Can our painful experiences draw us nearer to God? Hadassah Treu shows us the Beauty of Hope in her new book “Draw Near: How Painful Experiences Become the Birthplace of Blessings.” Enter the Behold-Her Beauty Book Giveaway of “Draw Near” by Hadassah Treu. The publisher, Calla Press, is so kind to give us this book to give to one of you. ENTER THE BOOK GIVEAWAY HERE.
God is the Redeemer of all our losses and suffering and that all the gains always outweigh the losses. Hadassah Treu #drawnearbook #redeemer #suffering
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Episode 13: Beauty of Hope
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The Behold-Her Beauty Podcast is a sacred space for the soul moving from broken to beloved. Together, we seek God’s beauty in the everyday and make room for peace in the mess of life. Through poetry, heart-to-heart conversations, and the Son’s renewing warmth, we watch our regrets become seeds of hope as we embrace our identity as God’s beautiful daughters.
Read, listen, and soar. 🕊️✨
Giving a voice to the journey from broken to beloved. 🕊️ Today I am sharing a special episode of Behold-Her Beauty Podcast with author, Sarah Freymuthto discuss her book, All the Hard Things: 50 Days Through the Valley.
Also join the conversation by subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing your thoughts in the comments. We would love it if you would leave a ❤️ to let us know you’re reading and listening!
Sarah is the author of All the Hard Things: 50 Days Through the Valley, a devotional journey shaped by her own experiences of long COVID, anxiety, depression, and the repeated hardships that quietly reshape a life.
In our conversation, she opens up about what it means to find God’s presence not after the hard things—but in the middle of them. Through her story, we talk about what it looks like to anchor identity in Christ when everything else feels uncertain, and how God often speaks through unexpected “trail markers” of hope—like friendships, nature, music, and even the small reminders we almost overlook.
We also talk about beauty, soul care, and what it means to believe God is still good when life feels heavy.
If you’ve ever found yourself in a season where the “valley” feels long or confusing, this conversation will gently meet you there.
Because sometimes hope doesn’t arrive as a rescue from the valley—but as a companion within it.
The episode closes with a beautiful heartfelt prayer from Sarah to guide you through your week.
A Reflection For You
Where in your life do you feel like you are in a “valley” season—and what might God be inviting you to notice right there? I’ll meet you in the comments.
You can pick up her book here: https://amzn.to/3Zdtr5W
Sarah Freymuth is the content and storytelling manager for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and she writes for numerous platforms, including Proverbs 31 Ministries, YouVersion, (in)Courage, and She Reads Truth. Sarah loves unearthing God’s goodness in places that don’t feel good, with a heart especially for faith and mental health. She enjoys a simple Wisconsin life by Lake Michigan with her husband, Eric, and Beaglier pup, Alfie.
Links: Website, Substack, Instagram, Facebook
Music by Samuel F. Johanns from Pixabay
Watch the whole episode on my Youtube Channel and be sure to subscribe and follow.
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With love, Deborah (residing in Georgia) 🕊️✨🌿
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Summary
Hadassah Treu’s new book, Draw Near,” discusses how painful experiences can lead to blessings.
Hadassah’s Personal Journey
Deborah and Hadassah discussed Hadassah’s personal journey, which began in Bulgaria during communist rule, and her struggle with depression in her teenage years. Hadassah also shared about meeting her future husband, who was from Austria, and how their meeting was a significant event in her life.
Hadassah’s Journey and Writing Ministry
Hadassah shared her personal journey about her 15-year stay in Austria, where she experienced significant struggles with an unfulfilled desire to become a mother, panic effects, and traumatic experiences. She also shared that her husband accepted Jesus as his savior and that she started her writing ministry in 2017.
Faith, Adversity, and Strength
She also used the weightlifting analogy to illustrate how adversity can increase strength. The disillusionment Hadassah experienced, notably when her husband passed away, and how she came to question her faith. Hadassah confessed that she feared losing her faith at times but found comfort and strength in the Book of Job, as Job’s story resonated deeply with her.
Depression as a Self-Reflection Tool
She emphasized that depression can be a tool for self-reflection and growth, enabling individuals to question their beliefs and values.
Exploring God’s Tenderness and Provision in Pain
They also explored the theme of God’s tenderness towards those in pain, using Elijah’s story to illustrate this point.
Spiritual Disciplines for Hard Times
Hadassah shared her insights on three spiritual disciplines that can help individuals in times of pain and hardship.
Beauty in transformation
They also discussed Job’s daughters, Jemima, Keziah, and Karen, and how their names symbolize the transformative work of the Holy Spirit in human hearts. The conversation ended with Hadassah sharing her recent achievements, including the publication of her new book and the release of her second poetry book in Bulgarian.
Favorite Quotes
I went through one of my most traumatic experiences, and this was connected with my unfulfilled desire to become a mother and also some marital problems.
Hadassah Treu
So, this unfulfilled desire brought struggles with anxiety and panic attacks. Still, it was also a journey to God, to draw near to him and build up my faith to renew my mind and a very intensive time of healing, of healing of all traumas.
Hadassah Treu
This quest for solutions and relief has turned into a quest for God, so he was the one I needed. I just let go of solutions.
Hadassah Treu
I personally never thought that I would come to such a point in my faith where I feared that I was losing my faith, that I was losing the foundation.
I can only describe it as being thrown into the deep, dark waters, drowning and confused, in chaos and darkness, and not seeing anything.
Hadassah Treu
Everybody will have periods of disillusionment triggered by different events, perhaps tragic ones. And this is something we should not fear. We should accept it as an invitation to examine the foundation of our faith and use the chance to draw near to God once again.
Hadassah Treu
Meet our guest, Hadassah Treu
HADASSAH TREU is an international award-winning Christian blogger, poet, speaker, and author of Draw Near: How Painful Experiences Become the Birthplace of Blessings. She is passionate about encouraging people to keep trusting God in the dark valleys of life. Hadassah is a contributing writer to several faith-based platforms like Proverbs 31 Ministries Compel blog and a dozen award-winning devotional and poetry anthologies. She has been featured in The Upper Room, (In)Courage, Proverbs 31 Ministries, Her View From Home, Living by Design Ministries, Thoughts About God, Today’s Christian Living, and other popular sites. Connect with Hadassah at onthewaybg.com.
Here are the book links:
Amazon: https://a.co/d/gWfmBE3 Draw Near
Calla Press Publishing: https://www.callapresspublishing.com/shoppe/p/draw-near-how-painful-experiences-become-the-birthplace-of-blessings-by-hadassah-treu
Follow and connect with Hadassah on:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hadassahtreu-author/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/onthewaybg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onthewaybg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hadassahtreu
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.at/onthewaybg/
Gumroad: https://hadassahtreu.gumroad.com/
Medium: https://medium.com/@hadassah.treu
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/hadassah-treu
Remember, you are Beautiful!
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