Ep. 27 / How Gratitude Transforms Our Darkest Moments ► Ann Voskamp

What if the obstacles in your path aren't problems to overcome but divine opportunities to be shaped into Christ's image? In this soul-stirring conversation, bestselling author Ann Voskamp shares her harrowing journey from witnessing her sister's tragic death at age four to becoming a globally recognized voice on gratitude, suffering and faith.

Ann opens up about the paralyzing fear that followed childhood trauma—leading to ulcers, self-harm and eventually agoraphobia. Despite these struggles, she found faith through a neighborhood Bible club and later discovered how intentional gratitude could transform her relationship to suffering. "Faith gives thanks in the middle of the story," she explains, offering this practice as a fulcrum for leveraging life's heaviest burdens.

The conversation takes a profound turn as Ann unpacks her latest book, "Waymaker." Rather than finding an easier route through difficulties, it explores how God uses our obstacles to reshape us: "Our way is self-formed. God's way is cruciform." This insight became painfully real when her father died in the same farmyard where her sister had been killed decades earlier—on the very day her publisher returned edits for the manuscript.

Perhaps most movingly, Ann shares how adopting a daughter from China with half a heart (hypoplastic left heart syndrome) deepened her understanding of our relationship with God. We aren't merely followers of Christ but "kin to the King," adopted into divine family through Jesus' sacrifice. This filial relationship moves beyond legal forgiveness to emphasize attachment and intimacy with our Creator.

For those seeking a practical framework, Ann offers her S.A.C.R.E.D approach—Stillness, Attentiveness, Cruciformity, Revelation, Examine and Doxology—as a way of life that keeps us connected to Christ through life's deepest valleys. This isn't just about surviving hardship but thriving in God's presence regardless of circumstances.

You can learn more about Ann's books and journey through her website and find here on Facebook and Instagram. 

And you can share this episode using hashtag #Evangelical360 and join the conversation online! 

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