DARKNESS... If you are acquainted with the darkness... not just a passing acquaintance, but rather if you are one of the pilgrims who have descended into the depths of it, wondering if light would ever be able to reach you again... if you understand a grief that grips you to the depths of your soul and violently shakes everything you believe... if you have traveled those dark roads of grief alone, the idea of finding treasures hidden in such places may at first seem ludicrous.

First of all, no one wants to go there. We each want to pretend that those deep, dark, lonely wretched places do not exist - not for us - not yet – not today. You may not even want to read a book about grief because the desire to avoid it is commanding.

Secondly, once you have been there and discovered the crippling pain, it would seem to be the last place on this earth that you would expect to find treasure. You can barely see your way clear to start a new day, let alone attempt to travel a pathway that brings you back into the light, and holds out hope that joy is still possible.

We simply do not believe that we can ever find our way back to a place of Joy once our hearts have been assaulted by the grip of grief.

Sharon Betters knows. The depths of grief over the sudden loss of her beautiful son Mark at the tender age of 16, ravaged her heart and called into question everything she knew and believed. She experienced grief and its accompanying doubts and confusions – the kind that simply wash over you, flooding your soul, and leaving you helpless to stand in your own strength.

Through shared pages of her years of journaling, Sharon testifies of family joys experienced before the accident, and how building scripture into her life and that of her family over the years, prepared her for the beginning of a grueling journey that awaited her July 6, 1993.

Rather than gloss over the reality and depth of the pain, Sharon's book is remarkably transparent, raw, and honest. Her pain is palpable and persistent. Yet her journey is one of great hope and her message a litany of promises from the Word of God. Hers is not a journey traveled in her own strength, but rather a journey of being drawn forth from the dark places by the light of God's comforting presence.

"On July 6, 1993 I begged God to give me back my child. When he refused, I pleaded for a recipe, a timeline that clarified when my heart would stop aching. The anguish drove me back to the foundations of my faith where I unpacked each belief and examined it through the grid of his Word."

Sharon's desperate search for answers to her questions, her desire to trust anew in the God who allowed her tragedy, the cry of her heart for relief, all compelled her to continue seeking after God until she discovered a theology of grief that far surpasses 'head knowledge', a living theology that is real, beguiling, full of comfort and completely trustworthy.

Sharon will take you step by step back through the truths of Scripture that provided a foundation upon which she could stand firm. From there, her steps of faith are like a beacon shining forth as you take your own painful, tentative first steps. Her pathway provides enlightenment, hope, and courage to those coming after her. Along the way, her trust in the purposeful application of God’s Word uncovers a multitude of treasures in hidden places.

Grief is a universal experience. Anyone who loves deeply, is either already acquainted with it, or we will be one day. Each of us responds in our own unique way. Sharon offers no recipe for "grief relief" and makes no demands on the fragile hearts of those fresh into its depths. Within each chapter of the book, the "Treasures of Hope" section will encourage and uplift you with pertinent Scripture, familiar hymns, unique ideas, and honest prayers from a mother's heart.

Although she shares her own thoughts and responses, Sharon does not ask you to trust in her experience, but rather to search the Word of God with her, and let Him who is solely able to heal in the deep places, speak to you in tenderness and power. The theology of grief that God taught to this beloved daughter of His is bedrock sound.

Is your grief fresh? Come to the waters and drink deeply of the confident hope and certain help your Heavenly Father longs to impart.

Is your grief hidden from long ago in a secret place in your heart where you fear to tread? Listen as Sharon freely expresses the agony of her soul and pour out your own heart along with her. You will find the healing your heart has longed for, as the carefully examined Word of God reaches into the sacred places of your memories and ministers to the crippling wounds you have carried.

Treasures in Darkness should be on the bookshelf of every believer. It will prepare you for you own losses and those around you. And it will spur you on to reach out to a lost world where the sting of death is forever fatal, and deep healing is unavailable.

In Sharon's book you will find a clear Biblical perspective, Godly wisdom, and her tender longing to impart comfort to the hurting. Along with Sharon, you will find hope for tomorrow and sustaining grace resting in the arms of a loving Savior.

You will want to get an extra copy of this much-needed book to give away because you won’t want to part with your own. Order your copy of Treasures in Darkness!