Episode 74: Unspoken Demands for a Perfect Life with Sho Baraka

Grief, then gratitude. The longer I live and the more pain I encounter, I’m further convinced that this is the healthy cycle of suffering: grief then gratitude. Mourn the life you thought you’d have, then give thanks for the one right in front of you. Because if we’re honest, most of us have some deep-down assumptions about what our lives should look like. For me, that assumption didn’t include a massive stroke or disabilities. And for my friend Sho Baraka, his perfect life plan didn’t involve raising sons with autism. Sho is living out his good/hard story in that grief-and-gratitude rhythm, and he shared all about how he got to that place. Today, Sho is receiving his family—and his life—as an “abstract masterpiece of what the Master did.” Whew, how good is that? If you join us in this conversation, here’s what you’ll take away: Encouragement for when we don’t get the miracles we hope for How to see suffering as an opportunity rather than a punishment A new way to respond to uninvited prayers for healing Insight for grieving the loss of the lives we thought we’d have Advice for married people raising kids with disabilities If you need to release your demands for a perfect life and open your hands to the gifts of the life you actually have, this episode is for you. Show Notes: Sho Baraka on Instagram And Campaign He Saw That It Was Good: Reimagining Your Creative Life to Repair a Broken World by Sho Baraka The Big Tent Initiative from Christianity Today A Prayer for Parenting a Child with Special Needs  Every Moment Holy Volume 3 “Words, 2006” Spectacular Bond: Reaching the Child with Autism by Miriam Blank ASD Reading *** There's so much more to the story:⁠ Click here⁠⁠ for more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me! Follow me in Instagram: ⁠⁠@hopeheals⁠⁠ Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast! ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, my monthly digest of only the good stuff, like short reflections from me and a curated roundup of the Internet’s most redemptive content. Subscribe here. Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠