Hope in the Waiting: Living with Expectancy and Trust in the In-Between
The one thing I didn’t expect before my first book launch . . . was to feel like I was falling apart again.
This weekend, Jeremy and I are heading to North Carolina for my very first book launch as a published author. (eeek!)
Even now, that sentence feels surreal to write.
I’m not sure what I expected to feel in the weeks leading up to this moment—
excitement, maybe.
Gratitude.
Anticipation.
But not this.
I didn’t expect to relive some of the hardest parts of my story:
Anxiety.
Insecurity.
Fear that kept me awake at 2 a.m., staring at the ceiling and questioning everything.
God chose this season—of all seasons—to dig His spade of Truth deep into the soil of my soul. And not gently.
👉 I wrote about it earlier this week in It Wasn’t the Roses That Were Failing.
I’m no stranger to imposter syndrome, but the struggle has been deeply real lately.
When Old Wounds Reopen
I told God something I didn’t even realize I’d been holding onto:
I wouldn’t have dreamed of joining a writing team—of sharing my story so honestly—
if I had known I’d be reliving parts of it again more than a decade later.
I thought I was writing from a place of healing . . . only to feel the gut punch of one of my deepest wounds reopening almost overnight—just days after I submitted my final manuscript.
For weeks, I wrestled with that tension.
Until God gently interrupted my spiral with a simple reminder:
You’ll always be living your story of healing, Kristy.
That’s what will speak to others who are still living theirs.
Showing Up Anyway
So today, I’m packing my bags and heading to the Hope Bookstore in North Carolina
to launch Hope in the Waiting with nine other incredible women.
And I’m not showing up as someone who has it all figured out.
I’m showing up as a woman still in the middle of it—still growing, still healing, still learning what it actually looks like to find hope in the messy, in-between seasons.
Grace for the Slow Healer
Maybe you’ll find it a little ironic that my chapter is titled “Grace for the Slow Healer.”
Because that’s the grace I love to write about . . . and the one I so often forget to live.
I used to think healing had a finish line.
A point where you could finally say, “I’m past that now.”
But I’m learning it doesn’t work that way.
Healing isn’t something we graduate from. It’s something we continue to walk through—with God, step by step.
An Invitation to Be Part of the Story
I used to think I needed to be “fully healed” to share my story.
Now I see—this is the story.
If you’re in a season of waiting, wrestling, or wondering if God is still at work, this book is for you.
Hope in the Waiting officially launches Tuesday, April 21, but it’s available now on Amazon.
If you’d like to support this launch in a simple but meaningful way,
you can share about the book on social media on launch day—it truly makes a difference.
And if you’d like to read it for yourself, I would be so honored for you to grab a copy.
Thank you for walking this road with me. Your encouragement, prayers, and support mean more than I can say!
What Early Readers Are Saying
What stood out to me the most is that it’s SO RELATABLE! There were some parts of this I could have written myself. (There were several moments of, “Me too!”) It felt good to have my own issues acknowledged and then followed up with encouragement and backed up by God’s word. - Shannon
I loved your transparency and honesty and telling your story. It's so hopeful to know that even if I've been going through stuff for a decade, it's okay. - Luann
Thank you so much for being brave enough to be that honest. - Trisha
I wept as I read . . . It was raw and wonderful. It was real. I too have experienced the waiting, wondering, questions. I believe this will help many, many women: mamas, pastor’s wives, and many more. It is written beautifully. I want to read it again, slower, savoring, diligently, and let it sink in. - Betty
What stood out to me was that I could totally relate. What a sense of relief. - Darcy
Thank you for being part of this journey with me.
If you’d like to support the launch, you can grab your copy of Hope in the Waiting on Amazon or share about it on April 21.
Either way, I’m so grateful for you!
Veritas et Gratia,
Kristy 💐
