Gone for Good

Why did God allow such pain and trauma in my life?

What good could possibly come from it?

And will I ever get free?

When Karen Sjoblom relocated to her Midwest birthplace after her daughter left for college, she anticipated exciting possibilities. Instead, she found herself on an unexpected pilgrimage through past trauma and family fractures, discovering she'd have to cross a wilderness of pain if she wanted to reach her own promised land.

Mirroring the biblical Exodus in which the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt--a place familiar but enslaving--Sjoblom's reflections on her healing journey illumine the unique losses, lies, and failings we can stumble on, especially at midlife. And yet, they also point to healthier beliefs, relationships, and possibilities to carry us forward.

With humor, hope, hard-won wisdom, plus study questions for self-discovery, Gone for Good will help you:

• Understand the healing reasons for your desert seasons

• Trust that God is a good guide who wants to redeem your pain

• Walk in authentic freedom from the pain of what's been to the promise of what might be

Sjoblom poignantly captures the exhilaration of new beginnings, the longing for what's left behind, the grief over our wandering years, and the truths required to leave "Egypt" behind. A good God does indeed allow hard journeys, but there's redemption on the other side: renewed trust in his character, freedom from the past, and knowledge that it's never too late to embark on a soulhealing expedition. As Sjoblom demonstrates, when we stay with the lessons until the lessons are learned, God enables us to release our wounds and losses so they're gone--for good.