Endorsements
As I read Lisa Appelos book Life Can Be Good Again , I was grateful for this powerful resource. This book was borne of tears, hope, and experience. If you or someone you love are in a hard season, this book is practical, spiritual, and relatable.
Suzanne Eller, author, Bible teacher, speaker, and cohost of More Than Small Talk podcast
Scriptures warn us that we will go through trials in this life. Many times, they will knock the wind out of us and threaten to pull us under. Those are the times we most want a lifeline, a hand to hold, a friend who has been there. Life Can Be Good Again is exactly that, and Lisa Appelo is that friend. Lisa shares her truth about suffering, along with the hope we have knowing God is with us through it. God walked her through some very dark, difficult places, and she shares with confidence that He will do that for you too.
Dr. Michelle Bengtson, clinical neuropsychologist, podcast host, and author of the award-winning Breaking Anxietys Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises and Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctors Personal Journey through Depression
Lisa Appelo understands suffering. In Life Can Be Good Again , she poignantly shares her own pain, offering remarkable insight and practical wisdom on navigating the unthinkable. If youre struggling with the gap between the life you hoped for and the life youre living now, read this inspiring book!
Vaneetha Rendall Risner, author of Walking Through Fire: A Memoir of Loss and Redemption
Life Can Be Good Again is easily one of the best books I ve ever read on suffering! An incredibly raw story that is filled with the hope of Gods Word, it will encourage even the weariest soul. It doesnt shy away from answering some of the toughest questions we face in hard seasons, and it offers guidance that can only come from someone who has already walked the path. What an encouraging and hope-filled read that helps us to find good again.
Brittany Price Brooker
Lisa Appelo is the voice of quiet strength and practical hope we need when grief sideswipes us, and our hearts, faith, and hope are in tatters. Lisas words will encourage and guide you one small, gentle step at a time.
Niki Hardy, national speaker, coach, and author of Breathe Again: How to Live Well When Life Falls Apart
If youve experienced a deep loss or disappointment of any kind, Life Can Be Good Again is for you. Lisa Appelo is the wise and trustworthy friend we all need to help us navigate life on the other side of devastating circumstances. This isnt a book of trite platitudes or a prescription for flimsy positivity. Rather, from the battlefield of her own unimaginable pain, Lisa gently guides us with biblical truth toward an unshakable hope that life really can be good again.
Becky Keife, author of The Simple Difference and No Better Mom for the Job
Not everyone is qualified to offer encouragement to others when life falls apart. Some offer insufficient and sometimes incentive words that never penetrate the pain of the moment. That is not the case with Lisa. She knows and understands what it is like when your life is completely and unexpectedly altered forever. She has weathered the unthinkable and charted a practical and real path for others to follow. Her book is a tangible reminder for anyone who is dreading the present and pessimistic about the future that life can (and will) be good again.
Kia Stephens, author, speaker, and creator of Entrusted Women
In so many ways, I felt like Lisa was writing my story. Her personal experiences and descriptions of trials and grief are on point. Her words serve as an arrow pointing us back to the truth that God is the greatest comforter, and He intends for us to flourish after loss.
Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young, author, speaker, podcaster
As a counselor who treats widows and family members whove experienced traumatic grief, I am so excited to now have Life Can Be Good Again as a recommended resource. Lisa Appelos story and approach provides much-needed hope for those suffering when life hits hard.
Michelle Nietert, LPC-S, author of Loved and Cherished and Make Up Your Mind , host of Raising Mentally Healthy Kids podcast
Title Page
Copyright Page
2022 by Lisa Appelo
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2022
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-3576-0
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations identified CEB are from the Common English Bible. Copyright 2011 by the Common English Bible. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations identified CSB are from the Christian Standard Bible, copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Scripture quotations identified ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2016
Scripture quotations identified GNT are from the Good News Translation in Todays English Version-Second Edition. Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations identified The Message are from THE MESSAGE , copyright 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Scripture quotations identified NASB are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB), copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
Scripture quotations identified NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified Phillips are from the New Testament in Modern English by J. B. Phillips copyright 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Administered by The Archbishops Council of the Church of England. Used by Permission.
Scripture quotations identified TPT are from The Passion Translation. Copyright 2017, 2018 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com.
Cover design by Susan Zucker
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
Dedication
To Ben, Rachel, Nicholas, Seth, Zachary, Matthew, and Annalise.
The life I wanted for you has been surrendered to the life God has chosen for you.
Your courage inspires me every day, and I know your dad would be so proud.
I love you fierce.
Contents
Endorsements
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Introduction
1. This Is Too Hard. I Cannot Do This.
2. Your Emotions Are Welcome Here