Welcome to Life Reclaimed, a place for honest conversations about faith, healing, and real life.

We are three friends learning to walk and freedom and trust God through the messy middle.

Pull up a chair.

We’re glad you’re here.

Let’s dive in.

Welcome to the Life Reclaim podcast, and thank you for joining us. My name is Kim and I am here with my two friends, 

Brenda 

and Cindy.

It’s hard to believe. We’ve reached the end of our first season.

Over the past several weeks, we’ve been talking about what it means to be healthy, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically, and even relationally.

Before we jump into today’s conversation, we want to thank each of you for spending this season with us.

Whether you’ve listened to one episode or all of them, we’re grateful you’re here.

We do have a bonus episode coming, and then we’ll take a short break before returning with Season Two: Whole.

If you’re looking for something to listen to while you wait, we’re here to help. We’ve created a Spotify playlist featuring some of our favorite worship songs from this healthy season.

These are songs that have encouraged us, challenged us, and pointed us back to God throughout our own journeys. We hope they encourage you too and remind you that God is still at work in your life.

You can find it at lifelaimed.net/playlist  We’ll also include a link in the show notes.

And if you’re really enjoying this, it would be so, so helpful if you would give us a rating and a review, as that helps the algorithm show it to other people, and helps people find our conversation.

And we would love to have as many people sitting around the table with us as possible. So thanks for giving us a rating and a review.

Well, today’s check-in question is, “Have you seen evidence that God has been working in your life over the last year?”

I know this is supposed to just be a quick check-in question.

What? You don’t want to give us an entire story?

I kind of think of it more like what hasn’t God been doing in my life? Because in every area of my life, I just see God constantly working.

And it used to be, my mom has this phrase called God sightings.

Oh, yeah.

You know, and so something happens and it’s kind of its own little miracle. And she would say God sighting, you know, and it just became so just happening.

The frequency was happening so much that I just really feel like I can see God all over the place.

His faithfulness endures forever. Lasts forever.

I love that.

Yeah.

That’s so cool.

It’s been a season of learning to wait.

Waiting.

Waiting and trusting God in that waiting. Learning that waiting is not for nothing. Learning to slow down in the waiting and ask the right questions, find God through it all, to grow.

And I think the biggest growth he’s been working on in me is to slow down.

Wow.

To rest, to be intentional with my thoughts, with my words, with my actions. So it’s definitely been a journey. And I think we’re almost to the top of it.

Nice, nice.

Yeah.

The waiting, man.

It’s really hard.

It’s not my favorite season.

Not by a long shot.

No, no.

But when you know that’s what you’re supposed to be doing, when every time you open your Bible or you go to a study and you’re like, it’s talking about being in the wilderness again, it’s talking about the waiting again.

And so it’s like, okay, I’ve finally threw my hands up and surrender became my, it’s my everyday word, I feel like, just surrender.

That’s so good.

I would say I’ve been really working on being the healthiest version of me. I want to show up for the people around me with as much health as possible.

And I’m far from perfect, let me tell you, but I’m working really hard at it and every day relying on God’s strength to allow me to be the healthiest version that day and so really relying and leaning in and trusting his promises and knowing that his plans are good and that things are going to work out, even the hard things, even, you know, the things that are challenging, things are going to work out and the Lord’s going to use them in mighty ways to either grow my character or grow my families’ character.

And so I think just trying to be fully level-headed and letting God take control.

I like that.

Yeah.

Well, one of the things I realized this season is that growth doesn’t always happen the way we expect at all. Sometimes we think healing will be dramatic and sometimes we think we’ll wake up one day and suddenly have it all figured it out. And sometimes it happens that way.

But most of the time growth is slower than that.

Amen to that.

It’s really found in small choices, small steps, and quiet moments of faithfulness.

Yeah.

As we’ve talked about health this season, I keep coming back to one simple truth.

God isn’t finished yet.

Oh, that’s so good.

He is not finished.

He’s not finished with me.

He’s not finished with you.

And he’s really not finished with any of us.

Thankfully.

There may still be places where we’re struggling.

There may still be habits we’re trying to change.

There may still be wounds that are healing, and that’s okay.

But none of that means God has stopped working.

Amen.

I would actually say the opposite is true, right?

Like all of those things mean God is still working.

Right.

So I love that.

Yeah.

Well, has there ever been a season when you felt stuck only to realize later that God was doing more than you could see at the time?

I feel like this was my whole life. I don’t know if this is you guys, but I feel like that is literally the story of my life.

I thought we were stuck somewhere and he was doing this major work in me.

Yeah, this was a struggle question for me because I think I’m at a point where I am waiting rather than being stuck.

So stuck indicates, I think of stuck in the mud. And, you know, stuck in your ways, like stuck in the trenches. You’re just there.

And I’ve had moments where I have felt stuck in my emotions. This is never going to pass. But when I’ve taken on this perspective of I’m waiting, I’m not stuck, I’m waiting.

Yeah.

Yes.

And turning to God and turning to scripture and turning to other stories of people in the Bible, of people in my life who are also in this season of waiting or who waited and are out of that season that bring hope .

And so I, I don’t feel like I have a season anymore of being stuck.

I love that.

Oh my goodness.

Mind shift.

Yeah.

I think this for me was when I was younger. I was very stuck in certain emotional thought patterns, in certain behavioral patterns.

I just, I feel like there were definitely times in my younger life where I did feel stuck and I felt like I wasn’t able to move the needle and I was praying, and I was, you know, in the Word, and I was worshiping, and I was doing all the things, but I just felt like certain things weren’t moving forward.

And it was because when I look back, God was working, but it was on me and I was resisting. And it took me longer to make it through those seasons because A, I was resisting and not necessarily going along with the program. But B, also, I was literally not able to break my mindset and reframe it into a different direction.

And I think that’s what held me stuck. I was not willing to change my mindset.

And so I think for me, I definitely, when I was younger, I definitely had seasons where I was stuck, but the Lord continued to grow me and change me and create in me new mindset, even though it may have taken longer than I had hoped.

Right.

And I think that’s the key.

I was just also referring to is that mind shift.

Yeah.

You have to have the mind shift.

Yeah, I love that you did that.

That’s great.

It’s definitely eyeopening and brings, can bring so much more hope when you can see it as a, is this just a season.

And what are we going to learn from this season?

And I think what I hear you saying and what I’m kind of picking up and thinking about as well, there’s two different ways.

You can be stuck because God intentionally is leaving you in a place in, in a desert, or whatever it is because he does have something to teach you. And you’re just going to be there until he’s ready to move you.

But then the other way, and what I think I hear you saying is I can be stuck. I know I have been stuck because I am not trusting God.

He is calling me, perhaps, you know, to do something or he has something for my life life, but because of fear, not trusting God, maybe not even reading my Bible or, you know, going to church or whatever, where I might hear from him to do something.

Yes.

You know, so then here I am.

I’m stuck.

Yes.

So two pathways to being stuck..

That’s brilliant.

Yeah.

It’s good to think about.

I think there’s probably a third.

I could literally be in complete, you know, disobedience.

Oh, yeah.

Right.

So I could be living in sin purposefully.

And that could also maybe put me in a stuck position.

Yeah.

Yeah, for sure.

Interesting.

I like looking at the origins and the roots of how we get stuck because maybe if we could recognize where that’s coming from , right?

Maybe then we can, sooner rather than later, come to a better conclusion of how to get out of it.

Oh, for sure.

For sure.

There’s multiple ways of being stuck.

Right?

You’re stuck because maybe a trauma has happened.

Yes.

You’re stuck because of your own sin.

You’re stuck because you’re trying to live out your plan and you’re not willing to surrender your plan.

You know, there can be multiple multiple ways.

So I like that idea of if you think you’re stuck, start asking those questions.

Yeah.

Where’s the root?

What’s causing me to be stuck?

I love that.

And I was, well, I’m in the middle of reading a book by Jenny Allen and she says, there’s always things beneath the thing.

Oh my gosh.

It’s so true.

Just got to figure out what it is.

I love that.

Well, you got to figure out what it is and then be willing to surrender that to God and allow him to fix it, heal it, change it, so that you then can move forward and no longer be stuck.

Absolutely.

Love it.

Look at us.

We’ve not only answered the questions, we’ve come up with a solution.

We are on fire today.

Well, what’s something you used to struggle with that no longer has the same hold on you today?

This to me is a sign of hope, right? Something that I used to struggle with that no longer has that same hold on me.

Do you have any examples?

Responding without grace.

Yeah, I’ve been there.

I feel like God has in my waiting, really been working on my empathy, my understanding so that I can give the right response in any given situation.

So I have become more sensitive to how other people respond and intentionally working on, okay, how should I respond to the situation?

What can I do to bring peace to the situation, trying to really see people and understand where they’re coming from?

That’s so hard.

I feel like that’s something I really used to struggle is just first reaction, reactive response, no grace, snap of a finger, right? Just going to respond. And however, whatever happens happens.

Yeah.

But not anymore. I find more peace. I can respond respond with grace.

Wow.

That’s really good.

That takes maturity.

In a long season.

That’s what’s brought the maturity.

Well, I think as I work on trying to be the healthiest version of myself, you know, it takes a commitment and it takes reflection on your own behaviors and kind of getting to the root of why do I behave like that?

Yeah.

What am I afraid of? What am I trying to cover up? What emotion am I not dealing with?

Why did did that trigger me that I want to respond like that? And so if I would today, I would argue that I do no longer have a quick trigger response.

Wow.

And I probably would say, okay, we’ll say 90% of the time because I am human and there will be things that I get triggered a little bit more fast on.

Yeah.

I love that.

I can say that something that I used to struggle with that no longer has the same hold today is depression and anxiety. Two years ago, if you had met me, I’m not the same person.

And not one, oh, you are not.

No, you are not.

And by God’s grace, by God’s grace and provision and bringing me out of something that was really unhealthy and then learning to trust God, which actually came pretty easily then, because when you’re in a season where God is just richly blessing you, then you know how good he is and you can trust that he’s not going to stop.

And so I just think that that, you know, for me, I’m just so grateful to God and how he has made me, he’s brought health to me by bringing me out and protecting me and having something so much better for me.

I’m so excited to hear you say that.

I just, I can’t tell you.

I’m almost in tears right now because I am so excited to see what the Lord has done in your life over the last two years and to be able to walk with you through part of this journey has been such a joy in and an honor and such a sweet place to hold you in our hands and in our hearts and to pray for you and to get to see what the Lord is doing.

It’s like miracle after miracle that we get to witness with you.

And so what a fun partnership that has been for us.

But honestly, the fact that you can recognize all of those things that he is doing for you is beautiful.

It’s so cool.

I love that.

Well, and one of the really, really big blessings for me was finding our group.

And we talked about it in our last session with everybody and what that community meant, but that has been one of the richest blessings by far. Recently, as somebody mentioned to me that people don’t believe in God anymore because they don’t see the miracles or they don’t believe God does miracles the way He used to do miracles because we don’t see them anymore.

Oh, wow.

And I challenged this person that well, the miracles may just look different.

Yeah.

Or what you are seeing happen in someone’s life. You don’t recognize that as a miracle.

A miracle.

And I actually used you as an example. And just these little pieces that I’ve seen God do in your life. And I said, each of those was a miracle.

Yes. From God to her.

And this person that I was having the conversation with, she was like, you know, I’ve never thought about it that way.

I said, well, I challenge you.

And I’m as a listener out there, I challenge you.

Like, get a piece of paper and a pen and write down all the amazing things that are happening in your life, even if you’re in a season of waiting or a season of depression or a season of anxiety or whatever you’re walking through, there are miracles happening on a daily basis.

Yes.

And you have to recognize them as miracles. And the more you do that, the more you will see them.

Yes.

And it’s actually kind of a fun scavenger hunt because you’re like, God showed up today like this, you know?

But I will plug community again. I know we ended up having two big parts to that. So there’s a lot to listen to.

If you missed those episodes, go back to episode seven and episode eight, we brought in people from our community to really talk about the truth of what happens in our Bible study and its truth.

So you should definitely go back and listen to that if you missed it.

Yes.

That plug also being you get to live and walk with people and you get to see them miracles.

Right.

Yes.

You get to see them hands on of what’s happening in people’s lives that God is doing and each one of those just is going to grow your own faith.

I was just about to say it grows your faith to see God show up in someone else’s life.

And even, let’s just say you’re in a slow season.

You’re in a waiting season.

You don’t see maybe that miracle coming as quickly for you, but to be able to see it and maybe two other people makes you go, okay, it’s coming.

I know it, you know, because you see God’s faithfulness.

So that’s actually really good.

I think mine would be perspective.

So sometimes if I am faced with a hard challenge and I have a negative perspective going into it, then I see all the negativity in it. And I used to teach my children at school that you can conquer anything hard if you go at it with the right perspective. And so I think lately that negative perspective has had less hold on my brain.

Hallelujah.

Thatt neuroplasticity that we talked about that one week.

I really think the Lord is renewing my mind and really changing my thought life. And so I think that’s helping to not have that same stronghold, if you will.

Yes, for sure.

Because I don’t believe those same lies anymore.

Amen.

Okay.

Well, has your definition of healthy changed since we started this season?

Not really.

Not really?

I had this, I think, vision of healthy, as a straight line.

Oh.

Like to get healthy, I just need to go from A to B to C, like follow this one particular path.

Yeah.

Kind of like, you know, you take this prescription to get over whatever that health issue is.

Yeah.

And through this journey, I do think this idea of healthy, I’ve come to recognize is more like a circle. It’s just a continuous cycle, a continuous journey.

And you may even have to go back and something you thought was healed and maybe revisit it again. You know, so I think this idea of being on this circle, but then I go, yes, but at the same time, I feel like it’s more like a mountain.

It’s more like a mountain and you’re doing these circles as you climb up the mountain.

Again and again, you’re going and you have valleys and dips and you find the creeks and the rivers and the like you just are on a journey and you can’t expect your journey of healthy to look like somebody else’s journey.

It’s not going to.

You can’t.

At all.

And I really think before when we started, I didn’t see it that way. I just thought, if I can just do this, give me the path I need to take and I’ll take that path. And that straight path. And it’s not that.

Okay, I want to add something.

So you’ve got the cycles of going on and you’ve got the mountain and the valleys and this is a theory.

I think God brings you back to a part of the cycle where maybe he wasn’t quite done and maybe there was more to that layer that he wanted to heal and work in you.

And he gives you the opportunity to go through that same situation again, only more healthy this time. And I think every time that came back to me, I can think of a very specific situation. The Lord kept bringing it back and kept bringing it back a year later and come back.

Two years later, it’d come back. And I was like, Lord, have I not learned the lesson? Why do you keep bringing me the same opportunity?

It looks exactly the same. I know this is that same cycle. And I think what he was trying to say was originally when I was in the middle of it, I thought he was saying you didn’t learn the lesson and you have to repeat the lesson.

And I as I look back at each time he brought me through to that same issue, he wasn’t saying, you didn’t learn the lesson.

He was saying, look how much you’ve learned in the first one.

Let’s see what you want to learn this time around.

Can we go deeper?

Can we go farther?

Can you do more in this situation?

And I was just like throwing my hands up, being like, what?

You mean I didn’t learn this lesson? You’re bringing it back around? But I don’t think that’s what he was doing.

I think he was showing me, look, you are not where you were a year ago, two two years ago, six years ago, when this came around.

And so here it is again, but look at the growth, look at the change. Look at how you handle it differently. So I do think that cyclical is true in so many different assets of health. And then also the mountain.

Yes.

I love how you said we that look, look, let’s figure out what we are going to learn. And honestly, you know, because he’s with you the whole time.

Yes, Amen.

It’s not like he sent you on this treacherous journey of a, you know, a wheel, of a mountain on your own, you know?

I mean, That’s true.

It’s true.

Recently met with a pastor and he said, you can’t do this journey alone. You can’t do it. Like, he looked just straight in the face. You can’t do it.

And I was like, oh, that’s encouraging. But then following that up with, but God can.

Right.

So you cling to God and you can do it because he can do it.

I love that so much.

Okay.

Well, what area of your life do you sense God is still still growing right now, man?

I don’t know if you want to get to the specifics. It’s okay if you don’t want to tell the specifics. Like, I get that’s a pretty deep question. It’s pretty sensitive because I feel like we all have places that God is growing right now.

Do you have any generalizations you can say?

I think when we’re looking at healthy and being healthy right now, I I do believe God is working on my emotional health.

I love that.

Yes.

I’m reading Untangle Your Emotions.

Oh, by Jenny Allen.

By Jenny Allen.

Yes.

How is it?

Oh, it’s hard.

I bet.

It’s hard.

Learning a lot, but definitely recognizing, man, I am a stuffer.

Yes.

I am, I stuff the emotions and I’ve untangled a few that date back years.

Like we’re talking like high school, like elementary age of really recognizing a trigger. And you, that’s where that quote, “There are always things beneath the things” and recognizing what when I’m triggered by something, well, why?

What, what in me, what experience, what emotion have I walked through before that’s caused my body or my heart or my mind to be triggered that way. And so I’ve learned a lot very quickly, she’s very good.

It’s a great book. If you follow it, she has this whole process and you really walk through and be intentional with it, I have discovered that one of my responses is to hide when I am hurt.

Yeah.

That’s normal, I think.

Yes.

And I dated it way back to an experience when I was, I probably 10 and I, I got physically hurt and I got yelled at.

Like, not a pretty yell.

Like I yelled out and made to feel like an idiot. For getting hurt.

And so from that point on, I would hide when I got hurt.

Yes.

And I carried that physically, hiding when I’m physically hurt into hiding my emotional hurt or in any area. And so I’ve been really working on that.

Wow.

I’ve been listening to Jenny Allen’s podcast for more years than I care to tell you.

I have read a plethora of her books and actually honestly, listening to her and growing through a lot of the things has inspired me to actually want to do this podcast too.

So just, you know, let’s just give a shout out to Jenny Allen, Beth Moore, Christine Kane, you know, Lisa Terkeurst.

Like there’s a lot of really amazing women in the Christian space that I have listened to for decades and admired and really seen God move and change. And to have Jenny Allen’s journey of how she came about writing that book and to see what she went through.

And it started from that confessional community.

And when she got into that confessional community, she then was actually starting to untangle her emotions.

Yes.

And that, to me, is kind of where we’re sitting is we are sitting in the beginning of that confessional community for our group as well. And I think it’s really exciting to see what the Lord is going to continue to do in our group because we’ve started down this journey.

And one of the things she talks about, and I don’t know if it’s in that book in particular, but in her podcast, when that book came out, they would meet as a group and they would go back to the childhood moment when those types of things had happened and everyone in the group would rewrite the story for that person.

So let’s say you told us the trauma, the rest of us would say, “I am here with you at that moment” and “I am giving you a hug” or “I am here with you at that moment” and “I am wrapping my arms around you saying it’s okay to be hurt.” And “it’s not your fault.”

And when we get hurt, it’s something that you didn’t do or deserve or earn and no one should ever make you feel bad for being hurt.

And so the power of being in that type of confessional community, being able to go back to those moments where we have identified those as triggers and now to be able to rewrite that story and heal, that is huge and so beneficial for our souls and our health, it’s unbelievable and unreal.

I can identify because I used to have someone in my life who was generally the first person I’d have to call. And the minute they would get to wherever I was, it would be hysterical screaming because this person didn’t know how to handle stress.

And so because this person had never learned this coping skills of what to do in a stressful situation, his only response was to scream at me. So I hated to be in stressful situations because I was always under the impression that whoever came to rescue me was going to scream at me.

So when I got married to my current husband, he is not that way. In the middle of a stressful situation, he is calm. He’s okay. He doesn’t yell at me.

And I’m always like, aren’t you going to get yell at me?

And he’s like, why? It’s not your fault that the car broke down. It’s okay.

You’re going to be okay.

And the difference that made in my life to have someone respond in the exact opposite response that I was trained in as a child, it did that same kind of thing, right, that the confessional community would do.

It helped me rewrite how I respond to stress.

Right.

I no longer get worried that someone’s going to be screaming at me. But I have to tell you, I still don’t like people yelling at me.

It’s just one of those things. Don’t yell at me. I’m okay if you just don’t yell at me.

Right.

Wow.

That was really, really deep and amazing.

I love that you shared that with this.

I was just going to say that I think part of the healing process is being able to share with someone else.

Yes.

So that there can be validation.

Yep.

There can be, again, you’re not alone. You’re in this community of people who care about you and you’re helping them just as much as they’re helping you.

Every single one of us.

I think every single one of us in that episode, in those two episodes we just did on Community said, not only was I able to help someone, but somebody came to me when I really desperately needed it.

And I didn’t even know I was going to need them, you know?

Right.

Yeah.

I think for me, the area of my life that I’m trying to grow in is relationships, I have a lot of weird skills and people would always go, man, you’re so capable. You have all these skills.

Is there something you don’t do well?

And my answer was always people. I’m not very good with people.

And I know, stop giving me that look.

Okay.

Cindy and I are looking at each other like, what?

Yeah.

We think you’re amazing with people.

Exactly.

Okay, but that’s because you know me now.

Okay, true.

Okay.

And so it’s because I’m really working on relational health, because I don’t think I’ve always been the most healthy when it comes to relationships. And so I’m just really grateful that the Lord is growing me in that.

It’s obvious that he is.

Thank you.

You’re welcome.

It’s hard work.

It is, Especially when you have different types of relationships.

Yes.

Right.

And different levels of trust and different levels of really like knowing people. And so you are like, how honest can I be with this person standing right here in front of me or how much of myself do I want to give?

So it’s hard.

But God’s definitely growing you.

Yes, I’m growing.

I think that God is really trying to grow my confidence, especially in sharing my testimony. I’ve heard of the term, you’ve probably heard of it too, imposter syndrome.

Yes.

Okay, so even when you asked me if I wanted to be on this podcast, I remember that day. And coming in and trying it, you know, for the first time, I just felt completely like, what am I doing?

And that’s an attack. That’s spiritual warfare for sure, because you’re just telling yourself story.

You’re just talking.

That’s all.

And I remember that’s what you said, “We’re just going to sit and talk. You are capable of talking. You do it every day.”

Yeah.

But I do think that that’s is what God is working on me right now is just to have the confidence that I can talk.

I share my story and, you know, hopefully help people with it.

I love it.

I love it.

Yeah.

I think that’s our, each one of us.

We’ve lived through some stuff and we just want to help people vicariously so they don’t have to live through that same stuff, but maybe could learn something.

So yes.

How do you keep trusting God when growth feels slow, when you’re in the waiting?

How do you keep trusting God?

I think it’s intentional work.

It’s things we’ve mentioned multiple times on each episode of being in your Bible, having conversations with God, journaling , thinking, don’t put God in a box.

I heard that recently from my daughter. Don’t put God in a box. Most people do that.

And she’s so right.

Don’t do that.

He is so capable of doing things that we can’t even fathom that, that I think, can get you through this growth.

It is slow.

It can be slow.

But on the flip side, we recently had a member of our community who in a night was shifted.

Yes.

You know, prayed over. And God in an instant took it from her and gave her freedom.

It was so good.

It’s amazing.

So God can do it both ways for sure.

I love that.

And I think you were talking about putting God in a box. A lot of times our problem is gigantic and our God is in this little tiny box. When the opposite is actually true, our God is gigantic and our problem is in this little tiny box.

But again, perspective, I’m seeing it incorrectly.

How about you?

How do you keep trusting God when growth feels slow?

I’ve mentioned before that I do journal. And so I go back, I revisit some of my earlier entries and I’m reminded. And then I look at the date and it didn’t take very long.

That’s the thing. You know, when you start looking at everything that’s happened in such a short amount of time or whatever, then it’s like, okay, just relax .

You know, it’s going to be fine.

Trust God.

He’s going to take care of it and the growth will happen.

Love that.

That’s so good.

I’m thinking for me, I go back to his promises. I go back to his word, to his promises where I can see he has not left them.

He has not left us.

He has not left me.

And so I think those promises just reminding myself, it’s happening even if I can’t recognize it. And there’s so much more at play in our daily than I have vision for, but he does. So I think for me, it’s about trusting him and knowing that his promises are good.

Okay.

So what are you hoping God will do in your life during the next season?

Ooh, I think whole is going to be my hardest season. I don’t see myself as whole yet. I think I’ve got some big gaps and I’ve got some work that I’m doing and I’ve got some healing that the Lord is doing.

And so I think Whole is going to be, I’m right there with you. I’m kind of scared of it, actually, because we are trying to be the best healthy version.

Yeah.

And I’m afraid of what this next whole season just might bring to the surface.

But I’m at the same time, I’m looking forward to it.

Yeah.

I’m looking forward to the places that I have holes for those to be fully and completely restored and repaired so that you can’t even see that there was a hole there before.

Oh, I love that.

And I think that would be amazing.

I worked at a school and somebody in the administration and I were feeling like Swiss cheese, where we were always taking the arrows and the darts and the hard things and it was just like going right through us and just leaving us with all of these holes.

And so we would jokingly say to each other, “How’s the Swiss cheese feeling today?”

You know, and we’d be like, “I’ve got enormous big holes through me today.” And so we would just joke about it.

But I actually think it’d be really cool if there were no holes in my Swiss cheese after our Whole Season.

So I’ll have to do some research.

But there is a book I’ve read. I think in the title is Soul Holes.

It has something to do with your Soul Holes and it has to do with that exact thing of like we go walk through life and it’s just hole after hole and who fills your holes.

What are you filling the holes with? Are you filling it with?

And I think it’s funny.

We’re going back and forth between H-O-L-E-S and W-H-O-L-E-S. Let’s point that out.

Our next season is not giving you multiple holes, but we want to be one complete whole being.

Being.

Yes.

Yeah.

So looking back over this season of your life, where have you seen evidence that God wasn’t finished with you?

Man, that’s a daily.

I think truly trusting his plan.

I’ve been a teacher for many years and I’m trying to move into administration and everybody said it would be so easy to do that. There there’s so many jobs out there. And while there are, they may not all be the right fit.

I’m looking at a certain area and I just keep getting a know. And it’s been a journey and me throwing my hands up in the air and being, why?

I don’t understand the no and asking God.

And really honestly, at one point, this last one, I was like, God, I am so mad at you. You opened this door again. I at least got an interview and I got a no.

And it was hard. It was, it was hard. It was, it might sound silly now, it that kind of sounds silly, but it was hard and something I want.

And so I’m asking God. And I think now that I cycle back around, like, well, what is he teaching me in the process?

In the process?

What’s he showing me in this process?

And I think it’s just trusting him.

Yeah.

He has something, maybe it’s not an administration. Maybe that wasn’t the plan all along.

I don’t know right now, but he’s got something for me. And when that door opens, it’ll stay opened and, and I’ll be there. But I think he’s not finished with me yet when it comes to that.

I love that.

Well, I think it’s really important too, just to say that God is never finished with us.

Yes.

Ever.

Amen.

Amen.

This is true.

We’re going to continue to grow.

He’s going to grow us in all different areas of our life.

But the point as Christians is to constantly be working on our growth.

Thank you for reminding us of that.

It’s true.

Yeah.

It’s true.

It’s true.

It’s so true.

I think the moment you give up and stop growing, you’re stuck.

I think it’s pride.

I think the moment you give up seeking what the Lord wants to do in your life, that’s when you’re like, okay, God, I. I got it from here.

I’ll take care of it.

Don’t you worry.

I’m very capable and see you on the flip side when I get to heaven.

Right.

But that’s not what he is wanting from us.

Well, he has so much more for you.

I would say for me, I can tell God isn’t finished with me yet because I’m supposed to be retired and sitting around doing nothing. 

And so far, I have a lot of projects that are on my plate right now, you know, between this podcast and the women’s devotional and our amazing Bible study group and the new friends and just all the things.

It just reminds me that for a long time after I retired, I was wondering, what does God want to do with me now?

What does my life have that’s eternally valuable?

What can I do to serve him?

You know?

And so I really feel like he’s been showing me that he’s not finished with me and that there’s still a place for me to serve while I’m here.

So it’s kind of fun.

Kind of exciting. 

Well, and I think that’s one of the most encouraging truths that we can gather out of scripture.

Yeah.

Is that God, A, is not done with us and he’ll never abandon anything that he begins.

Yes.

So as we turn to scripture, Philippians 1:6 – Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

I love this verse so much.

Cling to that.

I love being confident.

So you can stand firm on that promise that whatever he has started, he will bring it to completion.

Man, I think when I was younger, I had so much more confidence. And then I went through some stuff and I lost a lot of that confidence.

And so I think the beauty that you just said, we can be confident and stand on that promise just kind of really resonated with me. I’ve always had the idea that God was going to keep working on me until the day of completion , but that confidence, right?

Knowing that he is still at work, I love that you just emphasized that.

Corinthians 3:18 – And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

It’s so good.

It’s beautiful.

I know.

I like the idea that we are being transformed into his image.

And I think that’s the whole idea of not being finished with us yet, right?

That it doesn’t say, you have been, you are already.

It says, you are being transformed.

And we were created in God’s image.

So hear that.

That is theologically true. We were created in God’s image.

But we also are being transformed into his image with ever increasing glory.

I just think that’s so beautiful.

Recently, my daughter came home and shared something she learned that a pastor had said that you are saved from your sin.

Yes.

But sin still exists.

Yes. Essentially.

Like, you’re still battling it.

And that’s where I think that you’re constantly being transformed in his image is that fruit, that constant growth to love others, it’s not, doesn’t come in an instant.

Yeah.

You know, but in you and through him, you can have that transformation.

That’s cool.

Isaiah 43:18-19 – Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

I love it.

I cling to this verse.

Right?

Yes.

I love this verse because forget the former things.

I have so many things that I’d like to like drop those just out of the bucket, you know, and then. See what the Lord is doing.

A lot of us, I feel like out there, we carry a lot of regret.

Yes.

And what are we doing with that regret?

And I think God’s very clear, let’s not dwell on it.

Let’s not dwell on it.

Let’s use it to learn, to grow what’s the new thing that he’s going to do with you out of that?

Yes.

And I think there’s that line now it springs up.

Do you not perceive it?

I love that line.

You know, that’s the hope.

That’s the hope.

That’s the mind shift right there.

Do you not perceive it?

If you don’t perceive it, shift your mind.

And it kind of takes us back to what we talked earlier in this session, like your mind shift needs to be a shift to God.

His perception.

He is making you a new thing.

He’s going to do it.

You’re going to be in the wilderness.

You’re going to have the streams.

You’re going to walk through the valleys.

Like you’re going to have these things.

There’s nowhere does it not promise you that it’s not going to be hard.

But through those things, he’s there and he’s doing something new in you.

I love that.

I think this is a message of just hope that more of us need to hear.

Yes.

And let’s just dive into hope for a second because at the end of our healthy season, we’ve been talking about a lot of hard things.

And it can sound like being a Christian is really hard and being a Christian is, you know, you’re going to go through those hard moments, but I think what you just said is really the truth of it.

Hope.

That is what we cling to because our God brings us hope and joy and peace abounding.

And we couldn’t manufacture it or come up with it or even have it without the Holy Spirit in us and him granting it to us.

And so I am so grateful for the hope that we have in Christ.

And I think that, do you not perceive it is talking two different ways.

But number one, are you looking? Can you see the hope or are you missing all the cool things I’m doing? Like, can you see it? I’m doing all these cool things. Are you, paying attention?

Are you catching them?

And then I think the other one is, do you not perceive it?

I am here for you. I have you. You’ve got this. We’re okay.

You’re going to be okay.

And so I think it’s both, right?

I think it’s the watch for it. It’s coming. Here it is.

Right.

And so I just, I encourage each one of us to continue on with that hope.

Yes.

So what I heard you say was that life is hard for Christians. Why would Christians, why would I want that?

But the truth of it is that life is hard, period. Life is hard for everyone.

Yeah.

We live in a fallen world and there’s heartbreak. There’s horrible things that happen.

For Christians, we have the hope. We have someone to walk with us through the hard times.

And not only do we have Jesus to walk through it with us, but He gives us community to help bring us up and remind us of our hope. As well. So I think that’s the difference for us.

I love that.

I’ll also add, and it took me a long time to grasp this hope of, yes, things are hard here.

Life is hard.

And in the end, I get to be in a place where there are no more tears.

I love that.

And I am made whole and I get to rest in the arms of my Lord.

And so we don’t have this fear of death.

You know, nobody wants to talk about death, but on the flip side, we have a hope in death that I get to spend it in eternity with my heavenly Father.

So I think as a Christian, things aren’t harder because we’re Christians.

Sure.

Life is just hard in general. Maybe what is harder is our fear of judgment.

Sure.

Which I feel like still everybody feels judged. Maybe we could say for Christians, there’s this idea that there’s so many rules that that might be hard. But those are there are man-made rules.

So.

You know, really the only biggest rule we have is love God and love your neighbor.

Like, love.

That is what we are to be doing. That’s the only rule.

So I, this idea of hope, I think, would piggyback on all of that is we have hope for eternity.

And I would argue, how can you live this life without Jesus?

Right.

Yeah.

Like my heart breaks for people who don’t know Jesus.

Yeah.

And I just want to introduce them to him.

Yeah.

So they can have hope and they can have hope.

That’s a good word.

Good word right there.

All right.

Let’s wrap this up. Can’t believe we’re wrapping up season one with our final prayer.

Here we go.

Holy God, Abba Father, gracious daddy, the giver of all things, the maker of heaven and earth, the creator of life. Lord, what an amazing gift you are.

We’re so thankful.

So thankful that today we woke up with breath in our lungs, and our bodies are mostly working the way they’re supposed to, and that we are able to get together and actually talk about you and enjoy time with you.

Thank you that the veil is torn and we can now come directly to you and be in your presence.

Thank you, Lord, for letting us sit at your feet where we can cast our burdens onto you, and in return, you can give us your peace, your shalom, that you can give us the things that we need that just put our minds to rest, that bring us the joy and the hope that you have set before us, that give us that assurance that you are not finished with us yet.

Lord God, could you continue to work on us? Could you continue to heal us?

Would you be so kind as to pour out your lavish love on each one of us? Would you just shower your daughters and your children with extravagant kindness and love and mercy and grace?

And as you have already made that sacrifice for us so that we can have salvation and be with you for eternity, would you also help us through this time on this season when we are on this earth separated from you, living in a fallen world?

Would you give us your mind?

We would want the mind of Christ, that we could see others and love them that we could find forgiveness for each other and for those who’ve burdened our lives.

Lord God, would you restore our souls? Would you rejuvenate our minds? Would you transform us into the people you have called us to be?

And Lord, would you bless us? Would you grant us your abundant blessings?

Lord, would you forgive us for the sins that we have done? We ask that you would cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

And, Lord, as each one of us goes forward and we start to think about our next steps and our next season of being whole, would you heal us?

Would you restore us?

We thank you so much for the opportunity to sit around this table together and to enjoy each other, but most importantly, speak of what you are doing in our lives.

We give you all the praise and all the glory and all the admiration.

We’re so grateful for you, Lord, and your Son’s holy name.

Amen.

Amen.

Before we close, if you take one thing from today’s conversation, let it be this, God isn’t finished with you yet.

Amen.

The places where you’re growing, the places where you’re struggling, the places where you’re waiting.

God sees them all.

You don’t have to have everything figured out. You simply have to keep walking with the one who is still at work in your.

Yes, yes.

All right, the reflection of the week is, “Where in your life do you need to trust that God is still working, even if you can’t see the finished picture yet?”

Thank you for joining us for season one of Life Reclaimed.

We’ll leave you there for now.

And remember, God isn’t finished with you yet.

Next week, join us for a special bonus episode as we talk about some of the lies that keep us stuck in unhealthy thinking and the truth God speaks over our lives.

As we close, we pray that you would notice Jesus meeting you in the ordinary moment of your week.

He loves you.

He sees you.

He is fighting for you.

To answer the reflection of the week, go to LifeReclaimed.net and you can send us an email or voicemail from there.

If you would like to stay with us, subscribing helps you catch each new conversation as it releases.

Until we are together again, may the grace and peace of Jesus go with you. 

Philippians 1:6 – Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 3:18 – And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Isaiah 43:18-19 – Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Apps

• You’re Not Finished Yet by Christine Caine on the YouVersion Bible App

Books

• Untangle Your Emotions by Jennie Allen

Podcasts

• The Jennie Allen Podcast
• The Confessional Community Episode from Jennie Allen
  • Podcast Name: The Jennie Allen Podcast (formerly known as Made For This)
    Episode Title: FYP #17: What Our Confessional Community Looks Like
    Guests: Ann Voskamp and Jessica Honegger
    Release Date: April 13, 2022
• Equip and Empower with Christine Caine
• Therapy and Theology with Lysa Terkeurst, Joel Muddamalle, & Jim Cress
• Living Proof with Beth Moore
• Proverbs 31 Ministries