Bo Stern and Justine Froelker have walked dark roads filled with grief and lost hope. Today, Bo and Justine share how God gave them strength during and in the aftermath of their personal heartaches, especially at the holidays. Author and pastor Bo Stern had a happy home filled with four children, lots of friends and a loving church family. After two decades of marriage, her husband Steve’s health gradually began to deteriorate and they came to learn he was battling the first signs of ALS. In her book When Holidays Hurt, Bo recalls how painful and disorienting the Christmas season was during Steve’s illness, and how she wrestled with how to hold sadness and joy in her heart during the holidays. As therapist and author Justine Froelker has grown closer to God and studied with shame and vulnerability researcher Dr. Brené Brown, she has learned how to share her painful journey so she can help others. One of Justine’s most painful battles has been her struggle with infertility, all the while witnessing her friends’ growing families. In an unlikely encounter with God on Christmas Eve, Justine realized He had been with her during every painful step of her journey, and He had great plans for her, though they might look different than Justine’s own plan for her life.

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