman’s fierce determination to discover God in every unexpected place. This is the story of faith we all need when we find ourselves carrying the unbearable weight of grief and tiring from our attempts to navigate a new life course that we feel so utterly unprepared for. Through her vulnerable storytelling and as one who understands pain and brokenness, Sara Ward comes alongside the reader as a guide who points us to the one true guide we have in Jesus and encourages us to see that we are made for hope.

-Kristin Vanderlip, author, Life Worth Living: A Daily Growth Journal 

This book is a gift to anyone who reads it. I cried alongside Sara in her pain and rejoiced in her blessings and victories! Her words were so beautifully crafted that I didn’t want to put the book down. Not only is this story a work of art, it pulls at every emotion you have. Made For Hope is the perfect example of how God uses all things for good.

-Vanessa Luu, author, You Don’t Have to be Perfect 

Sara Ward’s comforting and gentle style carries you through the heartbreak of a profound loss, but just as gently she lifts your gaze toward hope found in new chapters of her life, and even more importantly, in Jesus and his promises of a joyous tomorrow. This beautifully written book will be an incredible encouragement to many who read it and share in Sara’s story.

-Jeff Jacobson, author, I Have (Had) Enough: Memoirs of Abundance in Fatherhood, Friendship, and Faith and So I Go Now: Following After the Jesus of Our Day.

In sharing her “before and after” stories, Sara weaves a tapestry of how relationships, nature, and God’s Word fit together. Therein are found the essential ingredients of life in a broken world. As a result, we discover hope. Sara’s vulnerability and gift of providing vivid word pictures draw the reader into deep emotions and thoughts. Whether you are going through tough times or wanting to come alongside someone who is, this book is eye-opening. It provides a perspective that addresses the reality of suffering, rather than pretending all is fine. Sara says, “All of us need to find those people who are willing to enter our pain.” Reading her story will help you be that person or discover how to find that person. I benefitted so much from this book and am certain you will as well.  

-Twyla Lee, LCSW, social work educator, Intentional Relationships co-consultant and speaker

Through this modern-day Job story, Sara helps us to realize that even in life‘s darkest valleys we were made for hope!

-Julie Rupp, podcast host, Parenting Tomorrow’s Leaders

Made for Hope is a story that weaves us through life’s most bitter and joyous events. Sewn together with grace and a bounty of determination to see through her pain, Sara allows us into her deepest fears and heartbreak so that we can come out on the other side with hope. It is here we find assurance that indeed God is with us even in our darkestmoments. Sara’s extraordinary gift for storytelling allows us to face our own fears and realize that we, too, are made for hope.

-Lori Clounie, blogger, Only God, loriclounie.com

Authenticity. Sara tells her story with vulnerable authenticity. She brings you with her as she journeys through loss, heartbreak, grief, joy and hope. A great validation for all those who have grieved the death of a loved one or a dream unrealized and a wonderful tribute to her son, Silas. Prepare to be blessed.

-Jane Munk, MA, MBA, founder of Kerith Brook Retreats for Grieving Adults