Promise Hill is a Christian, faith-based soul care podcast offering gentle stories and guided reflection for people seeking healing, rest, and hope with God.
The story you’ll hear in Promise Hill is fiction, but the heart behind it is real. It’s not based on any one person, but it reflects the honest, messy, and beautiful experiences so many of us share: grief, hope, change, and growth.
The reflections and action steps shared along the way are gentle offerings...simple things to consider or try. Take what speaks to you, and feel free to leave the rest. This is a Christian space created to uplift, encourage, and bring comfort or clarity when you need it.
If you’re walking through something especially heavy right now, please don’t go it alone. Reaching out to a trusted counselor or mental health professional can be a meaningful step toward care and support. You are deeply worthy of that kind of help.
I’m so grateful you’re here, friend. Thank you for spending this time with me.
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Welcome back to Promise Hill.
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This is Chapter 5,
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The Secret Room.
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Hello,
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I'm Kimberlee Herman,
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your host.
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If this is your first time tuning in,
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welcome.
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So,
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what is Promise Hill?
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It's an unfolding mystery mixed with soul care.
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I'm an outside-the-box,
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pastoral counselor and find that stories hit home better than textbook teaching,
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but that's just me.
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You're going to hear chapter 5 now and afterwards I will come back to sit with you and talk about the chapter.
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Since this is an unfolding story,
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I highly recommend starting with episode 1.
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In our last episode,
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The Bluebird,
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Mira was able to spend intentional and quality time with her mom Ruth.
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Ruth gave her a Bible and a journey to find a
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a secret room inside their old house.
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Today we follow Mira to her childhood home,
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not knowing exactly what she'll find,
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only that something long buried is beginning to surface.
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I'll meet you on the other side of this fictional narrative with reflections,
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action steps,
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and prayer.
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Let's listen in.
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Mira sat in her car keeping dry as she stared at the house she had grown up in.
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Look at that.
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They painted the shutters sage green and added more flowers around the house.
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Dad would have liked it,
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I think.
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It had been five years since her dad passed away,
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and about six months since they sold the house.
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Will they even let me in?
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With a steadying exhale,
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she stepped out of the car,
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covering her head with her jacket and holding the journal.
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She made her way to the front door.
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Standing under the roof on the porch,
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Mira knocked with courage.
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A middle-aged woman with a short blonde bob and kind blue eyes opened the door.
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Can I help you?
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Hi there.
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My name's Mira.
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My family and I used to live here.
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I helped my mom sell her home to you.
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Sorry,
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this is so awkward.
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I'm here because my mom just told me she left something in the attic before she moved.
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I know this is a strange request.
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But I was wondering if you would let me look for it.
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The woman hesitated,
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glancing back inside.
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I promise I won't take much of your time.
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The woman studied her for a moment with cautious curiosity.
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There wasn't anything up there when we moved in.
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Are you sure?
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Mira nodded and opened up her mom's journal.
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She says there's a hidden room.
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I have no idea if it really exists.
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But she drew this to show me how to find it.
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Mira handed her the open journal.
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The woman's expression softened.
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She looked at the drawing,
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then back at Mira with a big smile.
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This sounds like the beginning of an adventure.
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I'm going to let my husband know what's going on.
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I'll be right back.
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Thanks so much.
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As Mira waited,
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she glanced down and noticed her small handprint pressed into the cement of the porch all those years ago.
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The sight stirred a rush of memories.
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Birthday parties in the yard,
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the day she got her first car,
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and her father's return from long business trips.
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The woman returned.
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I'm Claire,
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by the way.
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Come on in.
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Mira smiled.
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It's very nice to meet you,
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Claire.
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She stepped over the threshold,
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stomping off the weather onto rain mats.
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She walked into the house that once held the heartbeat of her childhood.
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But time had changed everything.
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New floors and fresh paint.
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A familiar shell with a different soul.
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As they made their way up to the attic,
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they shared pleasant,
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surface-level conversation.
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Nothing too deep.
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Just enough to keep the silence at bay.
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The attic greeted them with the scent of aged wood and dust.
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Mira's heart beat louder in her chest as she took in the space.
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So many memories.
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Hide and seek,
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tea parties,
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my mom yelling for me for dinner.
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I would get lost in play up here.
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Sounds like a wonderful childhood.
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I love to hear about what echoes these walls hold.
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I think I found something.
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Look here
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Just as my mother described,
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it's the hidden button.
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It's camouflaged in the wood panel on the side wall.
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Her finger paused above the wooden seam.
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Some instinct whispered that the moment she pressed it,
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something long forgotten would stir.
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She took a slow breath and pushed the button.
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A concealed door swung open slowly.
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A light flickered to life inside the secret room.
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I can't believe this was here all along.
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What a lovely little space.
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Me too.
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It explains why I had to play outside when my dad was home.
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Mira stepped inside,
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awe settling over her like a blanket.
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A green leather recliner sat on a soft beige and blue rug.
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On the other side,
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a tall lamp.
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And a wall clock frozen at 3.16.
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Look at this built-in bookshelf.
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It still has a few old books sitting here.
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It feels like a retreat,
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a sanctuary frozen in time.
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Beside the chair sat a banker's box that read,
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Ruth Only.
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It was taped closed.
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Mira crouched beside it.
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Her hand hovered over the tape,
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but something in her chest hesitated.
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This wasn't hers to open.
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Not yet.
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Instead,
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she lifted it carefully into her arms,
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feeling the weight of the box and the weight of memories.
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Coming here was much harder than she anticipated.
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Mira turned to Claire,
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needing to leave.
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The weight of grief was settling in.
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Thank you for letting me do this,
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Claire.
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I really appreciate it.
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But I need to leave.
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Of course,
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Mira.
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This must be a lot to take in.
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I'll walk you out.
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You're welcome back anytime.
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If I find anything else that belongs to your family,
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I'll let you know.
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Would you like to leave your number?
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Mira nodded as they landed in the entryway.
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She scribbled her number on a notepad.
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Thank you again,
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Claire.
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I appreciate your help.
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It was so nice to meet you.
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Claire smiled and gave Mira a hug.
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Mira drove just around the corner before pulling over to take in what she'd just experienced.
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The box sat on the passenger seat,
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silent but weighty with unspoken mementos.
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She rested a hand on the lid and wondered.
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What could be sitting in this box that Mom wanted to keep private?
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Mira sat in silence as she drove back to the care home,
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remembering Charity's advice to be grateful for the moments with her mom and experiencing them as gifts.
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Mira ran through the rain with the box.
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When she arrived to her mother's room,
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she found Ruth sitting up in bed.
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When Ruth saw the box,
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her eyes widened slightly.
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Hey,
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Mama.
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I found the box you asked for.
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It was right where you said it would be,
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and I brought back your journal,
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too.
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That secret room is pretty neat.
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I can't believe I never knew about it.
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Mira kissed her mom on the cheek and set the box on the coffee table in front of them and set the journal on her table.
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They tore off the tape and then opened the box together slowly,
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carefully removing a few old items from the top,
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college letters,
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family photos,
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journals.
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And then Ruth's breath caught as she pulled out a yellowed handkerchief.
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She slowly unwrapped the object,
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revealing a small wooden carving,
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a tiny bluebird with wings outstretched.
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Look,
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Mira,
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my bluebird.
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Your father gave it to me after the Bill the Bluebird experience I told you about last time.
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It was a funny family memory.
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But it was also to remind me that he loved our family and would be flying home to see us.
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Mira looked up to see tears forming in her mother's eyes.
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He was gone so much.
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Did I ever tell you he was in special forces?
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Mira shook her head slowly,
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stunned.
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No,
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you told me he was in sales and had to travel the world selling vacuums to moms who needed one.
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That didn't make sense when I got older,
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but you both never wanted to talk about it.
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He couldn't tell us where he'd been,
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and we weren't sure how to explain that to you.
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But whenever he returned,
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he never came empty-handed,
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a stone smoothed by water in a distant lake,
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lace from some faraway land.
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Something small,
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carefully chosen.
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He said it helped him feel like he was still part of our everyday life.
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Ruth looked down at the box.
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Do you remember the toys he brought home for you?
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I have some memories,
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but I really remember just wanting him to stay home.
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Everyone else's dad was around.
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I thought he didn't like us enough to stay.
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I'm sorry,
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dear.
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That's not what happened.
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He had an important job to do.
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It was complicated.
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Mira's eyes misted as she glanced at the growing pile of keepsakes between them,
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as her mother took them out one by one.
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You saved all this?
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I saved him.
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In my own way.
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Mira sat beside her mother and reached for her hand.
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The moment was quiet,
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sacred.
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And in that silence,
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the past didn't feel so far away anymore.
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She felt close to her mom as she studied her face and her hands.
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She was grateful for these shared moments of nostalgia,
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and thankful to Charity,
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who reminded her to cherish them.
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But she also realized how dismissed she felt.
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It wasn't the first time,
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and it always felt confusing.
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Her mom was so kind,
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but didn't seem to understand her feelings about her dad.
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He was gone all the time,
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months at a time.
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It hurt,
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deeply.
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As Mira's fingers traced the edge of the box,
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her eyes caught a delicate,
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worn piece of lace with the initials GL in the middle.
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It was a remnant of another time,
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laying on top of an old necklace with a pink stone.
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Mama,
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who's
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GL?
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That's for another day,
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Mira.
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Mira was surprised,
264
00:11:30.562 --> 00:11:31.103
but let it go.
265
00:11:32.143 --> 00:11:34.864
Look at all these old letters and my wedding photos.
266
00:11:35.664 --> 00:11:38.165
She pulled out a photo album she had never seen.
267
00:11:38.965 --> 00:11:40.125
I don't remember this album.
268
00:11:40.865 --> 00:11:41.506
Who's in this?
269
00:11:43.266 --> 00:11:43.546
Mira,
270
00:11:43.806 --> 00:11:44.987
give it to me right now.
271
00:11:45.647 --> 00:11:47.567
Some of these things are for another day.
272
00:11:49.368 --> 00:11:49.668
Okay,
273
00:11:49.748 --> 00:11:50.008
Mama.
274
00:11:51.208 --> 00:11:54.889
The last thing buried at the bottom was a manila envelope labeled
275
00:11:55.250 --> 00:11:55.750
Private.
276
00:11:56.974 --> 00:11:58.756
Mira reached in and pulled it out,
277
00:11:59.236 --> 00:12:01.558
the weight of it unexpected in her hands.
278
00:12:02.779 --> 00:12:03.760
Before she could open it,
279
00:12:04.221 --> 00:12:06.443
Ruth's hand shot out and snatched it away.
280
00:12:07.764 --> 00:12:08.985
That's not for now.
281
00:12:10.066 --> 00:12:10.706
Mira blinked,
282
00:12:11.047 --> 00:12:11.547
startled.
283
00:12:12.408 --> 00:12:14.049
But not now.
284
00:12:15.374 --> 00:12:19.017
Ruth clutched the envelope to her chest as she stood up and walked to her bed.
285
00:12:20.238 --> 00:12:21.298
Mira gently got up,
286
00:12:21.959 --> 00:12:25.061
laying the lace with the strange initials on her mother's desk,
287
00:12:25.641 --> 00:12:27.302
her heart thudding with questions,
288
00:12:27.823 --> 00:12:28.703
holding back tears.
289
00:12:30.024 --> 00:12:30.345
Okay,
290
00:12:30.385 --> 00:12:30.685
Mama.
291
00:12:31.285 --> 00:12:33.027
I'll be back to visit in a few days.
292
00:12:34.287 --> 00:12:36.429
Mira left with tears welling in her eyes.
293
00:12:37.049 --> 00:12:38.030
She sat in her car,
294
00:12:38.430 --> 00:12:39.951
staring out into the darkness.
295
00:12:40.692 --> 00:12:43.254
I wonder what could possibly be in that envelope.
296
00:12:43.734 --> 00:12:45.896
And why did she get so agitated about it?
297
00:12:46.917 --> 00:12:51.402
She glanced once more at the care home before turning the key when her phone vibrated.
298
00:12:52.162 --> 00:12:53.263
One new message.
299
00:12:53.944 --> 00:12:55.045
The number was unknown.
300
00:12:55.526 --> 00:12:56.467
No contact image.
301
00:12:56.867 --> 00:12:57.748
No thread history.
302
00:12:58.609 --> 00:12:59.389
The message read,
303
00:13:00.751 --> 00:13:01.071
Amira,
304
00:13:01.211 --> 00:13:01.692
is that you?
305
00:13:03.373 --> 00:13:04.054
Who's Amira?
306
00:13:04.835 --> 00:13:07.337
And why does it sound so close to my name?
307
00:13:08.918 --> 00:13:10.660
Some boxes hold more than objects.
308
00:13:11.200 --> 00:13:12.041
They carry memory,
309
00:13:12.441 --> 00:13:12.821
mystery,
310
00:13:12.982 --> 00:13:13.522
and meaning,
311
00:13:14.002 --> 00:13:15.924
wrapped in dust and quiet hope.
312
00:13:16.925 --> 00:13:18.626
Mira didn't just find a hidden room.
313
00:13:19.207 --> 00:13:21.229
She uncovered a piece of her family's soul.
314
00:13:21.989 --> 00:13:23.871
Join us next time in Promise Hill,
315
00:13:24.411 --> 00:13:27.014
where every discovery brings us closer to the beginning.
316
00:13:27.594 --> 00:13:28.054
Take it away,
317
00:13:28.134 --> 00:13:28.555
Kimberlee.
318
00:13:30.156 --> 00:13:31.758
Let's walk that story home.
319
00:13:32.874 --> 00:13:35.476
Do you find yourself in a similar situation,
320
00:13:35.916 --> 00:13:38.017
watching a loved one walk through challenges,
321
00:13:38.537 --> 00:13:41.159
going back in time to feel what surfaces?
322
00:13:41.979 --> 00:13:45.241
Today I have three reflections and three action steps for you,
323
00:13:45.461 --> 00:13:46.862
but before that,
324
00:13:47.543 --> 00:13:52.085
did you notice how Mira recognized that her feelings were minimized by her Mom Ruth.
325
00:13:53.446 --> 00:13:58.029
It can be very confusing when we love someone and most of the time they're wonderful.
326
00:13:58.590 --> 00:14:00.531
But sometimes when we're being vulnerable,
327
00:14:00.651 --> 00:14:02.492
our feelings are pushed to the side.
328
00:14:02.912 --> 00:14:04.754
It's perplexing and painful.
329
00:14:05.554 --> 00:14:07.215
Why do people do that?
330
00:14:08.016 --> 00:14:08.276
Mainly,
331
00:14:08.516 --> 00:14:10.839
because they don't know how to handle your feelings,
332
00:14:10.919 --> 00:14:12.081
let alone their own.
333
00:14:12.761 --> 00:14:13.883
Reflection number one.
334
00:14:14.584 --> 00:14:16.806
The hidden rooms we don't know exist.
335
00:14:17.627 --> 00:14:21.532
Sometimes the most important parts of our story are hidden in plain sight.
336
00:14:22.213 --> 00:14:23.134
Mira grew up in that
337
00:14:23.274 --> 00:14:25.377
house and never knew there was a secret room.
338
00:14:25.957 --> 00:14:26.899
Could you imagine?
339
00:14:27.579 --> 00:14:28.320
In the same way,
340
00:14:28.461 --> 00:14:32.025
she grew up in her family and never knew the full truth about her father.
341
00:14:32.666 --> 00:14:33.567
That's real life.
342
00:14:34.047 --> 00:14:38.273
We think we know our story and then one small discovery shifts everything.
343
00:14:39.598 --> 00:14:40.379
Hear it and hold it.
344
00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:42.780
Psalm 121 verses 1 and 2.
345
00:14:43.501 --> 00:14:45.622
I lift up my eyes to the mountains.
346
00:14:46.062 --> 00:14:47.483
Where does my help come from?
347
00:14:48.024 --> 00:14:49.425
My help comes from the Lord,
348
00:14:49.465 --> 00:14:51.046
the maker of heaven and earth.
349
00:14:52.046 --> 00:14:53.407
When a hidden room appears,
350
00:14:53.447 --> 00:14:54.408
it can shake the storm.
351
00:14:54.428 --> 00:14:55.409
story we thought we knew.
352
00:14:56.050 --> 00:14:56.991
Yet the psalmist,
353
00:14:57.071 --> 00:14:57.752
King David,
354
00:14:58.112 --> 00:15:01.116
reminds us that our help doesn't come from what's discovered,
355
00:15:02.137 --> 00:15:05.001
but from the Lord who already knows what's there.
356
00:15:05.782 --> 00:15:07.904
God isn't startled by what we find.
357
00:15:08.285 --> 00:15:09.306
He meets us in it.
358
00:15:10.367 --> 00:15:11.447
Here's what I want you to know.
359
00:15:12.788 --> 00:15:16.390
The room in the story represents hidden information about Mira's past.
360
00:15:17.050 --> 00:15:19.092
We all have hidden rooms in our story.
361
00:15:19.672 --> 00:15:23.314
Some hidden rooms need the support of a trained therapist to help you walk through it.
362
00:15:24.035 --> 00:15:27.176
Other hidden rooms might hold information we did not know about,
363
00:15:27.236 --> 00:15:28.417
like Mira and her dad.
364
00:15:29.158 --> 00:15:29.978
Or smaller,
365
00:15:30.058 --> 00:15:31.239
difficult situations,
366
00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:33.100
like kids being mean to us at school.
367
00:15:34.481 --> 00:15:36.302
Hidden rooms don't discount your life.
368
00:15:36.802 --> 00:15:38.023
But because we're too young,
369
00:15:38.103 --> 00:15:38.684
too innocent,
370
00:15:38.704 --> 00:15:40.666
or too protected to see everything clearly,
371
00:15:41.167 --> 00:15:44.511
situations and events might get swept up into compartments.
372
00:15:45.311 --> 00:15:48.035
And when we discover something new about our past,
373
00:15:48.395 --> 00:15:50.417
it doesn't mean our whole life was a lie.
374
00:15:51.398 --> 00:15:52.700
If a hidden room opens,
375
00:15:52.860 --> 00:15:54.522
bring Jesus with you.
376
00:15:55.566 --> 00:15:55.786
Now,
377
00:15:56.027 --> 00:16:00.170
I'm in no way suggesting that you go after hidden rooms in your past,
378
00:16:00.550 --> 00:16:03.613
unless you feel you're ready and have the appropriate support.
379
00:16:04.214 --> 00:16:05.355
And please remember,
380
00:16:05.775 --> 00:16:08.097
if there is severe trauma in your childhood,
381
00:16:08.317 --> 00:16:09.618
or you think there might be,
382
00:16:10.119 --> 00:16:15.083
please find someone that's trained and has experience working with childhood trauma.
383
00:16:15.644 --> 00:16:20.167
It is a very specialized field and really needs someone that's trained in it.
384
00:16:20.708 --> 00:16:22.950
And do this because you're worth it.
385
00:16:24.934 --> 00:16:25.114
2.
386
00:16:25.715 --> 00:16:28.557
Childhood meanings aren't always the whole story.
387
00:16:29.457 --> 00:16:30.218
As a little girl,
388
00:16:30.518 --> 00:16:34.140
Mira thought her father stayed away because he didn't want to be home.
389
00:16:35.021 --> 00:16:38.423
I wonder how many of us had similar thoughts about our loved ones.
390
00:16:38.984 --> 00:16:42.826
That quiet belief shaped the way Mira saw herself for years.
391
00:16:43.547 --> 00:16:44.748
But truth has layers.
392
00:16:45.268 --> 00:16:48.450
The same story can look differently in fuller light.
393
00:16:49.371 --> 00:16:50.211
Hear it and hold it.
394
00:16:50.331 --> 00:16:51.472
Matthew 11 verses
395
00:16:53.293 --> 00:16:54.094
28 and 29.
396
00:16:54.095 --> 00:16:54.374
Come to me.
397
00:16:55.095 --> 00:17:00.719
When Jesus invites us to come to him,
398
00:17:01.039 --> 00:17:03.822
he meets both the ache and the need to understand.
399
00:17:04.442 --> 00:17:06.444
Healing asks us to look again,
400
00:17:06.524 --> 00:17:09.246
to name what happened and what it meant to us,
401
00:17:09.646 --> 00:17:12.509
and then taking it to Jesus so he can remove the pain.
402
00:17:13.209 --> 00:17:15.271
This is a process called inner healing,
403
00:17:15.391 --> 00:17:16.832
and it's super powerful.
404
00:17:17.353 --> 00:17:23.518
And this is the main tool that I use with my clients when we're walking through painful experiences.
405
00:17:23.798 --> 00:17:24.438
or triggers.
406
00:17:25.879 --> 00:17:26.399
Number three,
407
00:17:26.840 --> 00:17:29.081
some truths are revealed in stages.
408
00:17:29.721 --> 00:17:31.442
The envelope labeled private,
409
00:17:31.922 --> 00:17:33.183
the lace with initials,
410
00:17:33.223 --> 00:17:34.564
the mysterious text,
411
00:17:35.024 --> 00:17:35.805
and Ruth says,
412
00:17:35.985 --> 00:17:36.605
not now.
413
00:17:37.405 --> 00:17:38.586
That's uncomfortable.
414
00:17:39.166 --> 00:17:40.727
We don't like waiting for answers.
415
00:17:41.368 --> 00:17:43.189
We don't like being told we're not ready.
416
00:17:44.429 --> 00:17:45.250
Hear it and hold it.
417
00:17:45.330 --> 00:17:47.271
Ecclesiastes 3 verse 1.
418
00:17:48.271 --> 00:17:52.974
There's a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.
419
00:17:53.806 --> 00:17:55.507
Some answers take shape slowly.
420
00:17:56.308 --> 00:17:59.230
What feels like a delay might be mercy in disguise.
421
00:17:59.990 --> 00:18:00.791
When Ruth says,
422
00:18:01.011 --> 00:18:01.531
not now,
423
00:18:02.032 --> 00:18:03.573
it echoes something sacred,
424
00:18:03.993 --> 00:18:06.274
the rhythm of how truth unfolds.
425
00:18:06.895 --> 00:18:10.017
God reveals what we can carry when we can carry it.
426
00:18:10.537 --> 00:18:12.198
The pauses are not punishment.
427
00:18:12.639 --> 00:18:13.880
They might be preparation.
428
00:18:15.301 --> 00:18:18.763
Waiting seasons shape the heart that one day will hold the answer.
429
00:18:19.223 --> 00:18:20.624
So if clarity hasn't come,
430
00:18:21.084 --> 00:18:23.266
it may still be ripening beneath the surface.
431
00:18:23.814 --> 00:18:24.575
When it's time,
432
00:18:24.655 --> 00:18:27.178
it will open right on cue.
433
00:18:29.100 --> 00:18:31.483
Before we move to practical action steps,
434
00:18:31.643 --> 00:18:32.744
take a breath.
435
00:18:33.525 --> 00:18:36.248
Let what you've just heard settle in for a moment.
436
00:18:37.209 --> 00:18:38.070
Hidden rooms,
437
00:18:38.291 --> 00:18:39.172
old meetings,
438
00:18:39.272 --> 00:18:40.433
waiting seasons.
439
00:18:41.858 --> 00:18:44.301
Each one invites a kind of participation,
440
00:18:44.741 --> 00:18:46.022
not a task list,
441
00:18:46.403 --> 00:18:49.946
but as a way of staying present to what God is doing beneath the surface.
442
00:18:50.787 --> 00:18:56.653
These next three steps are small actions you can carry into the week ahead or into your whole life.
443
00:18:57.193 --> 00:18:58.755
Choose what works for you.
444
00:18:59.896 --> 00:19:00.456
Let's begin.
445
00:19:01.718 --> 00:19:02.639
Action number one,
446
00:19:03.019 --> 00:19:05.642
create a small sanctuary space.
447
00:19:06.610 --> 00:19:08.211
Mira discovered a hidden retreat,
448
00:19:08.451 --> 00:19:10.573
also known as the secret room in this chapter.
449
00:19:10.893 --> 00:19:11.574
There was a chair,
450
00:19:11.654 --> 00:19:12.074
a lamp,
451
00:19:12.174 --> 00:19:13.555
a clock frozen in time,
452
00:19:13.595 --> 00:19:14.916
a place set apart.
453
00:19:15.637 --> 00:19:16.097
This week,
454
00:19:16.277 --> 00:19:19.239
create your own tiny secret room or cozy space.
455
00:19:19.700 --> 00:19:20.520
Not a remodel,
456
00:19:21.041 --> 00:19:21.861
just intentional.
457
00:19:22.742 --> 00:19:24.443
A chair in the corner with a blanket.
458
00:19:24.823 --> 00:19:27.065
A candle only you light when you sit there.
459
00:19:27.685 --> 00:19:28.226
A bible,
460
00:19:28.366 --> 00:19:28.686
journal,
461
00:19:28.766 --> 00:19:30.768
or devotional waiting quietly nearby.
462
00:19:31.588 --> 00:19:33.349
A lamp instead of overhead lighting.
463
00:19:34.718 --> 00:19:36.199
The goal isn't aesthetics,
464
00:19:36.400 --> 00:19:37.501
it's association.
465
00:19:38.261 --> 00:19:39.022
When you sit there,
466
00:19:39.402 --> 00:19:40.283
your body learns,
467
00:19:40.503 --> 00:19:42.625
this is where I slow down.
468
00:19:43.526 --> 00:19:45.087
This is where I meet God.
469
00:19:45.928 --> 00:19:48.090
And this is where I can breathe.
470
00:19:49.471 --> 00:19:51.413
Consistency can build safety.
471
00:19:53.734 --> 00:19:54.975
Number two action step.
472
00:19:55.615 --> 00:19:58.357
Practice gratitude for one positive memory.
473
00:19:59.218 --> 00:20:00.959
Instead of revisiting hard history,
474
00:20:01.479 --> 00:20:04.001
find one small tender memory and write it down.
475
00:20:04.781 --> 00:20:07.443
This could be a meal someone cooked for you,
476
00:20:07.823 --> 00:20:08.584
a funny habit
477
00:20:08.584 --> 00:20:09.545
bit your parent had,
478
00:20:10.085 --> 00:20:10.785
a drive,
479
00:20:10.805 --> 00:20:11.506
a song,
480
00:20:11.546 --> 00:20:12.527
a small kindness.
481
00:20:13.287 --> 00:20:14.108
Don't dissect it,
482
00:20:14.148 --> 00:20:14.868
just honor it.
483
00:20:15.588 --> 00:20:17.690
Feel how grateful you are for that memory.
484
00:20:18.771 --> 00:20:20.492
Gratitude doesn't erase pain,
485
00:20:20.512 --> 00:20:21.452
it gives balance.
486
00:20:22.013 --> 00:20:23.914
Our stories hold more than sorrow.
487
00:20:24.654 --> 00:20:27.376
They hold beauty scattered in ordinary moments.
488
00:20:29.097 --> 00:20:30.278
Number three,
489
00:20:30.279 --> 00:20:32.079
practice the quiet hold.
490
00:20:33.300 --> 00:20:35.621
Not everything heavy needs to be solved right away.
491
00:20:35.661 --> 00:20:36.742
When something heavy needs to be solved,
492
00:20:36.742 --> 00:20:37.463
If something stirs,
493
00:20:37.503 --> 00:20:38.043
a thought,
494
00:20:38.383 --> 00:20:39.384
a realization,
495
00:20:39.484 --> 00:20:40.064
a wave,
496
00:20:40.285 --> 00:20:40.905
a feeling,
497
00:20:41.425 --> 00:20:42.947
pause and name it softly.
498
00:20:44.668 --> 00:20:45.528
This matters.
499
00:20:46.329 --> 00:20:48.451
Then hold it without rushing towards an answer.
500
00:20:49.111 --> 00:20:52.954
This is also known as not making a decision on impulse.
501
00:20:53.598 --> 00:20:54.178
For example,
502
00:20:54.938 --> 00:20:57.499
I have a family member with a challenging situation.
503
00:20:58.079 --> 00:21:00.100
When I get information about that person,
504
00:21:00.200 --> 00:21:01.861
I used to start spinning,
505
00:21:02.141 --> 00:21:03.001
like badly.
506
00:21:04.061 --> 00:21:06.662
But what I do now is acknowledge their choices,
507
00:21:06.922 --> 00:21:07.902
name what I'm feeling.
508
00:21:08.182 --> 00:21:09.623
Usually I'm feeling out of control.
509
00:21:10.283 --> 00:21:15.065
I surrender control to God and ask for his peace and wisdom for this person and for myself.
510
00:21:15.845 --> 00:21:18.086
I always ask God to help this person too.
511
00:21:19.810 --> 00:21:21.271
Stillness is not avoidance.
512
00:21:21.371 --> 00:21:23.653
It's trust in progress you can't see.
513
00:21:24.534 --> 00:21:29.097
Let the thought breathe in God's presence before you respond or decide.
514
00:21:29.958 --> 00:21:34.381
Some clarity arrives only when the heart has been quiet long enough to receive it.
515
00:21:35.882 --> 00:21:37.263
Each of these small actions,
516
00:21:37.343 --> 00:21:38.144
creating space,
517
00:21:38.264 --> 00:21:39.345
remembering gratitude,
518
00:21:39.365 --> 00:21:40.866
and practicing the quiet hold,
519
00:21:41.407 --> 00:21:43.969
works like gentle breathing for the soul.
520
00:21:44.770 --> 00:21:47.712
When we open hidden rooms or face memories that shift meaning,
521
00:21:47.772 --> 00:21:50.715
we sometimes need a place to rest before anything else.
522
00:21:51.215 --> 00:21:53.877
These rhythms give your heart that space.
523
00:21:54.858 --> 00:21:57.200
Let's close together in a short prayer.
524
00:21:58.281 --> 00:21:58.922
Dearest Father,
525
00:21:59.082 --> 00:22:03.826
I lift up every heart hearing these words today for your love to shine on their souls.
526
00:22:04.242 --> 00:22:06.764
Thank you for the gentle way you meet them in a flower,
527
00:22:06.784 --> 00:22:07.305
a song,
528
00:22:07.385 --> 00:22:08.125
or through others.
529
00:22:08.726 --> 00:22:14.050
These hearts can struggle to hold safe space for themselves and tends to be critical of their feelings.
530
00:22:14.591 --> 00:22:20.196
Remind them that you gave them feelings to connect to life and you meet them in all those spaces.
531
00:22:21.296 --> 00:22:23.218
Help them to see you in the smallest things,
532
00:22:23.278 --> 00:22:24.239
in sweet memories,
533
00:22:24.299 --> 00:22:25.440
a stranger's kindness,
534
00:22:25.520 --> 00:22:26.601
and in a friend's wisdom.
535
00:22:27.382 --> 00:22:30.324
And remind them that nothing meaningful is ever truly lost.
536
00:22:30.424 --> 00:22:32.366
It is just waiting to be found again.
537
00:22:32.902 --> 00:22:33.462
In Jesus'
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00:22:33.643 --> 00:22:34.243
name we pray,
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00:22:34.863 --> 00:22:35.264
amen.
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00:22:36.364 --> 00:22:38.145
Thank you for spending time with us today,
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00:22:38.245 --> 00:22:38.546
friend.
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00:22:39.006 --> 00:22:41.507
Remember to subscribe to be notified of Chapter 6,
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00:22:41.587 --> 00:22:42.148
The Bruise,
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00:22:42.528 --> 00:22:49.252
where we start learning how to address heart wounds with Grandma Eden and continue to learn a little bit more about Mira's story.
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00:22:50.033 --> 00:22:50.893
Until next time,
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00:22:50.993 --> 00:22:54.295
may you find peace in the presence and hope on the hilltop.
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00:22:54.696 --> 00:22:55.956
This is Kimberlee Herman,
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00:22:56.397 --> 00:22:58.338
cheering you on from Promise Hill.


