“It is my great privilege to introduce you to my friend, Sara. This is a book for those hearts longing to see Him in the mess. It is Sara’s personal story, written with eloquence and grace, about a God who rescued her from barrenness and carried her to a land of abundance, dripping with milk and honey and all things His goodness. She teaches me again what I have already known; she teaches me to hope anew. He is the candle in the darkness, the Light that radiates glory and sprinkles new mercies every morning. My prayer is that as you read these words you would be drawn to a hope, to the Father, whose extravagant love never ceases to amaze.”
Katie Davis NYT Bestselling Author, Kisses from Katie
“With vulnerability and insight, Sara Hagerty shares her story and invites the deep parts of us to find the deep parts of Him, where life is found. It is a profound testimony to the love and goodness of an intimate and beautiful God.”
Stasi Eldredge co-author of New York Times Bestseller Captivating
“Sara poetically takes us on a fresh, yet familiar journey – delays, pain, stress, loss – that leads us to the feet of the One whom our soul loves. Every Bitter Thing is Sweet is a tender cry for all of us to find His beauty in the middle of all of our frustrations, and a beautiful reminder that He sees us through it all. You will be deeply encouraged and moved by this stunning book.”
Jennie Allen author of Anything and Restless and founder of If: Gathering
++++
“With penetrating vulnerability and insight, Sara Hagerty brings us into the deep wrestling of our hearts in pain and delay, offering us the lifeline she found in the darkness: fellowship with the heart of Jesus. The gold of this book will leave you thirsting for more of God and equipped to find Him even in the hardest times.”
Dana Candler author, Deep unto Deep
Each year I choose a “best book of the year” to recommend or give to friends. This year my choice is clear, for Every Bitter Thing is Sweet is a life changer! Sara Hagerty has a depth in her soul, the tongue of a skillful writer, and an amazingly compelling story. Thank you, Sara, for giving us what we need the most, whether we realize it or not: more intimacy with this mysterious God who sees us, shapes us, and shows up in our life with “bursts of glory.”
Dee Brestin Author of Idol Lies, The God of All Comfort, and The Friendships of Women
“In prose as lyrical as it is luminous, Sara Hagerty takes us on an unforgettable—and remarkably personal—journey into the gracious heart of Providence by expositing her struggles with marriage, infertility, and international adoption. At once passionate and intimate, Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet is a trail guide to the mysterious wilderness of faith and a confirmation of the treasures that await those who persist in walking the narrow road.”
Corban Addison Internationally bestselling author of The Garden of Burning Sand
Sara Hagerty in her book Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet has captured an unlikely route to joy. Instead of bitterness and resentment about her barrenness, Sara learned that out of something painful, something beautiful can grow. The book is like a garden of beauty that has so many blossoms of hope that were ‘birthed’ in her barrenness. What God taught Sara in her struggles will inspire any woman with a pulse.
Jackie Kendall Best-selling author of Lady in Waiting
Sara Hagerty’s journey from barrenness to abundance takes readers through droughts and valleys only to surprise us with streams of living water. Hers is a story of miraculous, persistent grace that makes me want to know God more deeply, especially through the hardest times.
Amy Julia Becker, author of Small Talk: Learning from my Children About What Matters Most and A Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny
“Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet is an exquisite love story between a woman and her God. Prepare to be swept away by Sara’s storytelling and by the God who loves her and you! This is one of my all-time favorite reads by one of my all-time favorite authors.”
Joy Forney joyforney.org
“If you have struggled with the goodness of God in the valleys of life, then this book is for you. Sara beautifully paints how God gently and tenderly revealed Himself in the midst of her seasons of longing and waiting.”
Noelle Dienert Davis daughter of Ruth Graham, granddaughter of Ruth & Billy Graham
“God is still in the business of giving beauty for ashes. Sara’s story proves it. Stunningly honest and moving. You don’t just read this book, you experience it.”
Stacey Thacker Co-Author of Hope for The Weary Mom
“From page one, Sara’s poetic and vulnerable writing invites readers to truly experience the pain and redemption she has experienced and we can all relate to. Her hunger to experience God’s presence and description of what that looks like will inspire you to find God in every circumstance of your life, bitter and sweet, and lead others to do the same.”
Sara Hall Professional Track Athlete
“We sing it on Sundays and put it in greeting cards—God is good. But, we live our days not grasping that God is good to us; God is good to me. In her book, Sara poetically draws us into her story of loss, grief, and redemption and how God’s name was written over every word of it, drawing her to Himself and showing her that He is not only a good God but a God who is good to her, His treasured possession. You can’t trace her journey in Every Bitter Thing is Sweet without being pointed to the One who took her through it.”
Kelly Raudenbush The Sparrow Fund
Every Bitter Thing is Sweet
About the Book
From the publisher’s description …
“In the age of fingertip access to answers and a limitless supply of ambitions, where do we find the God who was birthed in dirt and straw? Sara Hagerty found him when life stopped working for her. She found him when she was a young adult mired in spiritual busyness and when she was a new bride with doubts about whether her fledgling marriage would survive. She found him alone in the night as she cradled her longing for babies who did not come. She found him as she kissed the faces of children on another continent who had lived years without a mommy’s touch.
“In Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet, Hagerty masterfully draws from the narrative of her life to craft a mosaic of a God who leans into broken stories. Here readers see a God who is present in every changing circumstance. Most significantly, they see a God who is present in every unchanging circumstance as well.
“Whatever lost expectations readers are facing—in family, career, singleness, or marriage—Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet will bring them closer to a God who longs for them to know him more. What does it look like to know God’s nearness when life breaks? What does it mean to receive his life when earthly life remains barren? How can God turn the bitterness of unmet desire into new flavors of joy?
“With exquisite storytelling and reflection, Hagerty brings readers back to hope, back to healing, back to a place that God is holding for them alone—a place where the unseen is more real than what the eye can perceive. A place where every bitter thing is sweet.”
“With penetrating vulnerability and insight, Sara Hagerty brings us into the deep wrestling of our hearts in pain and delay, offering us the lifeline she found in the darkness: fellowship with the heart of Jesus. The gold of this book will leave you thirsting for more of God and equipped to find Him even in the hardest times.”
“Each year I choose a ‘best book of the year’ to recommend or give to friends. This year my choice is clear, for Every Bitter Thing is Sweet is a life changer! Sara Hagerty has a depth in her soul, the tongue of a skillful writer, and an amazingly compelling story. Thank you, Sara, for giving us what we need the most, whether we realize it or not: more intimacy with this mysterious God who sees us, shapes us, and shows up in our life with ‘bursts of glory.'”
Dee Brestin Author of Idol Lies, The God of All Comfort, and The Friendships of Women
“Sara’s writing touched me in a way that is hard to share in mere words, yet easier through my many tears. I cried countless times as I read her thoughts on barrenness, marriage woes, and financial set-backs, perhaps because within her very different story, I could see my own. Sara has wrapped beautifully readable prose around the complicated nature of human suffering and the presence of God in it.”
“In prose as lyrical as it is luminous, Sara Hagerty takes us on an unforgettable—and remarkably personal—journey into the gracious heart of Providence by expositing her struggles with marriage, infertility, and international adoption. At once passionate and intimate, Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet is a trail guide to the mysterious wilderness of faith and a confirmation of the treasures that await those who persist in walking the narrow road.”
Corban Addison Internationally bestselling author of The Garden of Burning Sand
“Sara Hagerty, in her book Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet, has captured an unlikely route to joy. Instead of bitterness and resentment about her barrenness, Sara learned that out of something painful, something beautiful can grow. The book is like a garden of beauty that has so many blossoms of hope that were ‘birthed’ in her barrenness. What God taught Sara in her struggles will inspire any woman with a pulse.”
“Sara Hagerty’s journey from barrenness to abundance takes readers through droughts and valleys only to surprise us with streams of living water. Hers is a story of miraculous, persistent grace that makes me want to know God more deeply, especially through the hardest times.”
Amy Julia Becker author of Small Talk: Learning from my Children About What Matters Most and A Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny
“Sara Hagerty is my favorite new writer. Every Bitter Thing is Sweet is a gripping read that tugged on my heartstrings and helped shift my paradigm about how life’s bitter things, over time, can become sweet. I will read everything she writes.”
Esther Fleece One of Christianity Today’s “Top 50 Women Shaping the Church and Culture”, named by CNN as one of “Five Women to Watch” in 2012
“Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet is an exquisite love story between a woman and her God. Prepare to be swept away by Sara’s storytelling and by the God who loves her and you! This is one of my all-time favorite reads by one of my all-time favorite authors.”
“If you have struggled with the goodness of God in the valleys of life, then this book is for you. Sara beautifully paints how God gently and tenderly revealed Himself in the midst of her seasons of longing and waiting.”
Noelle Dienert Davis daughter of Ruth Graham, granddaughter of Billy & Ruth Graham
“God is still in the business of giving beauty for ashes. Sara’s story proves it. Stunningly honest and moving. You don’t just read this book, you experience it.”
“From page one, Sara’s poetic and vulnerable writing invites readers to truly experience the pain and redemption she has experienced and we can all relate to. Her hunger to experience God’s presence and description of what that looks like will inspire you to find God in every circumstance of your life, bitter and sweet, and lead others to do the same.”
“We sing it on Sundays and put it in greeting cards—God is good. But, we live our days not grasping that God is good to us; God is good to me. In her book, Sara poetically draws us into her story of loss, grief, and redemption and how God’s name was written over every word of it, drawing her to Himself and showing her that He is not only a good God but a God who is good to her, His treasured possession. You can’t trace her journey in Every Bitter Thing is Sweet without being pointed to the One who took her through it.”
From the publisher’s description …