1 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:08,280 S1: This is it. This is where you and I live 2 00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:12,840 S1: every day at the corner of current suffering and trusting God. 3 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:16,079 S1: We live at this intersection, and we want to take 4 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:19,280 S1: the road to trust and get off the street to struggle. 5 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:24,000 S1: But what if that is not an intersection, but a merge? 6 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:27,240 S1: What if this path that you're desperately trying to exit 7 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:31,880 S1: is the highway to God's plan and purpose for your life? 8 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:34,960 S1: If you have been given more than you can handle 9 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:37,279 S1: in life, I want you to hear from Nicole today. 10 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:41,320 S1: Not to compare your pain with hers, but to see 11 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:44,559 S1: how she has processed that pain in her life that 12 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:48,560 S1: she is trying to steward well. Don't miss the encouragement 13 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:50,960 S1: straight ahead on the program. From the heart to the 14 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:55,000 S1: heart for the heart online at Chris Fabry live.org. Let 15 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:57,600 S1: me thank our team, Ryan McConaughey doing all things technical. 16 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,240 S1: Trish is our producer. Lisa and the chair Josh will 17 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:02,800 S1: be answering your calls. And I also want to thank 18 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:06,440 S1: Doctor Cathy for her encouragement yesterday and those of you 19 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:10,240 S1: who responded to her. I usually don't invite a guest 20 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:12,440 S1: to join us two months in a row, but the 21 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:16,360 S1: resource from Doctor Cathy Cook is just what the doctor ordered. 22 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,759 S1: As they say for parents who are facing adult children 23 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:22,360 S1: who say, I don't want any contact with you, talk 24 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:26,360 S1: about suffering or the adult child. We talked about this yesterday. 25 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:28,959 S1: The adult child who says, please respect me enough not 26 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:31,800 S1: to try to control my life. Let me send you 27 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:35,240 S1: a copy of the book, Resolved Conflict and Find peace 28 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:38,679 S1: and Hope with adult children. Give a Gift of Any 29 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:43,319 S1: Size at Chris fabry.org. We'd love to send you a copy. Again, 30 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:48,200 S1: last name is FABRY. Chris Fabry live.org. Or you can 31 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:52,560 S1: call us at 86695. Fabry. Speak with a real live 32 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:55,840 S1: human being. After you press a number, you got to 33 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:58,000 S1: press a number to do that. But you will speak 34 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:05,080 S1: with someone. (866) 953-2279. Thank you for your support. The radio 35 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:10,160 S1: backyard fence, I won't spell Nicole's last name, it's not 36 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:13,800 S1: really hard, it's just long. Nicole Jacobs Meyer is a 37 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:18,120 S1: speaker and author who wants to equip and and challenge you, 38 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:22,919 S1: you and me to walk faithfully with Christ regardless of 39 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:26,120 S1: your life's battles. Through her teaching and writing, she encourages 40 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:28,560 S1: women to place all their hope in the Lord. She 41 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:31,320 S1: and her husband, Andrew, have four children. They live on 42 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:34,600 S1: their farm in North Carolina. In my mind, I'm goin 43 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:38,520 S1: to Carolina. It's called The Faithful Homestead, and her book 44 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:44,640 S1: is write this down. Something good will grow. Finding God's 45 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:48,320 S1: heart in the soil of suffering. Nicole, welcome. How are 46 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:49,080 S1: you doing today? 47 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:52,040 S2: Oh, thank you so much for having me. 48 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:55,200 S1: Tell me about the farm. Walk me around that farm. 49 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:58,510 S2: Well, you know, if you start on the left and 50 00:02:58,510 --> 00:03:01,910 S2: just make a loop, you'll find chickens, which we have 51 00:03:01,910 --> 00:03:04,790 S2: quite a few. And then we've got a burn pit, 52 00:03:04,790 --> 00:03:07,429 S2: which we all know in the South. You need one 53 00:03:07,430 --> 00:03:12,590 S2: of those. Then we've got our garden, which has blueberries 54 00:03:12,590 --> 00:03:17,030 S2: and tomatoes, and it's just flourishing right now, which is wild. 55 00:03:17,230 --> 00:03:20,230 S2: And then we have our pond, which we go fishing 56 00:03:20,230 --> 00:03:24,710 S2: in sunflowers, cows, and a lot of land where we 57 00:03:24,710 --> 00:03:26,550 S2: do a lot of fun things with the kids. 58 00:03:26,950 --> 00:03:30,830 S1: Wow. Do you plant a lot of crops to grow 59 00:03:30,870 --> 00:03:32,870 S1: or flowers or what do you do? 60 00:03:33,470 --> 00:03:36,150 S2: You know, I wouldn't say we're farmers by any means, 61 00:03:36,150 --> 00:03:40,550 S2: but I do plant sunflowers and vegetables, but just enough 62 00:03:40,550 --> 00:03:44,270 S2: to kind of keep us through the spring and summer. 63 00:03:44,550 --> 00:03:47,470 S1: Yeah. Get your hands dirty. Okay. So we have chickens. 64 00:03:47,470 --> 00:03:49,710 S1: We have chickens in our backyard too. And I've got 65 00:03:49,750 --> 00:03:52,470 S1: one that is limping and. 66 00:03:52,510 --> 00:03:52,750 S2: Oh. 67 00:03:53,030 --> 00:03:57,630 S1: And I don't want to call the chicken. But everything 68 00:03:57,630 --> 00:04:01,150 S1: that I read online is it's if you don't catch 69 00:04:01,150 --> 00:04:04,830 S1: this soon and the limp happens, then you know, it's 70 00:04:05,110 --> 00:04:07,230 S1: there's no no way back from that. Do you have 71 00:04:07,230 --> 00:04:08,630 S1: any idea what I ought to do? 72 00:04:09,390 --> 00:04:12,310 S2: I have no idea, because I'm still new to this. 73 00:04:14,110 --> 00:04:17,190 S2: But I would say, you know, just let it be. 74 00:04:17,230 --> 00:04:20,030 S2: Let these animals be sometimes I don't know. 75 00:04:20,270 --> 00:04:24,270 S1: Yes. No, I like that. Okay. So so the farm 76 00:04:24,270 --> 00:04:27,830 S1: is a huge part of the story that you've written 77 00:04:27,830 --> 00:04:32,190 S1: about your story, because your story is the soil that 78 00:04:32,190 --> 00:04:35,710 S1: you're talking about in the pages of the book. But 79 00:04:35,950 --> 00:04:40,710 S1: but your story has trauma. It's got injustice, huge losses. 80 00:04:40,710 --> 00:04:44,270 S1: You talk about sexual assault perpetrated on you. So some 81 00:04:44,270 --> 00:04:46,910 S1: of this soil is, is really deep and difficult to 82 00:04:46,950 --> 00:04:48,109 S1: walk through, isn't it? 83 00:04:48,710 --> 00:04:51,590 S2: Yes. I mean, I feel like when I first moved 84 00:04:51,589 --> 00:04:55,190 S2: to the farm, it was I was battling a possible 85 00:04:55,190 --> 00:04:59,430 S2: cancer reoccurrence, and it kind of just put my life 86 00:04:59,430 --> 00:05:03,029 S2: on hold. I had to cancel some speaking events and, 87 00:05:03,150 --> 00:05:05,669 S2: and really just focus on my health and my family. 88 00:05:05,670 --> 00:05:08,750 S2: And once we moved to the farm, my husband got 89 00:05:08,750 --> 00:05:13,669 S2: a job in the country and I was just at peace. I, 90 00:05:13,830 --> 00:05:17,589 S2: I had nothing but the Lord and my animals and 91 00:05:17,710 --> 00:05:21,750 S2: my sweet little family. And I met like God met 92 00:05:21,750 --> 00:05:25,310 S2: me here in ways that I could have never even 93 00:05:25,310 --> 00:05:29,029 S2: prayed for because of being out in the country and 94 00:05:29,029 --> 00:05:34,070 S2: learning through gardening and animals and soil and hard work. 95 00:05:34,070 --> 00:05:36,950 S2: So it has been an absolute journey. But I am 96 00:05:36,950 --> 00:05:37,790 S2: so grateful. 97 00:05:38,510 --> 00:05:41,910 S1: Is what I said earlier. True that you are trying 98 00:05:41,910 --> 00:05:46,429 S1: to process the pain and steward it? Well, that's that's 99 00:05:46,430 --> 00:05:47,990 S1: part of the goal of this. 100 00:05:49,110 --> 00:05:52,750 S2: Yes, I would say I just have had, like you mentioned, 101 00:05:52,830 --> 00:05:57,870 S2: just so many hardships with sexual assault and cancer and 102 00:05:57,870 --> 00:06:00,790 S2: losing a baby through miscarriage. And, and those are just 103 00:06:00,830 --> 00:06:04,349 S2: the big traumas, right? We all have the, the small stuff. 104 00:06:04,350 --> 00:06:08,430 S2: That's the rejection, the hurt, the loneliness. And we all 105 00:06:08,430 --> 00:06:12,469 S2: have pain and suffering in common, which is it doesn't discriminate. 106 00:06:12,470 --> 00:06:16,270 S2: We all have it. And I think once you kind 107 00:06:16,350 --> 00:06:20,430 S2: of come out of the cloud of pain and hardships, 108 00:06:20,589 --> 00:06:24,190 S2: you really need something to cling to in order to 109 00:06:24,270 --> 00:06:26,669 S2: get through the rest of your days, because you always 110 00:06:26,670 --> 00:06:29,390 S2: think the next shoe might drop. You always think something 111 00:06:29,390 --> 00:06:32,750 S2: else is going to be hard because let's face it, 112 00:06:32,750 --> 00:06:36,110 S2: there's there's going to be more storms in all of 113 00:06:36,110 --> 00:06:40,950 S2: our lives. And that's felt so hopeless for me, knowing 114 00:06:41,110 --> 00:06:44,470 S2: I've already walked through all of this pain. Now I 115 00:06:44,670 --> 00:06:47,270 S2: I'm only in my 30s and I have a whole 116 00:06:47,270 --> 00:06:50,190 S2: life ahead of me, hopefully. And I know that there 117 00:06:50,190 --> 00:06:53,460 S2: will be trials and hardships, and that just felt daunting 118 00:06:53,500 --> 00:06:56,580 S2: to me, to be honest. And so I needed I 119 00:06:56,580 --> 00:07:00,940 S2: needed to find some hope and deep hope in the Lord, 120 00:07:00,940 --> 00:07:01,900 S2: in his character. 121 00:07:02,500 --> 00:07:05,540 S1: That dread is one of those things, especially if you 122 00:07:05,540 --> 00:07:08,100 S1: had a health setback or like cancer. Is it going 123 00:07:08,140 --> 00:07:11,300 S1: to recur or something else bad's going to happen. I 124 00:07:11,300 --> 00:07:14,940 S1: think this paragraph in your book is just what somebody 125 00:07:14,940 --> 00:07:16,860 S1: listening needs to hear, and I'm going to read this 126 00:07:16,860 --> 00:07:19,580 S1: and I want you to respond to it. You say, 127 00:07:19,700 --> 00:07:23,420 S1: I was thrilled with the word bloom because it sounded 128 00:07:23,420 --> 00:07:27,300 S1: so hopeful, so encouraging. I anticipated God must be up 129 00:07:27,300 --> 00:07:29,820 S1: to something big and prosperous. This is when you were 130 00:07:29,820 --> 00:07:34,020 S1: moving across the country, maybe even extravagant. In my life, 131 00:07:34,020 --> 00:07:36,340 S1: when I thought of bloom, I thought of growth and 132 00:07:36,340 --> 00:07:40,380 S1: vibrant color developing into something even more beautiful. What I 133 00:07:40,460 --> 00:07:44,180 S1: slowly started to learn as the year progressed was that 134 00:07:44,180 --> 00:07:48,580 S1: my blooming looked a lot like closed doors. It was 135 00:07:48,580 --> 00:07:52,300 S1: a year of weeping at night over so many disappointments 136 00:07:52,300 --> 00:07:54,860 S1: that I lost track of what was causing my pain 137 00:07:55,300 --> 00:08:01,660 S1: instead of prosperity. My blooming looked a lot like humility, brokenness, 138 00:08:01,660 --> 00:08:05,380 S1: and walking in obedience and faithfulness in the dark when 139 00:08:05,380 --> 00:08:09,380 S1: no one was watching or applauding. It was an extremely 140 00:08:09,380 --> 00:08:16,340 S1: lonely season and I felt completely forgotten by God and others. 141 00:08:16,900 --> 00:08:20,380 S1: I was going to just let people. Is there anybody 142 00:08:20,380 --> 00:08:25,420 S1: who says, yeah, that's what it's like? So tell me, 143 00:08:25,980 --> 00:08:28,900 S1: respond to your own words right there, Nicole. 144 00:08:30,060 --> 00:08:35,900 S2: Yeah, that was such a painful lesson to learn because 145 00:08:35,900 --> 00:08:39,020 S2: I just came off this season of moving across the 146 00:08:39,020 --> 00:08:44,699 S2: country and cancer and treatment and a miscarriage. Just it 147 00:08:44,700 --> 00:08:48,699 S2: was one thing after the next. And I know that 148 00:08:48,820 --> 00:08:51,020 S2: I'm not the only one that has felt that before. 149 00:08:51,020 --> 00:08:54,300 S2: Where you just think, are you kidding me? There's just 150 00:08:54,300 --> 00:08:57,860 S2: one thing after the next. And I just felt this 151 00:08:57,860 --> 00:09:01,660 S2: prompting by the Lord to look up flowers that bloom 152 00:09:01,660 --> 00:09:06,500 S2: at night, because I was just going through so much torment, really, in, 153 00:09:06,500 --> 00:09:09,740 S2: in my soul and in my mind. And I looked 154 00:09:09,740 --> 00:09:13,500 S2: it up and I saw that there are flowers that 155 00:09:13,500 --> 00:09:17,220 S2: bloom at night, that no one sees these beautiful blooms. 156 00:09:17,220 --> 00:09:21,900 S2: No one sees how gorgeous they are. Everybody is sleeping. 157 00:09:21,900 --> 00:09:26,860 S2: It's dark outside. The soil is cold. And in that, 158 00:09:27,220 --> 00:09:32,699 S2: in that place, though, these beautiful flowers are so fragrant 159 00:09:32,700 --> 00:09:36,660 S2: and they. They light the entire garden because of the 160 00:09:36,660 --> 00:09:40,980 S2: moon's glow on them. And I got this visualization and 161 00:09:40,980 --> 00:09:44,820 S2: I just heard the Lord say, that's, that's you. That's 162 00:09:44,820 --> 00:09:47,500 S2: all of us who are putting our faith in the 163 00:09:47,500 --> 00:09:51,140 S2: Lord that we are to bloom in the dark for 164 00:09:51,140 --> 00:09:54,699 S2: his glory, for an audience of one without that applause, 165 00:09:54,700 --> 00:09:58,700 S2: without those gold stars and accolades, that it is truly 166 00:09:58,700 --> 00:10:01,540 S2: just between me and the Lord, and that he's going 167 00:10:01,540 --> 00:10:04,300 S2: to do a good thing in it. He is going 168 00:10:04,300 --> 00:10:08,220 S2: to make that flower bloom. It's just in his timing. 169 00:10:08,220 --> 00:10:10,059 S2: And it might not be in the middle of the 170 00:10:10,059 --> 00:10:11,500 S2: day for all to see. 171 00:10:11,980 --> 00:10:17,020 S1: Mhm. Anybody listening feel that way today? Anybody listening? Uh, 172 00:10:17,020 --> 00:10:20,939 S1: would would you say I've been given more? More than 173 00:10:20,940 --> 00:10:24,060 S1: I can handle in my life. A whole lot more 174 00:10:24,100 --> 00:10:26,380 S1: than I can handle in my life. And I am 175 00:10:26,380 --> 00:10:30,660 S1: barely hanging on right now. If that's you, I want 176 00:10:30,660 --> 00:10:34,380 S1: you to hear more of Nicole's story. Not because she 177 00:10:34,380 --> 00:10:42,500 S1: is promising you blossoms and blooms forever in your life necessarily, 178 00:10:42,500 --> 00:10:45,020 S1: and the the outcome. You do this, you do this, 179 00:10:45,020 --> 00:10:47,290 S1: you do this, and then this will, God will do 180 00:10:47,290 --> 00:10:50,370 S1: this for you. That's the antithesis actually, of what she 181 00:10:50,410 --> 00:10:53,929 S1: is saying. She is saying that in the middle of 182 00:10:53,970 --> 00:10:57,810 S1: the struggle, in the middle of this soil that we 183 00:10:57,809 --> 00:11:02,050 S1: would call bad, something good is going to grow. Finding 184 00:11:02,050 --> 00:11:05,130 S1: God's heart in the soil of suffering. That's the subtitle 185 00:11:05,130 --> 00:11:09,570 S1: of Something Good Will grow. Nicole Jacobs Meyer is with 186 00:11:09,570 --> 00:11:12,050 S1: us today. Going to open the phone lines. You want 187 00:11:12,050 --> 00:11:19,090 S1: to talk? We'd love to hear from you. Eight. Seven. Seven. Five. Four. Eight. Three. Six. Seven. Five. 188 00:11:30,370 --> 00:11:33,370 S1: What a pleasure to have Nicole Jacobs Meyer with us 189 00:11:33,370 --> 00:11:35,689 S1: today at the Radio Backyard Fence. You can find out 190 00:11:35,690 --> 00:11:39,530 S1: more about her. She's married to Andrew. She and her 191 00:11:39,530 --> 00:11:43,929 S1: family live on a farm in North Carolina. And her 192 00:11:43,929 --> 00:11:48,530 S1: four children 12, ten, eight and five, are somewhere in 193 00:11:48,530 --> 00:11:54,170 S1: the house doing their home schoolwork. So you homeschool as well. 194 00:11:54,170 --> 00:11:57,130 S1: So there's just all. You're doing everything, aren't you? 195 00:11:58,090 --> 00:12:00,210 S2: I mean, it is a lot. So y'all can pray 196 00:12:00,210 --> 00:12:00,610 S2: for me. 197 00:12:00,690 --> 00:12:02,690 S3: Yeah. What is the what is the. 198 00:12:02,730 --> 00:12:06,610 S1: Most rewarding thing that you have found about homeschooling? 199 00:12:08,050 --> 00:12:14,250 S2: Honestly, just seeing their little minds grow because I'm if 200 00:12:14,290 --> 00:12:16,650 S2: they're in a public school or if they're in a 201 00:12:16,650 --> 00:12:19,450 S2: charter school, whatever it is, those teachers are the ones 202 00:12:19,450 --> 00:12:23,490 S2: that can see their transformation over the year and seeing 203 00:12:23,490 --> 00:12:26,929 S2: how they read and that maybe a math problem that 204 00:12:26,929 --> 00:12:29,329 S2: they're getting. But I get to see that now. So 205 00:12:29,330 --> 00:12:30,250 S2: it's really sweet. 206 00:12:31,130 --> 00:12:31,450 S3: I. 207 00:12:32,130 --> 00:12:34,850 S1: I remember you've, you've brought up a memory for me 208 00:12:34,850 --> 00:12:37,810 S1: with our first with our first child. And she was 209 00:12:37,809 --> 00:12:40,050 S1: learning how to read and we were going through and 210 00:12:40,050 --> 00:12:42,689 S1: I put this word in front of her and it 211 00:12:42,690 --> 00:12:51,050 S1: was spelled CHICAGO and was just found this out. And 212 00:12:51,050 --> 00:12:54,730 S1: she said, was it chick chick chick chick chick chick. 213 00:12:55,210 --> 00:12:58,290 S1: Go chick or go. I said, okay, well make the 214 00:12:58,330 --> 00:13:03,970 S1: R and r sound chick. Ah go chick. And she, 215 00:13:04,130 --> 00:13:07,330 S1: it took her, you know, a couple of minutes and then, 216 00:13:07,330 --> 00:13:10,370 S1: and then when she, when she said, because I'll say 217 00:13:10,370 --> 00:13:13,010 S1: the c h can also sound like a sh sound 218 00:13:13,290 --> 00:13:19,050 S1: when she said the word finally Chicago. Uh, her eyes 219 00:13:19,050 --> 00:13:19,850 S1: just lit. 220 00:13:19,890 --> 00:13:20,330 S2: Yeah. 221 00:13:20,370 --> 00:13:23,410 S1: It's like she had, she had found the crown jewel 222 00:13:23,410 --> 00:13:25,689 S1: somewhere in the in the laundry room, you know. 223 00:13:25,730 --> 00:13:26,730 S2: I love that. 224 00:13:28,130 --> 00:13:33,010 S1: That's what that's what can happen in a homeschool situation. 225 00:13:33,010 --> 00:13:36,810 S1: So good on you, my friend. So I, I'd almost 226 00:13:36,809 --> 00:13:39,410 S1: like to read the book, you know, because there are 227 00:13:39,410 --> 00:13:43,170 S1: so many things that are in here that are just 228 00:13:43,170 --> 00:13:46,089 S1: so that will sink deeply to your soul. I want 229 00:13:46,130 --> 00:13:48,930 S1: to read this part and get your respond. You said 230 00:13:48,929 --> 00:13:51,850 S1: I had equated blooming. You talked about those flowers that 231 00:13:51,850 --> 00:13:55,890 S1: bloom at night. I had equated blooming with blessings, favor, 232 00:13:55,890 --> 00:13:59,410 S1: and good things. Over time, I found that the blessing 233 00:13:59,410 --> 00:14:03,050 S1: was actually in the growth that happens beneath the surface, 234 00:14:03,050 --> 00:14:07,210 S1: behind the scenes, when no one else notices. The blessing 235 00:14:07,210 --> 00:14:10,610 S1: was in my spiritual development, in the heart and holy 236 00:14:10,610 --> 00:14:14,450 S1: places of darkness when no one else was there but 237 00:14:14,450 --> 00:14:16,370 S1: the Lord. Talk about that. 238 00:14:17,410 --> 00:14:21,610 S2: I just think back to a lot of my big traumas, 239 00:14:21,610 --> 00:14:25,770 S2: the big, hard things of life. And I can honestly 240 00:14:25,770 --> 00:14:29,850 S2: say now, though, is that I gained more than I lost. 241 00:14:29,850 --> 00:14:33,890 S2: Because with the Lord, when we really do surrender and 242 00:14:33,890 --> 00:14:37,370 S2: trust him. Me remember, we have to remember that trusting 243 00:14:37,370 --> 00:14:39,850 S2: God isn't trusting him to give us the outcome that 244 00:14:39,850 --> 00:14:43,490 S2: we want. It's it's trusting him with the outcome even 245 00:14:43,490 --> 00:14:46,730 S2: when we don't get that thing right. And so just 246 00:14:46,730 --> 00:14:53,890 S2: realizing that I have been able to develop endurance and patience, forgiveness, 247 00:14:54,450 --> 00:14:58,770 S2: trusting in him and, and that utter dependence, that is 248 00:14:58,770 --> 00:15:02,130 S2: that childlike faith that I know where my source is. 249 00:15:02,170 --> 00:15:05,650 S2: And that's what suffering has done in my life time 250 00:15:05,650 --> 00:15:09,090 S2: and time again. I don't like it when it's happening, 251 00:15:09,290 --> 00:15:13,530 S2: but at the end, I always see that I gain 252 00:15:13,530 --> 00:15:17,770 S2: more in Christ than I lose. And I just am 253 00:15:17,770 --> 00:15:20,610 S2: so grateful that God does that with us, that when 254 00:15:20,610 --> 00:15:25,090 S2: we really do surrender, he really does work all things 255 00:15:25,090 --> 00:15:27,450 S2: out for our good, and his glory and his glory 256 00:15:27,450 --> 00:15:28,570 S2: will always prevail. 257 00:15:29,770 --> 00:15:32,570 S1: You write, over time, I've found myself shifting my hidden 258 00:15:32,570 --> 00:15:36,770 S1: questions to God concerning suffering from why is this happening? 259 00:15:36,770 --> 00:15:40,720 S1: Or why did you allow this to help me see 260 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:44,000 S1: you in my pain, Lord. And what can I learn 261 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:49,080 S1: from you in this? That's a difficult shift to get to, 262 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:49,680 S1: isn't it? 263 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:52,920 S2: Oh so hard. And I mean, that was over ten 264 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:56,600 S2: years for me of wrestling with the Lord and getting 265 00:15:56,640 --> 00:15:59,600 S2: to that place. But I think the more that we 266 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:03,840 S2: understand the heart of the father, and really the more 267 00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:07,720 S2: we understand Jesus's life on earth. When we read through 268 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:11,320 S2: the Gospels that he I always think of the Garden 269 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:15,440 S2: of Gethsemane. This place of pressing Jesus came sorrowful. He 270 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:17,600 S2: was troubled. He wasn't like, all right, let's do this. 271 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:21,480 S2: Let's go to the cross. He was just devastated. He 272 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:26,760 S2: was so full of sorrow and. And he even asked 273 00:16:26,760 --> 00:16:31,000 S2: the Lord, can this happen another way? Please let this 274 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:34,400 S2: cup pass. But nevertheless, not as I will, but as 275 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:36,520 S2: you will let your will be done and I. I 276 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:40,200 S2: think of that in Matthew constantly when I'm walking through 277 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:43,600 S2: my own hardships that I'm like, Lord, I can come 278 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:46,560 S2: to you just as your son did and say, I 279 00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:49,880 S2: am hurt, I am this is sad, this is hard. 280 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:53,920 S2: This is devastating, I am broken. I don't want this 281 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:58,000 S2: to be happening. Please heal, please restore, please redeem. But 282 00:16:58,000 --> 00:16:59,920 S2: at the end of the day, if I can get 283 00:16:59,920 --> 00:17:04,040 S2: to that spot that's so trusting and saying, no, Lord, 284 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:07,840 S2: let your will be done though. That's this cultivation that 285 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:11,359 S2: I have been learning for so many years and I 286 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:13,080 S2: for sure have not perfected it. 287 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:16,760 S1: Let me throw a caution flag and push back a 288 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:18,240 S1: little bit. And I know you can take this. You're 289 00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:21,600 S1: going to have a good answer for this because something 290 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:26,400 S1: good will grow. That phrase can be used to dismiss 291 00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:29,639 S1: people's pain. You know, don't let it get you down. 292 00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:31,320 S1: You know, look what God's going to do. He's going 293 00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:33,000 S1: to do something good with the bad. And one day 294 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:35,520 S1: you're going to understand it. Well, I can believe God 295 00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:37,600 S1: can use the bad for good, but that doesn't mean 296 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:39,160 S1: in the middle of the bad, I have to feel 297 00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:42,000 S1: like it's good. Otherwise we'd have maybe five songs and 298 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:43,159 S1: not 150. 299 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:46,800 S2: Exactly. Well, right. And I mean, think of all those 300 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:52,800 S2: laments and just these devastating prayers that David prayed and 301 00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:56,280 S2: I mean crying out to the Lord. That's that's how 302 00:17:56,280 --> 00:17:59,240 S2: we are in our brokenness. And the Lord wants us 303 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:01,640 S2: to get to that spot where we are honest and 304 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:05,399 S2: he already knows. And if we could just be authentic 305 00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:09,600 S2: before him and tell him how we feel, and he 306 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:13,240 S2: understands and he's he's walked it. And so I don't 307 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:16,960 S2: think there's this, you know, be happy. You can you 308 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:20,200 S2: can get through this because I also believe that there 309 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:23,399 S2: are things on this side of heaven that will not 310 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:26,119 S2: be wrapped up in a little bow. We're going to 311 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:31,000 S2: have difficulties and long suffering and hardships that we will 312 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:35,359 S2: only see when we see Jesus. And we have to 313 00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:37,000 S2: understand that too, you know. 314 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:43,879 S1: Yes. And and there is a certain, um, bent. I'll 315 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:46,040 S1: just keep it with me. I won't give it on 316 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:49,919 S1: anybody else. But there is a certain bent that I have. 317 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:53,960 S1: It's like if I can figure this out, say you're 318 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:57,479 S1: miscarriage or a car accident or a health struggle or 319 00:18:57,480 --> 00:18:59,600 S1: whatever it is, you know, fit that into the plan. 320 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,160 S1: If I can figure out what God is doing here now, 321 00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:03,720 S1: God is going to use this, and he's going to 322 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:05,880 S1: do that over there, and the dominoes are all going 323 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:08,080 S1: to fall down so that in the end, I can 324 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:10,680 S1: be like Joseph. And here I am in, you know, 325 00:19:10,720 --> 00:19:14,760 S1: in charge of Potiphar's kingdom and all that. If I 326 00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:17,080 S1: can figure out how to get from where I am 327 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:21,159 S1: to there, then I can have faith. And that's not faith. 328 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:25,080 S1: That's control. And I love to be in control. So 329 00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:26,720 S1: what do you say to people like me? 330 00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:31,119 S2: Well, I mean, and me, because that has totally been 331 00:19:31,119 --> 00:19:34,470 S2: me as well. And even now it's it's like when 332 00:19:34,470 --> 00:19:39,670 S2: there's so many difficult things presented before you, it's easier 333 00:19:39,910 --> 00:19:44,590 S2: to come up with a solution on how that happened. 334 00:19:44,590 --> 00:19:47,869 S2: So I got cancer because I didn't eat healthy. I 335 00:19:47,869 --> 00:19:50,790 S2: had a miscarriage because I worked out too much or, 336 00:19:50,830 --> 00:19:54,110 S2: you know, whatever. I ate the wrong food. We we 337 00:19:54,150 --> 00:19:57,869 S2: can it's easier for our minds and our human hearts 338 00:19:57,869 --> 00:20:02,229 S2: to make up a reason than it is to just 339 00:20:02,230 --> 00:20:06,550 S2: grieve and sit with that pain. And I think that 340 00:20:06,830 --> 00:20:10,550 S2: the Lord wants us to just sit with him on that, 341 00:20:10,550 --> 00:20:15,070 S2: because we cannot reason our way out to make ourselves 342 00:20:15,070 --> 00:20:18,910 S2: feel better. I've tried it. It doesn't work. And if 343 00:20:18,910 --> 00:20:23,230 S2: we can let that control go and say, maybe it 344 00:20:23,230 --> 00:20:26,990 S2: had nothing to do with me, maybe it had nothing 345 00:20:26,990 --> 00:20:30,150 S2: to do with what I'm thinking. But Lord, I trust 346 00:20:30,190 --> 00:20:34,990 S2: you in this because you love me, and by your 347 00:20:34,990 --> 00:20:40,150 S2: wounds I'm healed by your death. Brought my life and 348 00:20:40,150 --> 00:20:45,070 S2: reciting those verses of truth in his character and his faithfulness, 349 00:20:45,070 --> 00:20:48,030 S2: that he's not out to get us, that he's not 350 00:20:48,230 --> 00:20:51,470 S2: just trying to figure out all these hardships for us 351 00:20:51,470 --> 00:20:53,590 S2: to go through so that he can make us more 352 00:20:53,590 --> 00:20:55,949 S2: like his son. I mean, life is just going to 353 00:20:55,950 --> 00:20:58,310 S2: happen and we're all just going to have, you know, 354 00:20:58,350 --> 00:21:01,990 S2: those hardships, but we can't reason our way out of 355 00:21:01,990 --> 00:21:04,910 S2: them and try and figure it all out because we're 356 00:21:04,910 --> 00:21:08,350 S2: not we're not God. And that's good news that we 357 00:21:08,390 --> 00:21:10,950 S2: don't have to figure it out, you know? Such good 358 00:21:10,950 --> 00:21:12,830 S2: news that we don't have to figure everything out. 359 00:21:13,070 --> 00:21:15,990 S1: That we are not in control is a gift, is 360 00:21:15,990 --> 00:21:18,590 S1: a blessing, but it doesn't feel like it to people 361 00:21:18,590 --> 00:21:21,870 S1: like me. Uh, and here's the other thing that that 362 00:21:21,910 --> 00:21:26,830 S1: you just said to sit with the pain. I think 363 00:21:26,869 --> 00:21:29,550 S1: it's the person who's going through the pain. It's difficult 364 00:21:29,590 --> 00:21:35,190 S1: not to jump to something else to soothe salve, sucker. Um, 365 00:21:35,270 --> 00:21:38,830 S1: but it's for the people around that person. It's very 366 00:21:38,830 --> 00:21:42,030 S1: difficult not to throw a verse. And there's nothing wrong 367 00:21:42,030 --> 00:21:45,030 S1: with having a verse, you know, to encourage somebody but 368 00:21:45,030 --> 00:21:47,310 S1: to not sit with them in the pain, but to 369 00:21:47,350 --> 00:21:50,630 S1: try to fix them or to do something. And that's 370 00:21:50,630 --> 00:21:53,710 S1: more about the person who is the other person who's 371 00:21:53,710 --> 00:21:56,590 S1: not in pain than it is the person that you're 372 00:21:56,590 --> 00:21:57,910 S1: trying to help. Right? 373 00:21:58,350 --> 00:22:02,070 S2: Oh, 100%. And I think when, when I was walking 374 00:22:02,070 --> 00:22:05,830 S2: through cancer, for example, I didn't want verses thrown at me. 375 00:22:05,830 --> 00:22:08,830 S2: I didn't want, you know, someone to say, oh, it's 376 00:22:08,830 --> 00:22:10,550 S2: going to be fine. You're going to get healed. Like 377 00:22:10,550 --> 00:22:14,070 S2: everything's going to be just fine. And I'm thinking, well, 378 00:22:14,070 --> 00:22:16,990 S2: you don't know that. And, you know, sometimes a Bible 379 00:22:16,990 --> 00:22:20,350 S2: verse doesn't help in that moment. What, what we need 380 00:22:20,350 --> 00:22:22,590 S2: to do is just be present. And that's what the 381 00:22:22,590 --> 00:22:25,030 S2: Lord's asking us to do with him. But that's also 382 00:22:25,190 --> 00:22:27,750 S2: how we can comfort other people is just be present 383 00:22:27,750 --> 00:22:30,990 S2: with them to say, Do you want me to sit 384 00:22:30,990 --> 00:22:32,550 S2: in silence? Do you want a hug? Do you want 385 00:22:32,550 --> 00:22:35,510 S2: me to go grab you a coffee? And what, you 386 00:22:35,510 --> 00:22:38,190 S2: don't want you to just cry with me? Like there's 387 00:22:38,550 --> 00:22:40,949 S2: just being present. And it can be awkward and it 388 00:22:40,950 --> 00:22:45,230 S2: can be, um, like you. Your immediate reaction is to 389 00:22:45,270 --> 00:22:48,150 S2: help and to fix and to do all the things, 390 00:22:48,150 --> 00:22:52,590 S2: but just the presence is enough and his presence is enough. 391 00:22:52,910 --> 00:22:55,910 S1: Did anybody do that for you in one of these 392 00:22:56,070 --> 00:22:57,830 S1: hardships that you've written about? 393 00:22:59,350 --> 00:23:02,350 S2: You know, I think my husband has just been the 394 00:23:02,350 --> 00:23:06,350 S2: biggest gift. I definitely had friends who were there and 395 00:23:06,350 --> 00:23:08,870 S2: who helped and, but I also had little kids at 396 00:23:08,869 --> 00:23:12,710 S2: the time. And so I needed people to care for 397 00:23:12,710 --> 00:23:17,150 S2: my family and like, provide food and, you know, do 398 00:23:17,150 --> 00:23:21,750 S2: those things for them. Um, more than I needed it myself. 399 00:23:21,750 --> 00:23:24,909 S2: So my husband definitely was the greatest gift for me 400 00:23:24,910 --> 00:23:28,670 S2: in that season. But that's also where I was sitting 401 00:23:28,670 --> 00:23:31,109 S2: silent with the Lord, and his presence was all that 402 00:23:31,109 --> 00:23:31,750 S2: I needed. 403 00:23:32,030 --> 00:23:36,790 S1: Yeah, something good will grow. Finding God's heart in the 404 00:23:36,790 --> 00:23:41,470 S1: soil of Suffering is written by Nicole Jacobs Meyer. Featured resource. 405 00:23:41,470 --> 00:23:44,230 S1: Today if you go to Chris Fabry live.org, you can 406 00:23:44,230 --> 00:23:46,310 S1: scroll down. You'll see it right there, a link as 407 00:23:46,310 --> 00:23:49,270 S1: well as more about her. She's joining us from the 408 00:23:49,270 --> 00:23:52,350 S1: farm today. I haven't heard the kids or and you've 409 00:23:52,350 --> 00:23:56,709 S1: got three really big dogs around the farm too, right? 410 00:23:56,869 --> 00:23:57,909 S2: Yes we do. 411 00:23:58,470 --> 00:24:02,270 S1: And I haven't heard them yet. The Great Pyrenees bear. 412 00:24:02,430 --> 00:24:04,150 S1: And what's the female dog's name? 413 00:24:04,750 --> 00:24:07,470 S2: Betty. And then we have a little indoor. I know, 414 00:24:07,470 --> 00:24:11,750 S2: so cute. Bear and Betty are. And then a little 415 00:24:11,750 --> 00:24:16,110 S2: indoor dog who's. Rosie? Little Cavapoo. She's the. She's the 416 00:24:16,109 --> 00:24:16,990 S2: bougie one. 417 00:24:17,190 --> 00:24:20,270 S4: Yeah, well, she probably runs a roost, doesn't she? She's 418 00:24:20,270 --> 00:24:22,590 S4: probably in control. She's the one who takes that. 419 00:24:22,670 --> 00:24:25,869 S1: Uh, okay, so so if you hear any extraneous noise 420 00:24:25,869 --> 00:24:28,740 S1: in the background today. You know, it's coming from North 421 00:24:28,740 --> 00:24:32,300 S1: Carolina and the farm. But I really wanted to have 422 00:24:32,300 --> 00:24:35,300 S1: Nicole on today because my guess is there's somebody who's 423 00:24:35,300 --> 00:24:38,100 S1: listening today or who will listen to this podcast in 424 00:24:38,100 --> 00:24:41,140 S1: 50 years when we're not here anymore, and who is 425 00:24:41,140 --> 00:24:44,619 S1: going to be going through this trial in your life. 426 00:24:44,859 --> 00:24:48,780 S1: That is a crossroad in your faith where you have 427 00:24:48,780 --> 00:24:52,580 S1: an opportunity to choose. And here's what Nicole writes. Will 428 00:24:52,580 --> 00:24:57,220 S1: we surrender in our brokenness and learn to suffer well, 429 00:24:57,619 --> 00:25:01,300 S1: or will we miss out on the most beautiful, abundant, 430 00:25:01,300 --> 00:25:06,460 S1: and satisfying work of our faith that suffering ushers in? 431 00:25:07,020 --> 00:25:09,300 S1: And there is a strain of theology that says, if 432 00:25:09,300 --> 00:25:11,740 S1: you're living in God's will and you're doing what God 433 00:25:11,740 --> 00:25:13,780 S1: wants you to do, and you're obeying him and you're 434 00:25:13,780 --> 00:25:17,100 S1: pleasing him, you're not going to suffer. There's nothing bad 435 00:25:17,100 --> 00:25:18,980 S1: that's going to happen in your life. Now, I don't 436 00:25:18,980 --> 00:25:21,980 S1: happen to subscribe to that, but I want I want 437 00:25:21,980 --> 00:25:23,619 S1: you to talk a little bit about that when we 438 00:25:23,660 --> 00:25:27,020 S1: come back from a break. Nicole. and and talk about 439 00:25:27,020 --> 00:25:30,980 S1: the beauty of allowing the suffering to do its work 440 00:25:30,980 --> 00:25:34,660 S1: in our lives as we steward it well and will 441 00:25:34,660 --> 00:25:38,219 S1: continue here on Chris Fabry Live again. Go to Chris fabry.org. 442 00:25:38,260 --> 00:25:44,100 S1: Nicole Jacobs Meyer has written Something Good Will Grow Finding 443 00:25:44,100 --> 00:25:47,899 S1: God's Heart in the Soil of Suffering. Featured resource at 444 00:25:47,900 --> 00:26:06,180 S1: Chris Fabry live.org. More straight ahead. Nicole Jacobs Meyer is 445 00:26:06,180 --> 00:26:08,859 S1: sharing her life, sharing her heart. Some of the things 446 00:26:08,859 --> 00:26:11,820 S1: that she has been through. And my guess is there's 447 00:26:11,820 --> 00:26:16,340 S1: somebody who is walking the same kind of trail suffering trail. 448 00:26:16,340 --> 00:26:19,260 S1: Somebody Something good will grow as the title of her book. 449 00:26:19,260 --> 00:26:22,060 S1: Write that down. If you don't want to write it down, 450 00:26:22,060 --> 00:26:24,500 S1: go to the website. We got it linked right there. 451 00:26:24,619 --> 00:26:28,660 S1: Finding God's heart in the soil of suffering. Do you 452 00:26:28,660 --> 00:26:31,020 S1: believe that in the middle of what you're going through, 453 00:26:31,020 --> 00:26:35,900 S1: God does see you, that he is present with you? Um, 454 00:26:36,220 --> 00:26:38,500 S1: before we get to the the whole question of God 455 00:26:38,500 --> 00:26:42,020 S1: shouldn't God wouldn't have you suffer when you mentioned the 456 00:26:42,020 --> 00:26:45,980 S1: cancer thing or anything you've been through? Anybody come to 457 00:26:45,980 --> 00:26:49,220 S1: you and say, hey, have you tried this? Here is a. 458 00:26:49,260 --> 00:26:52,140 S1: If you go on the grapefruit or you go the 459 00:26:52,140 --> 00:26:57,540 S1: peach only or anything like that, that they suggest anything 460 00:26:57,580 --> 00:26:58,020 S1: to you. 461 00:26:58,340 --> 00:27:02,540 S2: Oh, of course, of course. I had the most wacky 462 00:27:02,580 --> 00:27:07,300 S2: things brought to my attention, and it was super frustrating 463 00:27:07,300 --> 00:27:10,420 S2: because I thought, you know what? If this is all 464 00:27:10,420 --> 00:27:12,540 S2: that it took, don't you think a lot more people 465 00:27:12,540 --> 00:27:16,419 S2: would be doing that? You know, and I don't I 466 00:27:16,420 --> 00:27:19,580 S2: don't fall for that stuff. And I got a little frustrated. 467 00:27:19,580 --> 00:27:22,620 S2: But yes, a lot, a lot of people did that. 468 00:27:22,820 --> 00:27:26,980 S1: Yeah. And it's and, and the frustration is, you know, 469 00:27:27,020 --> 00:27:30,540 S1: it on one sense. It comes from a good heart. 470 00:27:30,580 --> 00:27:34,619 S1: It's just people who want to help. But the, the 471 00:27:34,619 --> 00:27:38,100 S1: control and the figuring out thing comes in there as well, 472 00:27:38,140 --> 00:27:38,780 S1: doesn't it? 473 00:27:39,340 --> 00:27:42,500 S2: Yeah. And I, I do think there's a ton of 474 00:27:42,500 --> 00:27:45,420 S2: people who just want to see you well and want 475 00:27:45,420 --> 00:27:48,820 S2: to see you thriving and happy and whole. And, and 476 00:27:48,820 --> 00:27:53,420 S2: so they're gonna say whatever maybe they've heard or tried 477 00:27:53,420 --> 00:27:56,260 S2: or whatever it is. But at the end of the day, 478 00:27:56,300 --> 00:27:58,500 S2: kind of like what we talked about earlier, just the 479 00:27:58,500 --> 00:28:03,619 S2: presence and the being with them matters most. 480 00:28:04,300 --> 00:28:08,740 S1: They want you healed. So take that word and, and 481 00:28:08,740 --> 00:28:13,340 S1: unpack it for it. Unpack that for me, because I 482 00:28:13,500 --> 00:28:17,540 S1: think I think God wants us healed too, but it's, 483 00:28:17,580 --> 00:28:22,610 S1: it's defined differently right through the prism of suffering. So 484 00:28:22,609 --> 00:28:24,010 S1: what is what is healing? 485 00:28:24,850 --> 00:28:28,490 S2: I think when people say, I want you healed, they're thinking, okay, 486 00:28:28,530 --> 00:28:32,170 S2: whatever you're dealing with, we want it gone and we 487 00:28:32,170 --> 00:28:36,250 S2: want the cancer gone. We want the debilitating depression or 488 00:28:36,250 --> 00:28:40,050 S2: anxiety gone. We want whatever it is just gone. But 489 00:28:40,290 --> 00:28:44,330 S2: what I have found is that sometimes those things, those 490 00:28:44,330 --> 00:28:47,250 S2: hardest things are the thorn in our flesh that are 491 00:28:47,250 --> 00:28:49,690 S2: there to keep us humble, that are there to bring 492 00:28:49,690 --> 00:28:53,810 S2: us back to the father's heart, to understand our desperation 493 00:28:53,810 --> 00:28:56,890 S2: for him. And we don't like that. And that's hard. 494 00:28:56,890 --> 00:29:01,850 S2: And that's very difficult to wrap our minds around because, yes, 495 00:29:01,890 --> 00:29:06,090 S2: on one hand, God wants us whole, but he he 496 00:29:06,090 --> 00:29:09,210 S2: wants us whole and glory. You know, when when we 497 00:29:09,210 --> 00:29:11,530 S2: see him face to face and that's when that's going 498 00:29:11,570 --> 00:29:15,930 S2: to happen. He never promised us once here on earth 499 00:29:15,930 --> 00:29:20,490 S2: that it's going to be perfection. Glory with him forever. 500 00:29:20,530 --> 00:29:24,010 S2: Eternity is perfection, but earth is not. And I don't 501 00:29:24,010 --> 00:29:26,250 S2: know why we get that mixed up so many times. 502 00:29:26,970 --> 00:29:31,370 S1: Isn't the part of the struggle for me is just 503 00:29:31,370 --> 00:29:36,210 S1: having the courage to see the struggle, to see the suffering, 504 00:29:36,210 --> 00:29:38,490 S1: and not just, you know, what I'll do is I'll 505 00:29:38,490 --> 00:29:40,690 S1: just try to get busy enough so I have to 506 00:29:40,730 --> 00:29:44,450 S1: think about it anymore and soothe and stab myself with 507 00:29:44,450 --> 00:29:45,690 S1: my own busyness. 508 00:29:46,770 --> 00:29:49,730 S2: Well, and there's something that God wants to do in 509 00:29:49,730 --> 00:29:51,810 S2: the middle of that. I mean, we read in Romans 510 00:29:51,810 --> 00:29:57,010 S2: five that we can rejoice, rejoice, key word there, big one. 511 00:29:57,010 --> 00:30:02,650 S2: We can rejoice in our sufferings because it produces endurance, character, 512 00:30:02,650 --> 00:30:05,930 S2: and hope. And those are things that we need to 513 00:30:05,970 --> 00:30:09,850 S2: get through this life, especially when we do have more 514 00:30:09,850 --> 00:30:13,530 S2: hardships down the road. We can rejoice. I mean, that's, 515 00:30:13,530 --> 00:30:17,810 S2: that is difficult right there. But it's because we trust 516 00:30:17,810 --> 00:30:21,090 S2: in our faithful God, that he is going to use 517 00:30:21,090 --> 00:30:26,690 S2: the sufferings to produce in us this endurance, character, and hope. 518 00:30:26,730 --> 00:30:30,570 S2: Those are all things that we need daily to get 519 00:30:30,570 --> 00:30:32,170 S2: through this life. Yeah. 520 00:30:32,450 --> 00:30:35,810 S1: Okay. I'm going to a hard place. Uh. And it's 521 00:30:35,810 --> 00:30:38,010 S1: your fault. You took me here because it made me 522 00:30:38,050 --> 00:30:41,250 S1: think of it. Uh, okay. We're supposed to rejoice. We're 523 00:30:41,250 --> 00:30:43,930 S1: supposed to give thanks and everything. Give thanks. Right? 524 00:30:43,970 --> 00:30:44,410 S2: Right. 525 00:30:45,850 --> 00:30:52,090 S1: Were you thankful for the the sexual assault that you 526 00:30:52,130 --> 00:30:57,450 S1: went through? Were you praising? Were you rejoicing and praising 527 00:30:57,450 --> 00:31:02,250 S1: God for that event in your life? And then the 528 00:31:02,250 --> 00:31:05,210 S1: depression that came after it and all the fallout of 529 00:31:05,210 --> 00:31:08,490 S1: it and all the struggle. Walk me through that. 530 00:31:09,410 --> 00:31:13,570 S2: Well, of course I wasn't. I was devastated and in 531 00:31:13,570 --> 00:31:18,370 S2: a dark hole and hating life and was not thankful 532 00:31:18,370 --> 00:31:21,330 S2: at all. And I don't think that the end goal 533 00:31:21,330 --> 00:31:26,770 S2: is to be thankful for the trial. It's to rejoice 534 00:31:26,770 --> 00:31:29,890 S2: in the hope of the Lord. And we have to 535 00:31:29,930 --> 00:31:32,650 S2: distinguish that this is not. We do not want to 536 00:31:32,650 --> 00:31:37,330 S2: give the enemy glory a foothold, credit. We don't want 537 00:31:37,370 --> 00:31:40,130 S2: him to get anything and take any of that. We 538 00:31:40,130 --> 00:31:43,570 S2: want everything to be pushed to the Lord. And so 539 00:31:43,690 --> 00:31:47,570 S2: we have to make that distinguish. I mean, it has 540 00:31:47,570 --> 00:31:50,610 S2: to be about God. It has to be about his character. 541 00:31:50,610 --> 00:31:54,010 S2: And so, no, I'm not even today. I'm not thankful 542 00:31:54,010 --> 00:31:57,650 S2: for anything that has been hard. But I am thankful 543 00:31:58,050 --> 00:32:02,530 S2: because God is faithful and I am thankful for Him 544 00:32:02,530 --> 00:32:06,290 S2: and His mercy and his grace and what he has 545 00:32:06,290 --> 00:32:11,130 S2: done in my life because of X, Y, z. And 546 00:32:11,130 --> 00:32:13,610 S2: if you think about it that way, it's a lot 547 00:32:13,610 --> 00:32:17,040 S2: easier because we we want to put all the glory 548 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:20,280 S2: unto the Lord, and we don't want to prop our 549 00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:23,760 S2: pain and our trials and the details and the hardships. 550 00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:26,360 S2: We don't want that propped up. So we're we're not 551 00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:29,080 S2: thinking that we're not thankful for those things. We're thankful 552 00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:31,880 S2: for God in it, if that makes sense. 553 00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:33,440 S5: It does because it, it. 554 00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:36,920 S1: Makes me feel like that you can. That someone who's 555 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:40,120 S1: gone through deep struggle can make an idol out of 556 00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:42,080 S1: the pain, you know, out of the suffering. 557 00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:44,880 S2: Oh, yeah. And you know, so many people do that. 558 00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:47,520 S1: It's not what you want to do. Uh, and if 559 00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:50,360 S1: you're there, you know, God bless you. Maybe just to 560 00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:53,480 S1: be able to see that. Were you angry at God 561 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:54,960 S1: during that time? 562 00:32:55,720 --> 00:32:58,840 S2: Oh, for sure. I, I have had many moments where 563 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:01,520 S2: I'm just like, you've got to be kidding me. What 564 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:05,160 S2: is this? And, and I think you, when you go 565 00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:09,200 S2: through so many things that are really rocking your foundation 566 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:13,440 S2: of faith, you can look at God in a completely, um, 567 00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:18,880 S2: really thwarted way to where his character is now. Not 568 00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:23,400 S2: tied to truth. It's actually tied to your emotions or 569 00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:27,440 S2: what you maybe the verses that you want to cherry 570 00:33:27,440 --> 00:33:30,880 S2: pick to fit your narrative and to make you feel better. 571 00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:34,520 S2: But it, it has to be rooted back in the 572 00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:38,480 S2: word and who the Lord truly is, because you can 573 00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:41,880 S2: easily get to that spot. I have been there and 574 00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:45,440 S2: it is. It's kind of a spiral downwards, to be honest. 575 00:33:45,880 --> 00:33:48,600 S1: Did you say where God, where were you? You. You 576 00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:52,480 S1: could have prevented this. Why didn't you? Do you ask 577 00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:53,880 S1: the why question? 578 00:33:54,600 --> 00:33:57,640 S2: Oh, I did for sure. And I think I think 579 00:33:57,640 --> 00:34:01,720 S2: that's normal. I think everybody would do the same thing 580 00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:05,760 S2: in those types of situations is okay, God, why? Why 581 00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:08,360 S2: would you allow this? And I think it goes back 582 00:34:08,360 --> 00:34:11,480 S2: to as a as a mom now, as a parent, 583 00:34:11,719 --> 00:34:16,359 S2: I would Never let something bad happen to my child. 584 00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:21,959 S2: And so if I place that human version of what 585 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:26,160 S2: I believe a good parent is onto God, then I 586 00:34:26,160 --> 00:34:29,799 S2: can now look at God and say, well, I'm a 587 00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:32,880 S2: better parent than you are, God, because I would never 588 00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:36,200 S2: allow that to my child. And here you are allowing 589 00:34:36,200 --> 00:34:39,279 S2: that to me, and it puts this barrier. But what 590 00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:42,719 S2: it all comes down to is it's our pride. It 591 00:34:42,719 --> 00:34:47,040 S2: is our pride and our control and our trying to. 592 00:34:47,080 --> 00:34:48,120 S6: That's what I was thinking. 593 00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:48,960 S2: It's the. 594 00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:51,120 S6: Control thing. God, I get, you know, I take care. 595 00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:53,960 S1: Of my kids and then something bad happens that is 596 00:34:53,960 --> 00:34:56,360 S1: out of your control and you realize, no, wait a minute. 597 00:34:56,400 --> 00:34:58,080 S1: You're not in control here. 598 00:34:58,120 --> 00:35:00,759 S2: Right. And how bad does that sound? And honestly, it 599 00:35:00,800 --> 00:35:04,040 S2: reminds me, I was reading in Mark seven the other 600 00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:09,200 S2: day and Jesus was talking about this defilement, and he 601 00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:12,279 S2: says that there is nothing that goes into a person 602 00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:16,320 S2: that defiles him. But what comes out, what comes from 603 00:35:16,320 --> 00:35:20,239 S2: that is what defiles you. And that really rocked me 604 00:35:20,239 --> 00:35:23,759 S2: because I thought of all the things that have been 605 00:35:23,760 --> 00:35:26,720 S2: done to me. Of all the things that I have in, 606 00:35:26,719 --> 00:35:32,279 S2: in encountered or walked through or dealt with hard people 607 00:35:32,280 --> 00:35:36,239 S2: or slander, whatever has been said, those sticky notes that 608 00:35:36,239 --> 00:35:39,840 S2: are on us, all of that is not what God 609 00:35:39,840 --> 00:35:44,520 S2: is saying we are responsible for and we are accountable for. He's, 610 00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:48,399 S2: he's saying he's got that he's going to redeem and 611 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:52,560 S2: transform and do a work and restore. But what we 612 00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:56,040 S2: are responsible for is what comes out of that. Are 613 00:35:56,040 --> 00:35:59,719 S2: we going to have our pain and idol? Are we 614 00:35:59,760 --> 00:36:02,920 S2: going to sit in it too long? Are we going 615 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:08,480 S2: to question God? What is coming out of those painful 616 00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:10,960 S2: things in our lives? Because I want it to be 617 00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:13,600 S2: fruits of the spirit. I want it to be, you know, 618 00:36:13,640 --> 00:36:18,280 S2: the Lord, transforming my heart into more of who he 619 00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:23,120 S2: is and his son is. And that is very difficult. 620 00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:26,520 S2: That's not something that just happens overnight. But if we 621 00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:32,120 S2: can remember what Jesus has really said to each and 622 00:36:32,120 --> 00:36:35,880 S2: every one of us in our hardships, that that pain, 623 00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:41,600 S2: that hardship, that heartache, that trauma, whatever that is, God 624 00:36:41,600 --> 00:36:44,840 S2: has that and he's over that. But now what comes 625 00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:47,440 S2: out of that? Is it going to be that bitterness 626 00:36:47,440 --> 00:36:51,040 S2: or that pride or that selfishness? That's what we're responsible for. 627 00:36:51,040 --> 00:36:52,600 S2: And that's what he wants to redeem. 628 00:36:53,560 --> 00:36:56,160 S1: I want you to answer that question about those who say, 629 00:36:56,160 --> 00:36:58,400 S1: but if you did it right, you know, if you 630 00:36:58,440 --> 00:37:01,280 S1: followed God fully, you wouldn't you wouldn't suffer. I want 631 00:37:01,280 --> 00:37:04,400 S1: you to answer that as you deal with one of 632 00:37:04,400 --> 00:37:06,920 S1: the points that you make in the book, that it's 633 00:37:06,920 --> 00:37:12,390 S1: a profound disservice to people. If we teach the Bible, 634 00:37:12,430 --> 00:37:16,390 S1: as all the people in the Bible only had happy 635 00:37:16,430 --> 00:37:19,390 S1: earthly endings, and we'll get to that straight ahead with 636 00:37:19,390 --> 00:37:23,230 S1: Nicole Jacobs Meyer. Something Good Will grow is our featured 637 00:37:23,230 --> 00:37:28,430 S1: resource at Chris Fabry live.org. Subtitled Finding God's Heart in 638 00:37:28,430 --> 00:37:32,750 S1: the Soil of Suffering. Find out more. Just scratching the 639 00:37:32,750 --> 00:37:36,830 S1: surface here. Find out more at Chris Fabry live.org. Chris 640 00:37:36,870 --> 00:37:51,510 S1: Fabry live dot ORG. Our remaining moments with Nicole Jacobs Meyer, 641 00:37:51,550 --> 00:37:56,950 S1: author of Something Good Will Grow Finding God's Heart in 642 00:37:56,950 --> 00:38:02,430 S1: the Soil of Suffering. Featured resource@chris.org. And as I mentioned, 643 00:38:02,469 --> 00:38:05,830 S1: we're just barely scratching the surface. There's so many things 644 00:38:05,830 --> 00:38:07,990 S1: to talk about, but I want you to deal with 645 00:38:08,270 --> 00:38:10,710 S1: the person who says, hey, if you lived your life right, 646 00:38:10,750 --> 00:38:13,549 S1: you wouldn't suffer at all. You wouldn't get cancer, you 647 00:38:13,550 --> 00:38:18,710 S1: wouldn't have any of those problems. And, and along with that, 648 00:38:19,070 --> 00:38:22,069 S1: the happy endings that people say, you know, if you 649 00:38:22,110 --> 00:38:24,830 S1: lived like Joseph, look at what happened to him. All 650 00:38:24,830 --> 00:38:27,950 S1: he feeds his family and everything that that happened there. 651 00:38:28,150 --> 00:38:31,190 S1: So how do you how do you answer that? 652 00:38:32,430 --> 00:38:38,150 S2: Um, read your Bibles because if you see it's throughout 653 00:38:38,190 --> 00:38:41,830 S2: Scripture that we are going to be persecuted. We are 654 00:38:41,830 --> 00:38:45,790 S2: going to have hardships. I mean, Philippians 129 says, we 655 00:38:45,790 --> 00:38:50,270 S2: have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ, 656 00:38:50,270 --> 00:38:54,830 S2: but also the privilege of suffering for him. And we 657 00:38:54,830 --> 00:38:58,469 S2: know in this world you will have troubles. And in first, Peter, 658 00:38:58,469 --> 00:39:02,270 S2: it talks about after you've suffered a little while, then 659 00:39:02,270 --> 00:39:05,469 S2: God will restore and support and strengthen you. And we 660 00:39:05,469 --> 00:39:08,190 S2: have to realize that at the end of the day, 661 00:39:08,510 --> 00:39:11,990 S2: our life on earth is not going to be wrapped 662 00:39:11,989 --> 00:39:14,750 S2: up in a perfect bow. There are no things that 663 00:39:14,750 --> 00:39:17,670 S2: we can X, Y, and Z, and then no hardships 664 00:39:17,670 --> 00:39:22,149 S2: are going to happen. This is not heaven. And I 665 00:39:22,150 --> 00:39:25,750 S2: think that we we desperately want it to be. We 666 00:39:25,790 --> 00:39:31,069 S2: crave heaven where there is no torment or sickness or 667 00:39:31,110 --> 00:39:34,709 S2: death or grieving. There is none of that. And our 668 00:39:34,710 --> 00:39:39,310 S2: hearts long for that day. But until. Until we meet 669 00:39:39,310 --> 00:39:44,390 S2: him in glory. There are going to be hardships and persecutions, 670 00:39:44,390 --> 00:39:49,390 S2: and it's actually a privilege to suffer for and with 671 00:39:49,390 --> 00:39:51,310 S2: Christ here on earth. 672 00:39:52,150 --> 00:39:55,550 S1: What do you mean by lean into the uncomfortable? 673 00:39:58,030 --> 00:40:03,350 S2: You know, I think being comfortable is one of the 674 00:40:03,350 --> 00:40:08,030 S2: worst things for us. especially in today's age, where our 675 00:40:08,030 --> 00:40:13,710 S2: comforts are exalted and we don't see our need for 676 00:40:13,710 --> 00:40:18,390 S2: a savior because we've put so much time and effort 677 00:40:18,390 --> 00:40:23,109 S2: and energy into putting these bubbles around us. And I 678 00:40:23,110 --> 00:40:26,510 S2: think when we see the bigger picture of what God 679 00:40:26,510 --> 00:40:30,070 S2: is doing and how he's meeting us, where we are 680 00:40:30,270 --> 00:40:34,950 S2: in whatever we're walking through, we can realize that sometimes 681 00:40:34,950 --> 00:40:38,270 S2: doing hard things is the best thing for our growth 682 00:40:38,270 --> 00:40:39,510 S2: and sanctification. 683 00:40:39,989 --> 00:40:43,029 S1: That is so countercultural, though, because everything in. 684 00:40:43,030 --> 00:40:43,790 S6: Our world. 685 00:40:44,070 --> 00:40:47,630 S1: Molds us into this. Get the do it the quickest, 686 00:40:47,630 --> 00:40:49,790 S1: do it the easiest. All you got to do is 687 00:40:49,790 --> 00:40:51,950 S1: get an app and you do this and you do that, 688 00:40:51,950 --> 00:40:54,910 S1: and you know, people will have your they're your devotions 689 00:40:54,910 --> 00:40:57,950 S1: for you. You don't have to even think anymore. Yeah. 690 00:40:57,989 --> 00:41:02,790 S1: You know, let somebody else pray for you. And it's like, no, that, that, 691 00:41:02,830 --> 00:41:06,460 S1: that we're going in the wrong direction when comfort is. 692 00:41:06,500 --> 00:41:10,060 S1: We've made comfort our God 100%. 693 00:41:10,060 --> 00:41:13,299 S2: And I think the whole point of being forged in 694 00:41:13,340 --> 00:41:17,100 S2: the fire trials by fire, that's a part of this. 695 00:41:17,140 --> 00:41:21,060 S2: You know, we we need to be sanctified and we 696 00:41:21,060 --> 00:41:24,420 S2: need to be molded. We need to be pruned. And 697 00:41:24,420 --> 00:41:28,060 S2: that comes at a cost, a cost to ourselves that 698 00:41:28,100 --> 00:41:30,860 S2: we want to take up our cross and follow Christ, 699 00:41:30,860 --> 00:41:35,379 S2: which means laying down ourselves. We're we're done. And it's 700 00:41:35,380 --> 00:41:39,180 S2: about Jesus. And that is just something that obviously is 701 00:41:39,180 --> 00:41:42,660 S2: not talked about a lot, but it's also very difficult 702 00:41:42,660 --> 00:41:45,540 S2: because it is painful, it is painful. I want to 703 00:41:45,540 --> 00:41:49,500 S2: be comfortable and prideful and sinful. And of course, I 704 00:41:49,540 --> 00:41:53,899 S2: every human has the flesh in us, but we are 705 00:41:53,900 --> 00:41:57,260 S2: made new so we can walk in victory. We can 706 00:41:57,260 --> 00:41:58,340 S2: live out truth. 707 00:41:58,860 --> 00:42:04,020 S1: Do your kids catch this from you? Are they aware 708 00:42:04,020 --> 00:42:06,740 S1: of some of the things that you've been through? 709 00:42:08,219 --> 00:42:13,580 S2: They are in some of them, yes. I think my oldest, 710 00:42:13,580 --> 00:42:17,580 S2: who is 12, he'll probably he's such a reader. I'm 711 00:42:17,580 --> 00:42:19,620 S2: assuming he's just going to grab one of my books 712 00:42:19,620 --> 00:42:22,540 S2: one of these days and just like, start asking me questions. 713 00:42:22,780 --> 00:42:27,739 S2: But until then, it's, it's kind of the, the basic things. Um, 714 00:42:28,100 --> 00:42:33,340 S2: the cancer, uh, my oldest two definitely asked about the miscarriage. 715 00:42:33,340 --> 00:42:37,740 S2: And so we've definitely had hard conversations around our dinner 716 00:42:37,739 --> 00:42:39,460 S2: table when it comes to suffering. 717 00:42:39,780 --> 00:42:40,220 S6: Yeah. 718 00:42:40,940 --> 00:42:45,140 S1: Um, lightning round quote. When you are stripped of health, 719 00:42:45,140 --> 00:42:48,180 S1: you finally see what matters. Why? 720 00:42:48,219 --> 00:42:54,820 S2: Oh, yeah. Well, you know, before cancer, I was just 721 00:42:54,820 --> 00:42:59,180 S2: so strong. I was so energetic. I was so bubbly. 722 00:42:59,500 --> 00:43:02,620 S2: I felt like I was superwoman. I had three little 723 00:43:02,660 --> 00:43:05,299 S2: boys under the age of four. I hardly ever went 724 00:43:05,300 --> 00:43:08,500 S2: to the doctor, I just I was a D1 athlete 725 00:43:08,500 --> 00:43:12,100 S2: in college, and so I just never really thought I 726 00:43:12,100 --> 00:43:17,500 S2: would have these problems. And once I got my thyroid 727 00:43:17,540 --> 00:43:20,379 S2: taken out and once I had surgery and once they 728 00:43:20,380 --> 00:43:23,980 S2: removed all the cancer and once I had treatment, I 729 00:43:24,300 --> 00:43:27,620 S2: feel like there was a Nicole before cancer and Nicole 730 00:43:27,620 --> 00:43:34,060 S2: after cancer, which was, um, very, very humbling because the 731 00:43:34,260 --> 00:43:39,060 S2: pride was kind of stripped from my life and I 732 00:43:39,060 --> 00:43:43,299 S2: became more dependent on the Lord than I ever had 733 00:43:43,300 --> 00:43:48,660 S2: to be. Because when you have health issues, you can't just, uh, 734 00:43:48,700 --> 00:43:52,620 S2: sleep it off or, you know, go get a coffee 735 00:43:52,620 --> 00:43:56,700 S2: and call it a day. It's, it's a almost debilitating 736 00:43:56,820 --> 00:44:00,340 S2: thing every once in a while and a daily dependence 737 00:44:00,340 --> 00:44:04,140 S2: on the Lord. And so I do believe that some 738 00:44:04,140 --> 00:44:07,460 S2: of the trials that I have walked have completely saved me, 739 00:44:07,460 --> 00:44:10,900 S2: because again, I want to be sanctified. I want to 740 00:44:10,900 --> 00:44:14,340 S2: be made more like Christ. And that's absolutely what cancer 741 00:44:14,340 --> 00:44:18,420 S2: did is I lost a lot with cancer and maybe 742 00:44:18,420 --> 00:44:21,180 S2: became a little bit more pessimistic. I'm not going to lie. 743 00:44:21,219 --> 00:44:28,580 S2: But I also understood more of God's heart for me and, um, 744 00:44:28,620 --> 00:44:32,100 S2: just how gracious he always is and always faithful. 745 00:44:32,700 --> 00:44:33,940 S1: What sport did you play? 746 00:44:34,900 --> 00:44:35,740 S2: Volleyball. 747 00:44:36,180 --> 00:44:38,300 S6: Oh, that's long. 748 00:44:38,340 --> 00:44:39,940 S1: Hours and getting to the. 749 00:44:39,940 --> 00:44:40,420 S6: Gym. 750 00:44:40,420 --> 00:44:40,980 S1: Early. 751 00:44:40,980 --> 00:44:41,860 S6: And all that. Yeah. 752 00:44:41,900 --> 00:44:42,419 S1: Do you miss. 753 00:44:42,460 --> 00:44:42,820 S6: Playing? 754 00:44:44,580 --> 00:44:48,020 S2: Um, no, because I'm so tired all the time. It's 755 00:44:48,020 --> 00:44:52,820 S2: so sad. I just, I after cancer, I just, I, 756 00:44:52,860 --> 00:44:55,700 S2: my fatigue is really bad and I hate complaining about 757 00:44:55,700 --> 00:44:57,380 S2: it because I have so much to be grateful for. 758 00:44:57,380 --> 00:45:01,810 S2: But yes, it's definitely difficult at times. But God is faithful. 759 00:45:02,489 --> 00:45:06,649 S1: Healing is not linear. But maybe today you get out 760 00:45:06,690 --> 00:45:10,290 S1: of bed and tomorrow you brush your teeth, and the 761 00:45:10,290 --> 00:45:12,890 S1: next day you eat a bowl of cereal, and the 762 00:45:12,890 --> 00:45:16,410 S1: next day you shower. You talk in the book about 763 00:45:16,690 --> 00:45:20,370 S1: depression and debilitating not just the blues. You know, I 764 00:45:20,410 --> 00:45:27,410 S1: feel down today, but real debilitating depression and living through that. 765 00:45:27,410 --> 00:45:32,090 S1: And so your heart is for the person who's walking 766 00:45:32,130 --> 00:45:35,650 S1: that trail today, isn't it? Final word from you, Nicole. 767 00:45:35,650 --> 00:45:36,370 S1: What do you say? 768 00:45:37,450 --> 00:45:41,530 S2: I just think of job 422 and it says, I 769 00:45:41,530 --> 00:45:44,290 S2: know that you can do all things and that no 770 00:45:44,290 --> 00:45:48,250 S2: purpose of yours can be thwarted. Which means nothing can 771 00:45:48,250 --> 00:45:52,370 S2: hinder what God has for you. No circumstance, no challenge, 772 00:45:52,370 --> 00:45:56,410 S2: no depression, no health issue. Nothing can hinder what God 773 00:45:56,410 --> 00:45:59,529 S2: has for you, because he is good and he is 774 00:45:59,530 --> 00:46:00,650 S2: walking right beside you. 775 00:46:01,330 --> 00:46:05,129 S1: Amen. Amen. Well, go back to those kids and see 776 00:46:05,130 --> 00:46:06,690 S1: how they're doing there in the house. 777 00:46:06,690 --> 00:46:06,970 S6: And. 778 00:46:06,969 --> 00:46:09,850 S1: The the dogs and the chickens and the, and the pond. 779 00:46:09,850 --> 00:46:12,250 S1: And it's been a real treat to get to talk 780 00:46:12,250 --> 00:46:14,770 S1: with you today and share a little of your life. Nicole, 781 00:46:14,770 --> 00:46:16,530 S1: thanks for coming alongside us today. 782 00:46:17,170 --> 00:46:19,370 S2: Thank you so much for having me. It was a joy. 783 00:46:20,330 --> 00:46:25,930 S1: Nicole Jacobs Meyer is the author of Something Good Will grow. Uh, 784 00:46:25,930 --> 00:46:28,610 S1: here's the bottom line question. She says in the book, 785 00:46:28,890 --> 00:46:33,330 S1: Will you honor God when your life is not going 786 00:46:33,370 --> 00:46:36,890 S1: as you'd planned? That's a really good question to end 787 00:46:36,930 --> 00:46:40,890 S1: our conversation with today. Go to the website, Chris Fabry live.org, 788 00:46:40,930 --> 00:46:43,770 S1: and you'll see more about something good will grow. And 789 00:46:43,770 --> 00:46:45,930 S1: come on back next time. Chris Fabry Live is a 790 00:46:45,930 --> 00:46:49,690 S1: production of Moody Radio, a Ministry of Moody Bible Institute.