Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: Hey, friend.
[00:00:02] Speaker B: 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.
Hey, friend. Welcome back to Perspectives into Practice. Today's conversation is one that might feel a little close to home because we're talking about something that can quietly shape our lives without us even realizing it. Comfort. Not the kind that feels restful or peaceful, but the kind that can actually hold us back from growth. And sometimes we don't even recognize it until God gently puts his finger on it.
I'm sitting down with my new friend Heather, and I love how honest and freeing her story is. She's going to share about what it looks like when God begins to reveal deeper patterns. Not to shame us, but to lead us into real freedom. Welcome, Heather. I'm so glad that you're here.
[00:01:11] Speaker A: Hey. I'm so excited for this conversation. It's going to be so good to be able to share my testimony and I just hope it helps someone today.
[00:01:18] Speaker B: Yes, absolutely. I know it will. But before we dive in, y' all know I love a good fun fact and Heather loves plants. But you say that you're also not totally sure what you're going to do with them, which I feel like a lot of us can relate because I am totally that way.
So my question for this is, what is the most random or unexpected way that you've ever received a plant or gotten a plant or found it?
[00:01:44] Speaker A: Well, okay, so I share this love with my mother in law and sometimes she's the most creative person I think. I know she will bring me a pot and she will have decorated it with, oh, things that she, she stops on the side of the road and she's like, let me get a little bit of this moss and this, I don't know, grassy stuff. I don't, I don't know the names, anything. And it's just this beautiful pot arrangement
[00:02:09] Speaker B: and I, oh my God.
[00:02:10] Speaker A: I think she'll like put broken pieces of pots in it. And I'm just like, how, how did she come up with this? So, yeah, we both have a, a fondness for plants and watching them grow. I, I love to watch them multiply. I love plants that multiply. I love, I love plants that don't take much, you know, don't. Yeah, they're okay with me not knowing what to do with them. And yeah, they still keep growing. That's my favorite ones.
[00:02:36] Speaker B: Yes, same. I just had a plant. I don't even know what it's called, but it's a great for oxygen. And it's a hanging plant. And it lasted many, many years with us. But unfortunately, she has since passed away and no longer lives.
And I was telling a dear friend who does love plants and has them all over her house and keeps them all alive, and she very graciously gave me clippings from five of her plants. And so as I'm talking to you, I'm looking at these five clippings that are just in water that are supposed to be rooting, and I really don't want to kill them.
[00:03:16] Speaker A: Totally get it. I totally get it.
[00:03:19] Speaker B: It will be. It will be such a beautiful little blessing. So I'm like, please, little baby plants do not die. Yeah, I love that. I love that. And, you know, growth. Growth in plants and growth in our lives really can look similar. It's a little messy. It's a little unknown, unexpected, but it's so meaningful. And I love. I love seeing them as they grow and like you said, as they multiply and. And keep going. Which is really what we're talking about today is we're talking about what God is doing and what he's been growing in you lately. So you shared with me about God revealing a pattern in your life that's connected to comfort. So can you walk us through what that looked like for you?
[00:03:59] Speaker A: Yeah, it's. It's an interesting story. That is so. It was so hidden.
It was. I mean, and this is a recent story. This.
[00:04:09] Speaker B: This year.
[00:04:09] Speaker A: Recent.
[00:04:10] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:04:11] Speaker A: I was just doing my normal fasting routine at the beginning of the year, and. And one of my. My things that I was asking God about was, you know, he gave me this health plan.
Do these many steps, eat this many macros, do this, do this. And just to get to a little weight goal.
[00:04:29] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:04:29] Speaker A: And for some reason, it was startling hard for me. It. It doesn't even make sense why it was so hard, because I've done this before.
I've. I've actually. I learned how to count calories, and I lost a hundred pounds.
[00:04:43] Speaker B: Nice.
[00:04:44] Speaker A: Then I had more kids.
[00:04:46] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:04:47] Speaker A: And I got older. And there's something in me that said, well, I'm older now, so everything's different. That must be why it's hard. And while that might scientifically be true, it wasn't actually my story. And I was blaming it on that. I was kind of blaming it on, okay, now I'm 44. I'm trying to lose this. I've been. I'm. I'm gonna be really vulnerable. I've been trying to lose, like, this last 20, 30 pounds of baby weight, and my baby just turned eight.
[00:05:13] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:05:14] Speaker A: And. Yeah. So that's real. That's real life.
[00:05:17] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:05:18] Speaker A: And God gave me a plan. He showed me what to do, and I'm like, I mean, I went down to the 1200 calories. I broke my metabolism. I couldn't lose weight doing it. And then I had to figure out how to fix my metabolism. And then he's like, you got to walk, too. And all of this is related to the comfort. And here's how. I got a walking pad, and I have online business, so God showed me how I could walk and work, and I started walking and working, and then I was like, well, I need a break. I really just, like, I could walk and work right now, but I would like to have a cup of coffee.
[00:05:50] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:05:50] Speaker A: And. And there's so much comfort in a warm drink. There's so much comfort in wearing pajama pants instead of pants. That would really work well with a walking pad.
[00:05:59] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:06:00] Speaker A: There's so much comfort in sitting in a couch versus putting my tennis shoes on and walking on the walking path. And I could do my business either way. He. He's graced me to be able to do things while I walk, which most people tell me they don't know how I'm doing it, and I'm just like, I don't know. It just.
[00:06:18] Speaker B: He really.
[00:06:18] Speaker A: I know he really has graced me. I can. I can take notes. I can type. I can talk to my kids. I can help them tie things while I'm walking. I can. I can. I just can, however I didn't want to.
Yeah.
[00:06:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:32] Speaker A: And I. I felt this kind of prick in my spirit of, like, okay, so he's asking me to do 5,000 steps, and I. I finally got to 5,000.
[00:06:40] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:41] Speaker A: And then I was like, okay, let's go to 6,000 a day in a day, you know? And it was so hard. It was just, frankly, just ridiculous how hard it was for me to do 6,000 steps in a day. And I knew that. So underneath this, I'm feeling conviction. Like, why is this so hard? But. But also, I'm pushing through because it must be, oh, there's grace for another day. There's. God will give me grace to just grow a little bit at a time. But I also underline, like, no, no, something else is going on. So during my fast, I'm praying about this. I'm like, God, I know that this shouldn't be this hard, and yet it is. And he reveals an idol to me. I had no idea that I had an idol of comfort in my life. I just kind of explained it to you. And maybe it's easy for you to understand because I'm giving you the full picture, but, yeah, all of the things I mentioned, like sitting on a couch, wearing pajama pants, having a hot drink, you can't do those things and walk. But I was really wanting those things to the point that I wasn't loving myself. So walking on the treadmill, walking bad, whatever equals love to myself. And I would tell myself that I love myself so much, I'm going to count my calories today. I'm going to do the right macros. I. I'm gonna do the right steps. I'm. I'm gonna do it out of love. I would say that and I would declare it. However, I couldn't make it happen.
[00:07:57] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:58] Speaker A: And that's because there was a force going against me of this idol of comfort. And it's. It was so quiet, so silent. And feel free to interrupt me and ask questions. I'm just.
[00:08:07] Speaker B: No, you're good. Yeah. Sometimes we don't. We don't even notice those patterns and still got. Until God starts to bring them up to us and show us that, hey, this is an idol in your life. And, you know, we think that we're not like the Israelites, we're not like those in the Bible that, you know, go melt down gold and do these things, but really we are. It just looks different.
And when he. He is so gracious to us and he's like, oh, dear sister, you thought that you were doing right, but actually you're. You're hindering yourself in this that I want you to go into. So when did you. When did he first, like, show. Start showing that to you and realize that comfort might actually be getting in the way of your growth?
[00:08:53] Speaker A: Well, I mean, I remember sitting in my closet. So I have closet time every day, just sitting with God.
It's not performance based. It's just. I just love him. I just want to spend time with him and I go and hang out with him. But also, this was during the first of the year, kind of fasting time.
And I'm really dedicating time to figuring out what is hindering this process.
[00:09:15] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:09:15] Speaker A: And so I'm asking him a lot of questions and he's showing me things. And when he. When he showed me this. You're exactly right that I. I mean, we don't think of idolatry in the way it really fits into our current day life. And this was new to me. I'm. I'm used to getting rid of fears, shame, guilt, and pride. Those are normal things that he's rooted out of my life and I can see and help others get free of.
But for me, this idol thing was brand new, and it's kind of sneaky and deceptive. Now, I don't like to give props to the enemy, but I do like to recognize that there is a. There's a. There's a spiritual force going on here that I wasn't even recognizing. And here's how he kind of tapped me on the shoulder. And so I do like to ask God questions.
[00:09:59] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:00] Speaker A: And when he showed me this, I'm. I'm asking him more questions. I'm like, I don't idolize comfort. That doesn't even make sense.
Because if you knew me, you know, I'm pretty busy, girl. Like, I. Yeah, I've got a lot of things going, and sitting down and doing nothing is not my thing. Right.
I just told you all the places I do like comfort.
And, and so this is what he showed me, is to have an idol of and insert your thing. It really means you're valuing the thing above loving God, others, and self. Yes. And I said, okay, well, how am I doing that? Like, how? Like, literally I'm telling myself I'm doing all these declarations and decrees. Maybe I'll do that too. Like, I will be motivated. I will love myself and walk those steps today. I will love myself and eat the right foods, drink all the water. I'm gonna do this.
[00:10:47] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:48] Speaker A: And the declaration sounds great, but it wasn't working. It wasn't like doing anything for me. It just sounded good.
And he said, you're declaring it and decreeing it, but you're. You're still. Your fuel is corrupt.
So if our fuel is not love, it's corrupted. And so my fuel was corrupted by this comfort. Because here's. Here's. Here's the thing that really hit the nail for me. He said, you always want to rest from that walking path. You need to rest from it. You need a rest from calorie counting. You need. And anything. Okay, let me just go deeper. He would. As he was telling me this, he was giving me visuals of. Okay, it's Friday. I've been so good. Monday through Thursday and half day Friday. So it's Friday night. Like. Like I'm gonna have, like a dessert today.
[00:11:30] Speaker B: Mm.
[00:11:30] Speaker A: It's Saturday. It's Sunday. It's the weekend. And I always needed a break from calorie counting and walking on Friday night, Saturday and Sunday, which would be the reason nothing would work because I was not consistent. I was only consistent 4 1/2 days.
And that wasn't enough for my body to recognize the pattern. It might be enough for 20 year old, but not where I'm at right now.
[00:11:53] Speaker B: Right.
[00:11:54] Speaker A: And so here's what he's. This is. This is really what thing he said? You need rest from it. And if you need rest from it, then that means it's actually work.
And if it's work, you're. You're motivated by what? Not love anymore. And I think, okay, I could go so deep here, but because he even kind of arrested me this morning. Like, all of that was a few months ago. And, oh, let me tell you some fruit from that. Okay. So he starts showing me that. And you know, if there's idol, you just need to repent. And so I went through just basic repentance, like, God, please forgive me. And I. And redirecting my thoughts of, okay, I don't need rest from loving myself by calorie counting.
[00:12:34] Speaker B: Right.
[00:12:34] Speaker A: And I want to tell you the repentance restored my mind in a way I can't. I don't know that I can quite articulate. But after that prayer session, this wasn't long. Honey. This was just like a lot of tears, but not a lot of time.
I prayed that and everything changed. Everything was easier. My step count was. Went from 8,000 to 10, 12,000. Just normal. It was like, this is life. I. This is not hard. I don't need a break. I took a break on Sundays just as a Sabbath, but not. I wasn't breaking from loving myself.
I was like, this is. No, it's normal to break on your Sabbath to. To take a break from exercise one day a week, not three. So I every. And okay. I was trying to lose weight. That was part of my goal too.
I literally lost eight pounds in six weeks. Wow. And I've been trying for years, and now it's at. I think at 12. I mean, it just keeps going. It's like, oh, I didn't know. And I'm recording stuff on, you know, recording everything. It's like so consistently.
[00:13:36] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:13:36] Speaker A: It's not hard anymore once I got rid of this idol and then he did show me some more today. I feel free to interrupt me. I'm like, my story just Keeps going.
[00:13:44] Speaker B: It's great.
I. I love how God doesn't just correct us that he. He really does gently uncover what we need to see and what's really going on in our hearts, but in such a gentle way.
And you know that it is uncomfortable and not always what we want. But I always say that change doesn't happen in the comfortable. It happens in the uncomfortable. And sometimes we need to get uncomfortable because that's a lot of times where God is actually doing his best work, when we surrender and allow him to. To take over. And I just. I can relate to your story so much. I am. I am going through very similar.
And now that you're calling out this. This idol of comfort, I'm like, well, Lord, is that. Is that what is going on in my life? So me and him are about to have a lot of conversations because you're bringing up some really great things. And I believe that our friends listening are probably going through these same things, especially as we get older. And that's something that, you know, we don't talk about a lot. We don't talk about this perimenopause stage or what that looks like, or that even that we. We put as we're getting older on a pedestal and make it our. Its own idol. And like you said, like, it. Well, I'm not doing this because. Because I'm getting older. That must be the reason. But in reality, God's like, no, it's because you just want to stay comfortable. And I need you to bring. I need to bring you out of that. And you said something so powerful, that peace is not always the same as comfort. And I. I love that so much. Can you unpack what that really has meant for you?
[00:15:25] Speaker A: Yeah. So the peace of God is something that just stays consistent. And there's no striving. I think that might be the best word to. To say.
So when there's peace, there's no striving. So like I. I said, I. I still walked. I walked more than I had been. I still counted my calories and macros more than I had been. I was so consistent with the disciplines. And so it's not the same as being comfortable. It was peace that was without striving. It was a work without striving. And I even. I don't know, I. I feel like as the peace, it's like at the end of the day, I'm like, wow, that wasn't even hard. That's what peace feels like, I think.
[00:16:10] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:16:10] Speaker A: Like, that wasn't even hard. Even though I'm still going through life. It's. It's the same life.
[00:16:15] Speaker B: Right.
[00:16:15] Speaker A: It's the same thing. But I'm actually having fruit from the efforts that I'm putting forth instead of zero fruit or backwards fruit. And, like, if we go back for just a minute, like, yeah, I was using my age as an excuse from actually praying and hearing God's voice for direction.
[00:16:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:16:32] Speaker A: Like, whenever we have these roadblocks in our life, we just try to keep giving it an excuse. Oh, well, that's my age. Oh, well, that's because that's in my genetics. Oh, that's because that's this. And. And really, God just really wants us to ask him more questions. And I know this. I know this. And yet I wasn't. And I think I was trying. I was like, I was asking, what macros should I do? How many steps should I. Should I do? And he, of course, was answering me, but I wasn't asking the deeper questions of, why is this so hard?
I wish I had asked that a hot minute sooner.
[00:17:07] Speaker B: This, I mean, honestly, this is so convict. Convicting for me right now. And so this is a very timely word. And honestly, even if it's not for any of our friends listening, this is exactly what the Lord needs me to hear right now. And that. I love that shift of perspective because it really does change everything.
And, you know, we need to. To be aware of that and not despise the. The small beginnings. And, you know, you. You talked about a scripture in Matthew and how it anchored you in this season. Can you. Can you tell us about that scripture?
[00:17:45] Speaker A: Oh, my goodness. Yeah. Well, man, all of Matthew chapter six is just gold. Like liquid gold.
[00:17:51] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:17:52] Speaker A: There's. I. I don't remember exactly which one I told you. Was it about Matthew 6, 34?
[00:17:57] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:17:57] Speaker A: Yeah. So don't worry about tomorrow because, you know, today's worries have. Are enough for today. And this is Jesus talking, and he's talking about worry, anxiety, and fear and a lot of idolatry that I'm noticing now that I never noticed before.
I. I thought it was fear. I thought it. Okay, let. Let. Fear of what? Fear of blah, blah, blah. Well, this wasn't.
It was kind of fear of not being comfortable, of fear of not having time. For me, I think that's kind of the thing. And we could call it fear. We could call it an idol. You could name it whatever really resonates with you.
The point is repentance will restore it.
[00:18:38] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:18:38] Speaker A: So I've seen it work either way. Whether you call it fear or not, but anxiety. And I think there's so much anxiety about. Well, I've been pray. I've been praying about this.
I've been praying for breakthrough. And it's not working. It's not working. And I'm like, okay. And that can cause anxiety, that can cause worry, that can cause. That can cause you to not want to trust God. Like. Well, I prayed and he didn't do anything. Well, I know now he just wants us to ask different questions and.
[00:19:00] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:19:01] Speaker A: I don't know if, if we have time for another piece of this story.
[00:19:04] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:19:05] Speaker A: But it kind of goes a little. It kind of goes a little deeper. Like even this morning, I told you he was showing me something deeper. So I told you I'm getting free of the idol of comfort. I repented of it. But you have to remember that if it once bothered you and stayed in your life for umpteen years, you might have to consistently root it out, make sure that it's not getting back in.
And he showed me yesterday that it was actually in other areas of my life besides my health. And it was almost like, I mean, I was in my closet crying this morning, like, good grief.
I had no idea this was there.
And not being so vulnerable. Okay. So I. I feel like I need to share this because this is going to really hit home for other people than just me.
[00:19:44] Speaker B: Please do. Yeah.
[00:19:45] Speaker A: Yesterday I went to. I don't know if you're familiar with like a bsf, a Bible study fellowship. It's like, it's all over the world. There's different classes everywhere. Free class where you get to go study the Bible. I. I go to a class for all women and then they have class for all men at other times and family times, and it's all over the world. It's really cool. But I was going to there and I dropped my kids off. They have their own class where they learn the same things that I'm learning, but in their level. I drop them off and I'm thinking, okay, here I go. I get to go sit in. First we sit in lecture and then we go to a small group. And this is kind of what I call me, time, if I'm being real. So I'm a homeschooling mom. I've got a side business where I'm doing ministry all the time and always doing church activities. You know, look for the local church and this. But this is like, this is something I want to do. Yes, it's learning and stuff, but I go there and okay, I'm just gonna be. I'm just gonna share it. So I dropped my kids off, and I walked down the hall, and someone's crying, and my heart breaks for them. And I actually had prayed for them a couple weeks before, and I'm like, wow, I know I have exactly what she needs, but this is my time, God.
[00:20:51] Speaker B: Oh, yes, yes.
[00:20:53] Speaker A: Oh, I feel embarrassed to say this out loud. I. I mean it. I don't know that all that went in my heart, I think, was subconscious, because I immediately jumped to the. To the scene. Hey, do you want prayer? And. And she's like, can't hardly breathe. She's crying so bad. And so I'm like, is there a room we can go in? And everybody else is doing the class, and. And they show us a room. We go to the room, and I do a whole ministry session with her, and, wow. This is what I do for my work. Okay. I'm being really careful what words I use here, because it's not supposed to be work. It's supposed to be a labor of love.
[00:21:27] Speaker B: Right.
[00:21:27] Speaker A: And I did the whole session with her. I missed all of lecture, but it was the most beautiful, beautiful time of ministry. Like, we got down to the roots of issues. I was the right person for the job. God divinely set us up. I can't. And I can't argue that, but I was. Then we went. We got to go to class. She was in my class together, and we got home, and here's. Here's where I'm at. Like, in my heart, I'm, like, frustrated, and I'm a little bit perturbed, and I'm like. So I'm. I'm bringing this to God. I'm asking him questions. God, why am I. I'm so thankful that you gave me this opportunity, but why am I mad? Somehow? I'm kind of mad.
[00:22:03] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:22:04] Speaker A: And I'm like. I wanted a day like, this wasn't time to work. God, like, when. When do I get time? And here we go with the idol of comfort. Do you see it?
[00:22:11] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:22:12] Speaker A: Like, you see it, but I didn't see it.
[00:22:14] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:22:15] Speaker A: And I went to bed praying about it because it lasted the rest of the day. It was just there. And I kept. I kept asking him, but not really taking time to listen. You ever do that?
[00:22:23] Speaker B: Like, yes, Yes, I do.
[00:22:25] Speaker A: I'm praying. God, I'm angry. I don't want to be angry. Why am I angry? But then I just keep on with my day. I wasn't really listening. So when it finally got Quiet. And I went to bed. He. He was showing me the idol of comfort was there because I needed to rest from my work. And I think we can maybe all apply this to whatever work we're doing. Yes. I'm a minister, and I'm praying for people for work, but wouldn't this work as, like, I used to be an accountant instead of that. Wouldn't that work for that, too? Because everything's supposed to be done as if unto the Lord. Everything. Yeah. Even taking care of my kids is supposed to be done as if unto the Lord.
[00:22:58] Speaker B: Right, Right. Because that's. That's your ministry, and that's. That's what God has asked you to do. And I. I don't think that it's selfish that you want to have some time to be poured into, especially when you are in ministry and you're pouring out, and you're pouring out, and you can't pour from an empty cup. And so I completely relate to Lord. I just want some me time and not to be burdened with other people's burdens. That's during my 9 to 5. And he's like, yes, but this is my. This is my me time. Right. He's like, you. You work for me, lady.
[00:23:35] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:23:36] Speaker B: And I. I totally resonate with that.
[00:23:39] Speaker A: Yeah, I think. Okay, so the conversation was really similar to what happened before. You know, he showed me, well, you're. You're fueled by. And I. I'm gonna tell you, this one was a little bit trickier, because what you just said is what was in my heart. I was like, God, I don't understand. I do need me time. I do need time to refill. So where is it? Like, why am I. Because. Okay, you know, we got to think about the little triangle. Okay? We know we're fueled by love. If we're loving God, loving others, and loving self. And I was like, I can tell how I was loving you in that scenario. I can tell I was loving her in that scenario. Well, how was I loving myself in that scenario? Because I feel like I was not counting. And. Yeah, it makes it sound so rational. Look at. I mean, we can rationalize this all day, but there was something sticky there. And so I'm asking him questions. I'm being legit. I'm, like, pouring my heart out. God, I don't understand why. Why I'm angry about this, but I know it's wrong, and I. I know I need come. I need a rest for my job. But what. But that's not true either. And there's A lot of wrestling going on here, so.
[00:24:45] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. Well, I think when you. When you share that, what I hear is that the loving yourself is being obedient to what the Lord has called you to do, which is minister to others and to pray for them. And even though it feels like it's taking away from your time, it's.
[00:25:04] Speaker A: It.
[00:25:05] Speaker B: He gives you that time back so many times over. And so I love that you are asking the questions, because a lot of times we just stay upset in that, well, this didn't work out the way that I wanted it to, and I'm not happy about it. But you're asking him, lord, why, why, why? Why did I need to do that? Why couldn't I have been in there? And who knows? Maybe what you're learning through that was even more what he wanted you to learn than what was taught in the lesson. Right. Because you weren't there. So you don.
[00:25:36] Speaker A: No. Okay, so you're so right. So there was so much depth to what happened. And there's other things going on here. It wasn't just the idolatry of comfort. I mean, to get free of that, he showed me. You've got to quit saying that. Your. Your ministry and praying for people is work, period. It's just who you are. It's what you're. It's not just what you're doing. It's who you are. And so readjusting your identity right there can really shift things.
[00:26:02] Speaker B: Oh, goodness, yes.
[00:26:04] Speaker A: But the. The second part of that is, I did have a lot of freedom in that, too, because he was. It was a little. I think it was a little bit of a test because I was afraid I was going to get in trouble for the ministry time. This is a whole nother ball game. We could go down a whole nother branch here. But I have fear of punishment in my life, too. I used to get in trouble for praying for people, using the wrong words, saying the wrong things. Like somehow just the religious police would come out and say something about the way I prayed for people. And so I have fear of punishment for actually doing the thing I love to do, pray for people. And then it turned into a job. And then it's like. And so in all that, like, I'm in someone else. And so I was praying through that, too. The whole day. I was scared of being in trouble. I was like, God, I took over that whole thing, and I have no authority at bsf. I'm not a leader. I'm not a teacher. I don't have a. I Don't have a badge, they haven't trained me. Am I going to get in trouble? Are they going to kick me out? Are they. That was what was going through my mind the whole time, too. Yeah. And he arrested me with that as I was going to sleep and showed me, Heather, you were following my lead.
Whether they do whatever to you, Whatever. Right. Whatever they do to you, it doesn't really matter because you followed me and I'm like. Because I was saying, yes, sir the whole time, even though I didn't want to do it.
[00:27:21] Speaker B: Right, right. You know, there's so many, so many times where we feel stuck in these. In these cycles of, Lord, I'm being obedient, but I don't want to. Or I know that you've called me into this, but I don't. I don't see it as love. I see it as work. And we get stuck in that cycle that we can't seem to break. And so for that woman, for our friends that are listening, who feel like she just keeps slipping back into old patterns and doesn't understand why and is asking the Lord, what. What would you say to her?
[00:27:52] Speaker A: Notice the cycles. Notice the cycles that. Notice the places that you're striving and you don't have peace.
[00:27:58] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:27:59] Speaker A: Because in those places where they, where the. There's like a cycle of, like, you have breakthrough for a little while and then you don't.
[00:28:06] Speaker B: And.
[00:28:07] Speaker A: And it just keeps going back and forth. Like, notice it. That it's in the noticing that you can pray different prayers and you can ask different questions in your prayer time and quit praying the same prayers is what I would say too. Like, if they're not working, like, pray something different. Like, ask something different and do it. And I think even, like in my example, I'm telling you, I got free of the idol of comfort this year a few months ago, but he brought it back to my attention yesterday or today, and it. And I got free of fear of punishment, like years ago, and he brought it back to my attention that it still had. It still had an opportunity to tempt me. And so in the temptation, that doesn't mean that I went back into sin. That means I had to notice it and I had to not agree with it. Right. And for some of it, I did have to repent because I did take on. This is work. This is work I had to take. I had to repent and be restored. So if you notice it, pray different prayers and, you know, repentance and forgiveness is always going to be the antidote to like 99% of our struggles.
So I hope that helps.
[00:29:13] Speaker B: Yes, absolutely. Oh, Heather, this has just been such a wonderful conversation and I think it's so like God to put your fun fact for plants. And we've talked about, like, pulling these weeds out. We've talked about, you know, growing deeper, being rooted. And it's just, it's so incredible. And you know, I think my, my biggest takeaway from so much that you've said is that peace isn't always comfort. And just to remember that and that sometimes the very thing that God is using to grow us is the thing that we're tempted to pull away from because he's not asking us to perform. He's really inviting us into something so much deeper, something rooted in love. And he wants to, he wants to remind us in that so, so much if we just are willing to ask the questions and to pray. Press in, friend. I hope you enjoyed this conversation as much as I did. As we wrap up today's episode, I wanted to extend to you an invitation to wholeness in The Wilderness, happening June 25th through 28th near the California Redwoods and Oregon coast. If you're in a season where you feel weary, disconnected, overwhelmed, spiritually dry, or simply in need of quiet time with God, this retreat was created with women like you in mind. This is going to be a small, intentional, spirit led gathering filled with rest, reflection, worship, meaningful conversations, nourishing meals, time in nature and space to simply be. No pressure to perform, no pretending, just women coming together to seek God and walk toward wholeness together. If that's something your heart has been longing for, I would truly love to have you there. You can learn more at Perspectives into Practice Dot com. Just go up to the top and click retreat. Thank you so much for being here today and I'll see you in the next episode.
As we wrap up, I want to ask you the question that I ask every guest on the podcast, and that is, what is one perspective that you would encourage listeners to apply today?
[00:31:12] Speaker A: I think that if the perspective is blurry, if it's filled with fear, anxiety, stress and striving, then I would say ask God for a clearer perspective. Ask God how to get a clearer perspective that doesn't include the muddy waters of anxiety and stress and striving.
Ask God what it looks like to live in peace. What's one step that, that I could take today, God, that would lead me closer to living out a perspective of peace When I look out and look in this situation and that situation and so beautiful friend.
[00:31:51] Speaker B: If something felt heavy for you lately, maybe this is your reminder to ask God what's underneath it. He is kind and patient and always leading you toward real freedom. And if this conversation stirred something in you, I would love to invite you to be a guest and to share your story, too. It might be exactly what someone else needs to hear.
So if this encouraged you, please share it with a friend. And remember that even small shifts in perspective can lead to big changes. Now go put those perspectives into practice. Talk to you next time, Sam.
