134: Being a Stepparent: Is it a Blessing?
Are there blessings in blended family life? Yes! But they might not show up in ways we expect or as quickly as we’d like. In this 2023 Blended and Blessed presentation, Cheryl Shumake talks about the many bonus blessings she has experienced and the strength God gave her during seasons of weariness to keep going when she wanted to quit.
Cheryl says, “God meets us in the waiting to strengthen us for the walking.” God wants to guide our steps when we face challenges. He knows that our convictions of creating long-term relationships can waver when weariness sets in. But our biggest blessings are waiting for us in the later years if we persevere.
Show Notes
- Get the Blended and Blessed All-Access Pass
- Learn more about Cheryl and her ministry.
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About the Guest
Cheryl Shumake
Cheryl, and her husband, Jonathan, make their home in Michigan and are frequently invaded by their family looking for food and hugs!
Cheryl is a self-described adventuress who will tell you her greatest adventure is that she knows and love Jesus and gets to make Him known. Cheryl serves as a speaker, bible teacher, author, founder of Stepmom Sanity; a Christ-centered sister circle of support providing help and hope for women on their stepmom journey, and co-founder of Sawubona Blended Families, a ministry that supports stepfamilies in black and brown communities, and the ministries that serve them.
Cheryl is the author of, Waiting to Be Wanted, A Stepmom’s Guide to Loving Before Being Loved, the Dear Stepmom Series, and a regular blogger for Our Daily Bread’s God Hears Her platform.
Her greatest joys, after Christ, are her husband, their 4 children, grandson, and a pet-free home!
About the Host
Ron Deal
Ron L. Deal is one of the most widely read and viewed experts on blended families in the country. He is Director of FamilyLife Blended® for FamilyLife®, founder of Smart Stepfamilies™, and the author and Consulting Editor of the Smart Stepfamily Series of books including the bestselling Building Love Together in Blended Families: The 5 Love Languages® and Becoming Stepfamily Smart (with Dr. Gary Chapman), The Smart Stepfamily: 7 Steps to a Healthy Family, and Preparing to Blend. Ron is a licensed marriage and family therapist, popular conference speaker, and host of the FamilyLife Blended podcast. He and his wife, Nan, have three sons and live in Little Rock, Arkansas. Learn more at FamilyLife.com/blended.