Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: Hey, friend. Welcome to Perspectives into Practice, a place where life's stories meet practical wisdom. Together, we'll explore how faith filled perspectives can transform the way we live, love and grow.
So grab a seat, settle in and join us on this journey to turn inspiration into action.
Let's dive in.
[00:00:29] Speaker B: Hey, friend.
[00:00:30] Speaker A: Welcome back to Perspectives into Practice. I am so glad that you're here today. If you've ever wrestled with doubt second guessing yourself or wondered if God could really use your yes, this episode's for you. Today I'm sitting down with my friend Tara. And her story is such a powerful reminder that God isn't waiting on us to be perfect. He's simply looking for a willing heart. And Tara's been walking through a season where God has stretched her in new ways, invited her to step out of her comfort zone. And I know that the way that she's learning to trust God in the unknown will encourage your heart as much as it does mine. Welcome, Tara. I'm so glad you're here.
[00:01:08] Speaker B: Thank you, Jessica. I am so excited we finally made this work out. This is great. I'm excited to be here.
[00:01:14] Speaker A: It's going to be great. I'm excited. So y' all know I love a fun fact and Tera actually just makes me smile. She absolutely loves fishing, like, love, love, loves fishing, camping, hiking, all the, like, just, she's a do it all girl. So of course we have to know what got you into fishing in the first place and have you always loved it? That's a good, good question there.
[00:01:37] Speaker B: It really is. Well, sure. And thank you because. Oh, you know, I don't find a lot of let's call ourselves what we are, fisher women. You know, we're fisher women. And it's, it's kind of a fun story how it all started. So I was, I'm the only daughter in a family. I have an older brother and my father. We used to live out kind of in the country. I originally grew up in Missouri and a lot of lakes, a lot of streams, all those kinds of things, rivers and such. And my dad actually is the one who first of all initially introduced me to fishing and, and I just grew to love it. And it's, it's funny. I'm not a huge fan of, you know, baiting the hook. I'll be honest with you, that's not my favorite part. But my favorite part is the casting and the reeling and soaking in nature and just taking that time to just, I don't know, just relax, find that peace. Even as a kid, you Know, even as a kid, I loved it. And just. Just getting to have that chance to spend that time with my dad and. And my family. And of course, then I eventually got married and my husband loves it too. And we're big, you know, we love camping, hiking, all those kinds of things. Fishing just rolls right into that. So great.
[00:02:48] Speaker A: For sure. Yeah, I love that. And you're right. It's so peaceful. And it's a great thing to do, except when you have kids and you're the one having to unknot all of the knotted.
That's. That is my job. If we go fishing, mom doesn't get to fish. Mom gets to unknot all of the lines, which, you know, it's fine because they get to enjoy it.
One day, I will not be the unknotter.
[00:03:16] Speaker B: Oh, my goodness. And it's true. It does come back around, I gotta be honest, because like you, I had, you know, I have small. I had small children.
[00:03:23] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:03:23] Speaker B: And did the same thing with my. My sons. And then eventually. But now we're back, and it's great. You know, you go through those seasons, of course, seasons of life.
[00:03:32] Speaker A: So it is absolutely. You know, I love that that quiet joy in fishing speaks to. Even now you're present. And it ties beautifully into our conversation today.
So you said that you've recently been learning a lot about being stretched, trusting God's timing, and even saying yes when the outcome is unclear. So can you.
What did it feel like when God began nudging you out of your comfort zone? And how did you see that he was preparing you beforehand?
[00:04:04] Speaker B: Well, I can definitely say truthfully, it was terrifying.
Make no mistake about that. Absolutely terrifying. And through the years, I definitely struggled with anxiety. I've had anxiety issues. I'll be honest. I've also struggled with depression through the years. And so those things tend to really, you know, make you even less willing to want to step.
[00:04:29] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:29] Speaker B: And do things that are, you know, that are, you know, terrifying and you put you ill at ease or whatever. And it's just been this constant learning phase. I feel like, you know, and. And I've really. I don't know, I've just grown in that relationship with him through this, and. And that's really what I'm excited about sharing today. Yeah.
[00:04:49] Speaker A: So what things did you learn or that. That you knew that he needed to prepare you for before you even got to say yes? Because that's a part that sometimes we miss or we don't hear about. Is that preparation?
You know, we hear about, oh, I struggled in this and then I said yes, and now it's great. But that preparation beforehand, now, in hindsight, sure.
[00:05:12] Speaker B: Oh, absolutely. Well, so, okay, really, I'll back up just a little ways. I won't go through my entire history because we don't have like three days here. But nonetheless, several years ago, I was in a car accident. And that led me into a time of just, you know, real struggle. And it was a life altering car accident.
My injuries were substantial and one of the worst injuries out of the whole gamut. There was a traumatic brain injury and anyone that's had any kind of brain injury, you know, be it a stroke or a head injury or anything, you know, and your brain aneurysm, brain bleed, there's so many. We all struggle in that, you know, that is the epicenter of your life. Your brain, it controls every aspect of your life. And for me, one of the issues coming back from that in my recovery was I was struggling with language because I had issues there. I was struggling with words coming to me and trying to understand again, even reading words that I'd known for years. And of course then I had physical issues as well. On top of that, I had balance and vision and just so much, you know, I won't go through all of it. Each brain injury is different. Everyone struggles in various ways. But it was through that time and that struggle that he really brought me into a time of humility.
He pushed away everything that was a distraction in my life, cleared my table, if you will, just completely wiped it all clean, said, nope, you have nothing on your schedule now and you're going to be able to see me now. Because he had been calling me into ministry for a very long time. And I, I'm ashamed to admit that it was a very long time before I even even acknowledged it, and then even a longer time before I even said yes. But it took what it took, you know, he knew what it was going to take for me to get to that point. And, and let me tell you, he, he got me there and it's been very effective ever since. So I'm grateful for that. Do I wish I'd had a different avenue into what I'm doing now? Absolute.
I would, you know, I would have loved an easy road, you know. You know, Tara, would you like to be in, in women's ministry? Absolutely. Lord, let's. Yeah, you know, that would have been great. You know, let's, let's go that route instead of, you know, car accident, brain injury, all these, you know, all this other you know, five years, whatever. It's just like, okay, you know, here we are. But nonetheless, you know, it's. It's definitely been. It's been worth it. Yeah.
[00:07:42] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, it reminds me of the Scripture in Second Corinthians when God tells Paul, my grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness. And, you know, sometimes it does take us to hit a rock bottom or to take a low or to realize, I cannot do this on my own, and it's only through Christ's power. And.
And it really is. It is sufficient. And I know because. Because, you know, you've shared with me, but I know that his grace has been sufficient for you and exactly what you've needed in every.
Every single avenue. So. So in that vein, what helped you to say yes, besides the, Besides the car accident? But when you didn't feel qualified or ready, when you actually said made that yes, what. What helped you to say that?
[00:08:37] Speaker B: A lot of prayer, a lot of time in discernment, you know, a lot of Bible study. I'll be honest. A lot of seeking the Scriptures. I love that you shared that scripture, because I actually was literally going to share scripture. That was. I was going right there next. I was like, you know, whenever Paul says, I was like, wow, she just said it for me. So thanks for stealing that for me. I appreciate that. Yeah. But I was totally going to cover that because that is. That is definitely true. And just to kind of give you a little example of. Of what I'm talking about.
So just this past March, I was the keynote speaker for a women's retreat. Again, total God thing. Absolutely came out of the sky to me, and I was so grateful for that opportunity. It was beautiful, beautiful day, and I didn't have a chance to finish, so I had three different sessions. I had three different sessions, and I had completed sessions one, sessions two. When I say finished, I mean as in written my. You know, what I was going to share.
And I literally ran out of time to complete my third session. So I, I. Because I ran into my. My mother ended up getting very sick this past year, and she was in the hospital. We almost lost her. So it was a very traumatic experience there. As I was trying to prepare for this women's retreat, I was trying to get all my notes together, and I'm very. I tend to be. And this is one thing I definitely want to talk about today. I tend to be very scripted, and I've always been that way, because back when I was a teacher, I was in. I was in education for 15 years. And when I was a teacher, I was always also very scripted. And I would get up and I would have my notes, and I was always prepped, and I'd have, you know, boom, boom, boom. I'd run through my, you know, my guideline, if you will, and. Or my outline, and it just worked out. And that's just kind of how I did things. And so this particular day, I could just tell. God's like, you're doing this without it. You're doing this with. It's just going to be you and it's going to be me. And I was like, okay. And so, of course, here I am the day of. I've gone through session one. It went great. I did session two. It went great. And then I got ready to go up for session three, and I'm like, oh, my goodness. I just remember stepping up onto that stage, and I was like, okay, God, this is going to be all. Yes, please, please, help me. Help me to do this. Help me to, you know, step. Step out of this, you know, comfort zone and really push me out of this nest of the comfort, familiarity of notes and scripts and all these kinds of things and help me to learn how to fly. Help me to do this.
And so whenever I did again, you know, you just take that leap of faith. You step out. And I did it. I remember stepping up on that stage, and I looked out, you know, there's 200 women or so, 150 or whatever in the room. And I was just like.
And I don't even remember what I said, but I just remembered the words that were coming out of my mouth. And I was like, I need to write this down. This is really good. Somebody record this, I would say. I was like, I need to. I was almost like, ladies, I'm going to pause and write this down. No, I can't. I just kept rolling, you know, I was like, okay. You know, they were recording, I mean, all this stuff, and it was. It was amazing how we have to get out of our own way a lot of time in order to let God move in our lives and in order for him to work through us. And I really feel that that session, my third session, was my most powerful because he was in it. I finally got out of my own way. You know, I granted the two previous were great. You know, I had a lot of good feedback for sure, but I just feel like that third one was just. Because it was all him. It was all him. And it was just. I was speaking from the heart, truly. Speaking from the heart. And that's, that's where he loves to come in. That's where his grace is sufficient. In our weakness, it comes in and he just, he fills us and, and does, you know, does what.
[00:12:25] Speaker A: What he promises always, always, always comes in. And it's. It's important for us to remember that we must humble ourselves before the Lord and realize that we cannot do this in our own strength. And we need the Lord. And I love that even though I'm sure that the Holy Spirit helped you to write your notes, that he just completely took over for that third. And was like, okay, yes, but I've got something better. And that's just, that's so like our God, isn't it? Just that he is. He's like, that's good, but I've got better. Like, ah, if we just step aside. And that's the big thing is when he calls us to something, we have to step aside. Period. We have to step aside. We have to say, what do you want me to learn? What do you want to show me? What do you want to do in this ministry or in this. Whatever it is that he's in this new job, in this new relationship and in, you know, having children, whatever season it is that the Lord is asking you to show up and to, to step out, we have to ask him and surrender in that place. So was there a moment where you deeply sensed God meeting you in a surrender? Even before that talk?
[00:13:44] Speaker B: Hmm. Before that talk, I. As you were saying that something came to mind, actually, that happened after that talk.
I mean, there's a. There's a slew before that one, but this one just popped in my head. So I really feel it's important to share this one because this was such a incredible moment, and it's also a perfect example of spiritual warfare. So I recently, just a couple months ago, I hosted a virtual summit. Now, this is the first time I'd ever stepped out to do something on such a large scale in, in the virtual realm like that, if you will. I' hosted countless online Bible studies and prayer gatherings and various other things online, but I'd never done anything on that scale. And so it was wonderful. It was great. Loved the experience. Loved interviewing all the speakers. Love that part. Love interviewing people just being a part of that.
I can tell. And you're so good at it.
But anyway, so the morning, you're like. But the morning of the very first day of this summit, I wake up that morning and I realized my, my shoulder had frozen. Like my, my, My Right side shoulder was frozen. I was like. I couldn't. I could. And here I was, I was supposed to launch this online summit, and I couldn't even hardly use my hand. And every time I tried to lift my arm or lift or move my hand, I would get this shooting pain in my. Through my body. And I was like, what is going on? And immediately I knew I was being spiritually attacked. Physically. I was being. It was a spiritual attack through the physical. And he was trying, you know, the enemy. He was trying to keep me from launching this summit. And I couldn't believe it. I. Well, of course I could have it, but I couldn't believe it.
And so I immediately got on various. I had messenger chat with many of women who were supporting me through this summit. And I got on there and I shared. I said, ladies, gentlemen. And I cannot. I'm supposed to launch this summit in about 30 minutes.
I can't lift my arm to even move to get my computer. It was the craziest thing. It was literally like. It was, you know, he was trying to just keep me from. From. From launching it. And so I got on there and I was able to do a voice recording. And I shared and I said, ladies, here's the situation. Can you please pray for me? Please join me in. In praying. And they were phenomenal. I had such a outstanding support system. That is, the summit took place between God and the support system, the people that came around me. Anyway, within 10 minutes of me sharing this and about. Within about 10 again, now I'm down to about 20 minutes where I'm starting to. You have to launch this thing. You know, here I have hundreds of people waiting for this thing to start.
And my shoulder started. The pain at least started to subside. And I was like, okay, well, that's great. At least I can, you know, kind of move forward with that. And then I. Here I was. It was so funny. I was home alone. So I didn't have anybody to maybe potentially they help me. I'm home by myself, and I'm literally, like, kind of dancing around my kitchen with my computer, trying to find anywhere where I could put it so I could lift up my arm enough to hit, you know, enter or, you know, click on the launch. And it was literally the craziest thing. I mean, I, you know, they. People are sometimes hesitate. They're like, I don't think spiritual warfare is real. It is real. Do not, you know, doubt that for a minute. It is real. He will fight you. Yes. And he was determined that I was not going to launch that summit. And so again, as, you know, time kind of wore on and I was getting all the prayers from all the women I could see, you know, they were sharing in the chat. And I mean, I felt finally about five minutes in, my arm is, like shaking and I'm. My hand, I'm just like, I'm literally pushing against a force that I could not see. And I was just working and I was still getting the pain. It was still shooting down into my side. I never had this before.
Let me clarify, let me go back. Never had any issues with shoulder pain, arm. I've had some stuff with my hands. I've had, you know, from, you know, using computer for so years. And it was literally out of nowhere. This is not an old injury. This was not a car accident, you know, car accident, nothing. This just came out of nowhere. And I literally was able to hit enter, submit launch. And it went out. And then the pain went away.
But then the sport, spiritual warfare continued because now, you know, it was out there. And then there was all kinds of other things that took place during that summit. I just, honestly, again, I'm so, so grateful for the women that were beside me on that, supporting me through it because they got me through it. Yeah, The Lord was with us. There was a protective barrier around us. But the enemy was angry that morning, and he was determined I wasn't going to hit launch.
[00:18:46] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. And he want us to continue in. When we say yes to the Lord, he will try to put anything in your way. And whether that's naysayers, whether that's physical pain, whether that's emotional pain, whether it's, you know, a car, whatever it is, the enemy will try to put things in there. When you say yes to the Lord, and so that's why we have to wake up every single morning and put on the full armor of God and protect ourselves every single day. And when you say yes to whatever it is in the Lord, it doesn't mean that it's always going to be easy, but it's going to be worth it. And he will always, the Lord will always be there for you, even when the enemy is knocking at your door saying, you don't. You don't actually want to do this. Did God really say that you should do?
There's going to be a lot of that. But we have to be strong in our convictions. We have to be strong in our discernment with the Lord and like you said, cover ourselves in prayer and a community that surrounds us because that is where it is. We cannot go through this life alone. The Lord does not want us to go through our life alone. If we. If you have read any part of the Bible, you have probably read that, where any one person that he talks about, there is always a counterpart with that. There is someone there. And even when we're going through things alone, there's people around you. And so that was a big soapbox, but amen.
[00:20:18] Speaker B: Prayer, Community.
[00:20:20] Speaker A: Oh, absolutely, yes. You have to have them all. You have to have them all.
[00:20:25] Speaker B: Oh, that was. Yeah, yeah. So look, I'm a big fan of community. I'm a big fan of community, for sure.
[00:20:31] Speaker A: Very, very important. And I. I am. I am as well. And even us traveling, we still have community around us. And we are. We collect people as we. As we travel around.
And that community is absolutely necessary. So as you look back now, and even, I guess, looking. Looking forward, even, what do you see more clearly about God's character and about how he works through your small steps? Wow.
[00:21:02] Speaker B: Ah.
He is faithful. He is faithful. He is trustworthy. He is going to do what he says he's gonna do. And another thing that really helped me, I think, as I was learning in that moment, what God taught me in that moment was to really boldly take the leap of faith out of that nest of comfort and familiarity so I could finally spread my wings and learn to fly. And really embracing the truth that God is the wind beneath my wings. You know, cue the song. You know, I don't know where that came from, but he is. He's the wind beneath our womb. He's guiding and leading us where he wants us to go. And we've just got to be willing to take that leap to fly.
[00:21:52] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:21:53] Speaker B: And he's gonna help us. He's gonna. He's gonna catch us. He's gonna. He's gonna be the pilot on our flight path, leading us to where he wants us to go. And, you know, he's. He's just so faithful.
[00:22:05] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:22:05] Speaker B: He's just so faithful.
[00:22:06] Speaker A: Yes. So for the woman listening who feels stuck or afraid to say yes, or maybe they said yes and now they don't know how to proceed, what would you want her to know in that season?
[00:22:19] Speaker B: Wow. So many things. But, girl, God is a personal God. He is not far away from you. He's not. Not attuned to what's happening in your life. He meets you where you are. You've just got to be willing to want to see him, to want to reach out to him, to share your joys and your sorrows with him and to thank him for how he's working in your life, really, and also to express your fears and worries so he can help you overcome those. Because when you do, when you push past your pride or your I can do it all myself, thank you mindset, that's. That's when he really starts to show up in your life. Because God truly wants to be found. Yeah, he truly wants to be found. He's not trying to hide from us. He wants us to seek him and find him. Because he wants to be at the very heart of our lives. He doesn't want to just be a little part. He doesn't want to just be like this ace up your sleeve that you pull out, you know, for a prayer emergency. Oh, Lord, you know my so and so has been injured or this has happened. No, he wants to be at the heart part of our lives. He wants to be the very breath that you breathe. I mean, that's how close he wants to be in your life. Let him. Let him. Don't hesitate, don't stop, do not pass go, do not collect your 200. You know, just don't, don't, don't. Don't let life get in the way of everything that. That he wants to be a part of. And it will, because life is going to throw everything at you. Trust me, I've had. I've had almost everything.
And yet I've persevered and I pushed on and he has shown up. And whenever I reach out, he reaches back. Always.
Always.
[00:24:08] Speaker A: And the Bible tells us to trust the Lord with our entire heart, all of our heart. And lean not on our own understandings, but in every way, submit to him and he will make our paths straight. It's saying not only just trust in the Lord and not only with just a little bit of you, but all of it.
And to not trust our own selves because we live in a very.
We live on earth and it's it. We need Jesus, but in all of our ways. Not some, not a couple, not a few. And then we'll put the all things submit to him, let them go to him and he will make our path straight. He will.
He will figure it out. He's already figured it out. But he. We are finally surrendering and allowing when we trust the Lord. Which is exactly what you said. And that's. It's just. It's beautiful. And yes, y' all listen to her, okay?
[00:25:11] Speaker B: I love it. Absolutely. That's so true. It's so true. He is faithful. Yes, he is faithful. And he loves you. He loves you. He loves you.
[00:25:21] Speaker A: Yes, he does.
[00:25:22] Speaker B: So much more than you can hope, dream, or imagine.
[00:25:24] Speaker A: Yes. Yes. Tara, thank you so much for sharing your heart today. The way that you've let God work in and through you is really such a gift. And I know that our friends listening will feel seen and encouraged because of what you've shared. And you know, it's not always easy to say yes, especially when we feel unsure. But your story is such a beautiful reminder that God honors our obedience, even when it's messy, even when we are defiant, and even when we're uncertain. And I'm so grateful that you're here and that you're sharing with us a couple things before we wrap up. Friend, if you can hear my voice right now, I want you want to invite you to be a part of this podcast. If God has been shifting your perspective in some way through a hard season, a healing journey, or especially in everyday, ordinary life, I'd love to hear your story. You don't have to have a platform, a following, or a ministry, just a heart that's willing to share what God is doing in and through you. So if that sounds like you, head over to perspectives into practice.com to tell me more. I would love to have a conversation with you. All right, Tara, last question that I ask every guest on our podcast. And that is, what is one perspective that you would encourage listeners to apply today?
[00:26:40] Speaker B: To boldly take that leap of faith out of that nest of comfort and familiarity so you can finally spread your wings and learn to fly?
[00:26:50] Speaker A: I love that. Yes, do that. Beautifully beautifully stated. Thank you, Tara.
Friend, I hope this conversation has reminded you that God is always working. Sometimes in the quiet ways, sometimes in the bold ones, but never without purpose. So don't be afraid to say yes. Even when it's shaky, you never know what he might unlock in you.
And remember, even small shifts in perspective can lead to big changes. Now go put those perspectives into practice. Talk to you next time.
