July 21, 2025
The Bruise, Season 1, episode 7
In this episode of Promise Hill, Mira finds herself revisiting the past in a way she didn’t expect—and maybe didn’t want. But through a quiet conversation, a bit of tea, something begins to stir. Healing isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s prompted by a photograph, a porch light, and a flower bookmark. If you’ve ever felt the ache of moving on but are not sure how, this one’s for you.
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Hey there friends,
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and welcome back to Promise Hill.
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First things first,
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thank you so much for listening,
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sharing,
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and walking this winding road with us.
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Whether you've been here since episode one,
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or you're just pulling off the highway to see what the fuss is all about,
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I'm so glad that you're here.
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Today is season one,
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episode seven,
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The Bruise.
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Because sometimes life doesn't leave scars that bleed on the outside,
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but it sure knows how to leave a bruise on your soul.
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So settle in,
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grab your favorite drink,
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and let's step into the story.
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Here's the bruise.
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Let's listen in.
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The road back to Promise Hill felt familiar,
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yet today carried a quiet shift.
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As Mira drove under soft sunlight,
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her thoughts wavered between memories and the hope of a new beginning.
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She'd left her mother's house,
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wondering about the unopened envelope and the weight of Ruth's fearful yet resolved eyes.
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For the first time in ages,
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she felt like she was heading towards something,
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not away.
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Turning onto the quiet street to Grandma Eden's cottage,
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Mira clutched a photograph in her lap,
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unsure if she'd meant to come or if her heart simply led her.
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Eden's porch light glowed in daylight as jasmine and lavender scented the breeze and wind chimes sang in the warm spring air.
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Grandma Eden opened the door before Mira could knock and greeted her with a smile and warmth that touched her soul.
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Hello,
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Mira dear.
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Were your ears burning or did your heart just know
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I've got the kettle on for you?
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Thank you,
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Grandma Eden,
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for being so welcoming.
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Inside,
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the kitchen smelled like orange peels and cinnamon.
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Mira settled into the same chair she always did,
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watching Eden pour two cups of steaming hot tea with her practiced gentleness.
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Penelope made her entrance and said hello to Mira with the cat rub she did so well.
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I was just at my mom's house.
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We talked.
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It went better than I expected.
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Eden gave a soft nod but said nothing,
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letting the silence stretch safely between them.
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But...
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But there was something that happened.
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There was this old photograph of me and Jackson.
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I haven't seen it in years,
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and I wasn't ready for what it stirred up.
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Was Jackson your husband?
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Mira nodded and handed Eden the photo.
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Here we are standing in front of the Pucker's ice cream stand.
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You know the one at the pier of Whispering Trees Lake,
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right?
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Look how happy I am.
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We were impossibly young and sunburned.
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The sight of it had stolen her breath.
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We met in middle school.
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He was the class clown,
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forever getting sent into the hallway for making sound effects during math quizzes.
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One day,
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he had put his calculator in the freezer at lunch and announced he was giving it a brain freeze.
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I laughed so hard.
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Chocolate milk spilled all over my jeans.
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That was the beginning.
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We dated on and off all through college.
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engaged by 22,
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married by 23,
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and by 28,
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it was unraveled.
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It wasn't a dramatic fall,
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no affair,
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no betrayal,
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just the slow erosion of connection.
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He buried himself in work,
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I buried myself in silence.
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We never fought,
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which somehow made it worse.
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We both agreed to pretend not to notice the growing distance.
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We didn't get help.
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We should have,
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but we didn't.
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Eden reached over,
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placing a steady hand over Mira's.
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He stayed in River City,
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where we lived before I moved here.
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Mira went on tearing up.
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His family cut ties with me after the divorce.
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They were like my second home during my teen years.
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And then,
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nothing.
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Mutual friends say he's dating again.
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And I'm not,
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not ready.
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Not sure I even know how.
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Ah,
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the kind of ache that doesn't bleed but still bruises.
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Mira blinked hard.
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I want to move on.
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I really do.
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But I don't know how.
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Aiden leaned back and sipped her green tea,
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then set the cup down.
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I know,
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dear.
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But I also know you can't rush healing.
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That's like trying to force a flower to bloom in winter.
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But you can prepare the soil.
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That's what forgiveness is,
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for yourself and for Jackson.
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Not forgetting the pain or regret,
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but freeing your own hands to carry hope again.
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Mira stared into a cup.
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What if I don't know what that hope looks like?
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Then it's time to dream again.
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Aiden's eyes began to twinkle.
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Not about a person.
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but about a life,
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your life.
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What makes your soul stretch wide and breathe deep?
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What stirs you when the world is quiet?
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Mira's eyes flicked to the big black book she saw on Eden's table.
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She still was not ready to ask about it.
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Then she exhaled slowly,
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the kind of breath that releases something held too tightly.
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I don't know,
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but I do know I'm scared of letting go of Jackson.
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What if I never find something like that again?
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Eden smiled softly.
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You might not,
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but what if what you find next is something even better?
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Not because it's bigger,
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but because you'll be walking into it more whole.
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Penelope made her presence again with a soft purr and side rub against Mira's leg.
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Mira felt something settle deep inside her.
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She didn't have all the answers.
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But maybe answers weren't the goal.
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Maybe healing was the journey of making peace with the pieces.
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How do I even begin getting whole?
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Grandma Eden smiled.
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Dear,
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I will drop off something later to help guide you.
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Take a read.
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It's a lot to go over,
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so I want you to have a head start.
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She finished her tea,
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hugged Eden tightly,
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and headed toward the door.
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And as she drove down the street back to her home,
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The photograph of she and Jackson was no longer on the passenger seat.
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It was tucked gently in the glove box.
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Still part of her story,
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but not the end of it.
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Later that afternoon,
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when Mira went to retrieve her mail from the post box,
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she noticed a basket sitting by her door.
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Eden had quietly stopped by with a note.
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Mira,
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my dear,
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here's a little something for you.
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There was an envelope,
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a box of chamomile and jasmine tea she made from her garden,
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and a mug that said,
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Breakthrough's coming.
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Mind your curls.
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Mira chuckled as she read that and touched her dark brown waves.
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The perfect mug from Eden.
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Mira made her tea in her mind your curls mug and settled in to read Eden's letter.
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Mira hoped this was salve for the bruise she carried for Jackson.
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She was hopeful now that she had steps to follow.
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But as she opened the envelope,
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Something slipped out.
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Something Eden hadn't mentioned.
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A pressed wildflower bookmark attached with twine to a word,
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Salah.
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Mira held her breath.
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What was this?
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Mira had stepped into something today.
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Not just the pages of an old story,
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but the beginnings of her own healing with Jackson.
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The bruise she carried for so long won't heal overnight.
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But maybe it could begin to fade,
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one step at a time.
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And sometimes,
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when we think we're alone,
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something unexpected comes to guide us.
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A letter,
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a flower,
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a mug with a new kind of hope.
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Take it away,
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Kimberlee.
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I love how Mira is addressing the wounds that are revealing their tenderness.
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She's asking for help and realizes it's time.
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Do you find yourself feeling stuck and bruised with an area in your life?
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I bet many of us have bruises we have been ignoring for years.
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Maybe now is the time to start bringing the salve and tenderly care for them.
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Perhaps the reflections and action steps today will be the ointment needed to get started.
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Something we can take away from Eden is how she listened to Mira.
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She allowed her to speak,
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didn't rush her,
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didn't interrupt her,
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and didn't try to fix her.
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This is a great reminder when we have friends who just need to verbally process something they're thinking about.
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It's not our job to try to jump in and fix.
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It is our job to create a safe space for them to feel listened to and comfortable sharing where they are.
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I have five reflections for you today.
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Reflection number one.
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Healing doesn't mean forgetting.
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It means making peace with what happened.
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Healing is a process of coming to terms with our past without being chained to it.
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It's not erasing the hurt,
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but learning to live with it in a way that no longer controls us.
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Boy,
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am I speaking to the choir.
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There's something challenging that I've been walking through,
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and this is a good reminder as I'm speaking it out loud,
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so I know exactly what this feels like.
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Hear it and hold it.
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Psalm 147 verse 3.
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He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
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Learning to live with pain is not our goal.
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We will have memories of hard times,
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but our goal is to remove the emotion from the event.
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There are different ways to accomplish this.
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One of the healing tools I use is called inner healing.
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It's when we go into prayer and submit the pain to Jesus.
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He then takes the pain and exchanges peace for it.
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It can get way more complicated than that,
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but that's the gist of it.
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I also use a form of something called internal family systems that God himself taught me for real.
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I'll go into that story at another time.
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Brain spotting and emotional freedom technique are two other tools that I use.
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Some other practitioners use EMDR,
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root cause therapy,
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and somatic release.
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There are many other ways to heal as well,
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and I'm just thankful that we can start with Jesus.
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Reflection number two.
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Grief
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and hope can sit at the same table.
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One doesn't cancel out the other.
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Goodness,
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it is possible to grieve what was lost while still holding on to hope for what is to come.
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The presence of pain doesn't mean we've lost the ability to hope.
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I'm going to repeat that.
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The presence of pain doesn't mean we've lost the ability to hope.
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But
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we must remember to keep our hope in Jesus.
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We don't know what the future brings,
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and we don't want to create a false prophecy.
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And a false prophecy is when we assume we know the future and act like that's what's happening.
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Hear it and hold it.
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Psalm 30 verse 5.
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Weeping may stay for the night,
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but rejoicing comes in the morning.
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Grieving is a process that takes time to walk through.
263
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I'm sure most of you know about the five stages of grief.
264
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While this was originally for the person who was dying,
265
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it made sense for these stages to be universal.
266
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These stages are not linear and do ebb and flow.
267
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They are denial,
268
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anger,
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bargaining,
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depression,
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and acceptance.
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While walking through it,
273
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you can still have hope that a better day is coming.
274
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And that hope starts with you,
275
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keeping your hope in Jesus,
276
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that he will carry you through the pain because that's what he says he will do,
277
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right?
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Psalm 23,
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the Lord is my shepherd.
280
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I shall not want for anything.
281
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He leads me beside still waters.
282
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He restores my soul,
283
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right?
284
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He restores my soul.
285
00:13:15.249 --> 00:13:16.843
There's so many difficult,
286
00:13:17.140 --> 00:13:18.546
hard things that happen,
287
00:13:18.640 --> 00:13:20.546
devastating things that happen in our lives.
288
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And we can choose to remain in that devastation or that grief for years,
289
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holding on to bitterness and resentment,
290
00:13:30.300 --> 00:13:32.339
getting stuck in the five stages of grief.
291
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Or we can choose to partner with the Lord.
292
00:13:38.382 --> 00:13:40.204
Allow him to work in your heart.
293
00:13:40.404 --> 00:13:43.707
Get the help needed to get unstuck,
294
00:13:44.890 --> 00:13:46.570
to look for hope,
295
00:13:48.375 --> 00:13:51.758
and to relieve yourself from the bitterness and the anger.
296
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It is possible.
297
00:13:53.437 --> 00:13:54.055
See it all the time.
298
00:13:54.992 --> 00:13:55.742
Hear it and hold it.
299
00:13:55.914 --> 00:13:56.695
James 1,
300
00:13:56.914 --> 00:13:57.695
2 through 4.
301
00:13:58.398 --> 00:13:59.726
Consider it pure joy,
302
00:13:59.820 --> 00:14:01.070
my brothers and sisters,
303
00:14:01.430 --> 00:14:04.305
whenever you face trials of many kinds,
304
00:14:04.789 --> 00:14:05.695
because you know.
305
00:14:06.174 --> 00:14:09.534
that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
306
00:14:10.395 --> 00:14:15.192
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,
307
00:14:15.653 --> 00:14:17.075
not lacking anything.
308
00:14:18.716 --> 00:14:21.614
While this verse is telling us that no matter what our trials,
309
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we are to have faith in God.
310
00:14:24.614 --> 00:14:29.942
This will grow us as we press into faith and not have doubts about God's help.
311
00:14:31.145 --> 00:14:32.161
Reflection number four.
312
00:14:32.858 --> 00:14:36.703
You are allowed to outgrow versions of yourself that were shaped by heartbreak.
313
00:14:37.664 --> 00:14:39.043
Heartbreak doesn't define us,
314
00:14:39.222 --> 00:14:40.668
it re-finds us.
315
00:14:41.363 --> 00:14:48.551
We can transform the versions of ourselves formed in pain and step into the healed person God always intended us to be.
316
00:14:49.801 --> 00:14:50.097
Friends,
317
00:14:50.176 --> 00:14:57.566
it is so important if you were in a relationship that ended through breaking up,
318
00:14:57.863 --> 00:14:58.801
through divorce,
319
00:14:58.941 --> 00:14:59.597
through death.
320
00:15:00.570 --> 00:15:03.450
Instead of holding on to heartbreak and grief,
321
00:15:04.610 --> 00:15:09.294
it's important to step through that to get to the other side for transformation.
322
00:15:10.052 --> 00:15:13.153
And the only way that can happen is for you to make that step.
323
00:15:14.333 --> 00:15:15.075
And I know you're saying,
324
00:15:15.114 --> 00:15:15.255
well,
325
00:15:15.473 --> 00:15:16.192
how do I do that?
326
00:15:17.091 --> 00:15:18.059
You reach out for help.
327
00:15:18.075 --> 00:15:19.356
You reach out for counselors.
328
00:15:19.372 --> 00:15:21.981
You reach out for support groups,
329
00:15:22.059 --> 00:15:22.809
grief groups.
330
00:15:23.434 --> 00:15:24.638
You reach out for healing.
331
00:15:25.028 --> 00:15:27.622
And you look at the areas that you feel stuck in.
332
00:15:28.442 --> 00:15:29.602
As we go through heartbreak,
333
00:15:29.662 --> 00:15:30.383
there's many,
334
00:15:30.543 --> 00:15:30.783
many,
335
00:15:30.902 --> 00:15:34.842
many issues that can come up from early childhood,
336
00:15:34.924 --> 00:15:37.603
from other heartbreaks that need to be mended and healed.
337
00:15:38.244 --> 00:15:42.908
Look for a minister that uses inner healing and deliverance.
338
00:15:43.783 --> 00:15:48.603
That really is so powerful because you have God right there with you walking through it.
339
00:15:49.369 --> 00:15:55.572
You can look for someone that is trained in Sozo through Bethel or reforming
340
00:15:56.630 --> 00:15:59.533
Restoring the foundations is another wonderful ministry.
341
00:16:00.954 --> 00:16:01.173
Okay,
342
00:16:02.134 --> 00:16:03.337
number five.
343
00:16:03.857 --> 00:16:05.400
Letting go isn't weakness.
344
00:16:05.837 --> 00:16:06.361
It's wisdom.
345
00:16:07.384 --> 00:16:10.665
Trusting God with your future is an act of courage.
346
00:16:11.642 --> 00:16:13.501
Letting go is not about giving up,
347
00:16:13.642 --> 00:16:15.595
but about trusting God with the unknown.
348
00:16:16.173 --> 00:16:19.720
It takes courage to release control and surrender to his plan.
349
00:16:20.658 --> 00:16:21.892
If you're anything like me,
350
00:16:23.033 --> 00:16:23.954
this one's hard.
351
00:16:24.876 --> 00:16:26.079
We want to know what's coming.
352
00:16:27.330 --> 00:16:33.252
We want to know that things are going to be okay and that his plan is as good as our plan.
353
00:16:35.373 --> 00:16:38.514
But it's so important that we surrender because when we surrender,
354
00:16:38.631 --> 00:16:39.990
we get out of God's way.
355
00:16:41.397 --> 00:16:42.451
When we're in his way,
356
00:16:42.670 --> 00:16:43.358
my goodness,
357
00:16:43.451 --> 00:16:43.748
he's like,
358
00:16:43.795 --> 00:16:44.092
okay,
359
00:16:44.389 --> 00:16:44.654
all right,
360
00:16:44.655 --> 00:16:45.029
Kimberly,
361
00:16:45.279 --> 00:16:46.108
you think you got this?
362
00:16:46.170 --> 00:16:46.670
Go ahead.
363
00:16:46.779 --> 00:16:47.873
And I don't got this.
364
00:16:49.201 --> 00:16:50.420
So I encourage you to surrender.
365
00:16:50.514 --> 00:16:51.342
And it's just prayer.
366
00:16:51.983 --> 00:16:52.295
Father,
367
00:16:52.717 --> 00:16:54.670
I surrender this situation to you.
368
00:16:55.514 --> 00:16:55.811
I want.
369
00:16:56.198 --> 00:16:56.759
your help,
370
00:16:56.879 --> 00:16:57.819
your perspective,
371
00:16:57.899 --> 00:16:58.581
your healing,
372
00:17:00.243 --> 00:17:01.782
and then let him go to work.
373
00:17:02.505 --> 00:17:02.704
Okay,
374
00:17:02.985 --> 00:17:03.685
hear it and hold it.
375
00:17:03.786 --> 00:17:04.888
Jeremiah 29,
376
00:17:04.903 --> 00:17:05.286
11.
377
00:17:06.146 --> 00:17:07.810
For I know the plans I have for you,
378
00:17:08.028 --> 00:17:08.810
declares the Lord,
379
00:17:08.888 --> 00:17:11.294
plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
380
00:17:11.489 --> 00:17:13.802
plans to give you a hope and a future.
381
00:17:14.896 --> 00:17:15.224
Goodness,
382
00:17:15.255 --> 00:17:16.771
those words are good to hold on to,
383
00:17:17.364 --> 00:17:17.599
right?
384
00:17:17.646 --> 00:17:18.974
A hope and a future.
385
00:17:20.370 --> 00:17:27.997
There's been many times in my life where I have been holding on so tightly to something that I wanted to see breakthrough in or change in.
386
00:17:28.657 --> 00:17:30.540
I wanted it on my timeline,
387
00:17:31.524 --> 00:17:31.759
but
388
00:17:32.321 --> 00:17:33.040
I surrendered.
389
00:17:33.142 --> 00:17:35.227
I decided to just give it to Jesus.
390
00:17:35.946 --> 00:17:39.149
I pictured myself literally putting the issue in his hand.
391
00:17:40.009 --> 00:17:42.165
It certainly felt good to release that burden.
392
00:17:42.977 --> 00:17:46.821
I was able to pray into the situation when I asked God for his perspective.
393
00:17:47.558 --> 00:17:48.899
I encourage you to try this.
394
00:17:49.040 --> 00:17:50.341
It really does help.
395
00:17:52.263 --> 00:17:52.563
All right,
396
00:17:52.704 --> 00:17:55.646
I have five action steps for you guys.
397
00:17:56.208 --> 00:17:56.786
Number one,
398
00:17:56.950 --> 00:17:59.271
create a new morning ritual.
399
00:17:59.552 --> 00:17:59.771
Okay,
400
00:17:59.833 --> 00:18:02.153
so before I explain what that means,
401
00:18:02.911 --> 00:18:04.536
if you're feeling stuck in life,
402
00:18:05.489 --> 00:18:08.192
you're in a mundane kind of situation,
403
00:18:08.271 --> 00:18:09.021
you go to get up,
404
00:18:09.036 --> 00:18:09.505
go to work,
405
00:18:10.364 --> 00:18:12.114
or you get up and take care of the kids,
406
00:18:13.458 --> 00:18:16.567
try something new to get out of getting in a rut or
407
00:18:16.834 --> 00:18:17.634
to get out of a rut,
408
00:18:17.654 --> 00:18:18.694
you need to do something new.
409
00:18:18.915 --> 00:18:26.233
So create a new morning ritual where you speak truth over yourself instead of replaying old memories.
410
00:18:26.796 --> 00:18:27.374
Try it tomorrow.
411
00:18:28.233 --> 00:18:31.280
An example is using scripture to step into such as,
412
00:18:32.139 --> 00:18:34.413
I am beautifully and wonderfully made.
413
00:18:35.038 --> 00:18:37.538
And I want you to look at yourself in the mirror as you say that.
414
00:18:38.758 --> 00:18:44.564
Set off your day with something easy and truthful because that comes from the Bible.
415
00:18:45.704 --> 00:18:46.404
Number two,
416
00:18:47.404 --> 00:18:48.271
write a letter,
417
00:18:48.427 --> 00:18:49.505
an encouraging letter,
418
00:18:49.646 --> 00:18:52.529
to the version of you who loved and lost that love.
419
00:18:53.411 --> 00:18:54.794
Thank her for surviving.
420
00:18:55.701 --> 00:18:58.982
This is especially helpful for the person who went through a divorce,
421
00:18:59.341 --> 00:19:00.685
a challenging breakup,
422
00:19:00.763 --> 00:19:02.122
or a spouse who passed away.
423
00:19:03.044 --> 00:19:07.232
This one brings so much compassion to parts of yourself that walk through heartache.
424
00:19:08.074 --> 00:19:15.116
This is about showing love to those parts of you that are hurting rather than criticizing them and living in the what-ifs or I should-haves.
425
00:19:16.053 --> 00:19:16.834
Oh man,
426
00:19:17.514 --> 00:19:20.358
what if I did that differently or I should have done this?
427
00:19:21.100 --> 00:19:21.600
I know,
428
00:19:22.241 --> 00:19:23.295
you know what I'm talking about.
429
00:19:24.295 --> 00:19:26.561
Let's stay away from those because they're not helpful.
430
00:19:27.498 --> 00:19:29.092
You will notice the more you listen to me,
431
00:19:29.202 --> 00:19:31.280
the more you'll hear me talk about parts.
432
00:19:31.795 --> 00:19:33.967
We all have parts that make us who we are.
433
00:19:34.639 --> 00:19:35.717
Some parts hold grief,
434
00:19:35.905 --> 00:19:37.514
some parts hold dark memories,
435
00:19:38.022 --> 00:19:39.084
Some parts hold trauma.
436
00:19:39.884 --> 00:19:43.929
It's important that we give attention to our parts so that we can love ourselves fully.
437
00:19:44.730 --> 00:19:46.090
In my work as a counselor,
438
00:19:46.207 --> 00:19:48.793
I work with what I call fractured soul parts.
439
00:19:49.254 --> 00:19:52.855
The secular world calls this type of work internal family systems.
440
00:19:53.660 --> 00:19:56.683
There is a Christian ministry called HeartSync that also works with parts.
441
00:19:57.199 --> 00:20:00.621
So God showed me his way of how he wants me to work with parts,
442
00:20:01.449 --> 00:20:03.121
and that will unfold a little bit later,
443
00:20:03.230 --> 00:20:06.168
but I wanted to give clarification to what parts were.
444
00:20:07.246 --> 00:20:07.574
All right.
445
00:20:08.230 --> 00:20:09.711
Next action step number three,
446
00:20:10.391 --> 00:20:11.872
plant something small,
447
00:20:13.110 --> 00:20:13.590
like a seed,
448
00:20:13.872 --> 00:20:14.251
of course,
449
00:20:15.090 --> 00:20:17.032
as a living symbol of being planted,
450
00:20:17.094 --> 00:20:17.696
not buried.
451
00:20:18.430 --> 00:20:19.516
I love this one.
452
00:20:20.313 --> 00:20:22.751
I'm reminded every day of this living symbol.
453
00:20:23.673 --> 00:20:27.798
We actually planted a teeny tiny small little aloe vera plant.
454
00:20:29.313 --> 00:20:29.829
Goodness,
455
00:20:30.969 --> 00:20:31.954
10 years ago,
456
00:20:32.298 --> 00:20:33.032
11 years ago.
457
00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:37.094
Now I believe we have like
458
00:20:38.254 --> 00:20:40.375
eight because they procreate on their own.
459
00:20:40.477 --> 00:20:42.918
So as they procreated over the years,
460
00:20:42.957 --> 00:20:44.699
I've given them away to so many people,
461
00:20:44.742 --> 00:20:45.762
but I've kept eight.
462
00:20:46.266 --> 00:20:52.008
And so it's just that living symbol of life growing and continuing on.
463
00:20:53.227 --> 00:20:53.766
Number four,
464
00:20:54.235 --> 00:20:56.657
schedule one life-giving activity each week.
465
00:20:57.328 --> 00:20:59.938
Something that feeds your soul with no obligation.
466
00:21:00.500 --> 00:21:01.891
It can be reading a devotional,
467
00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:03.000
listening to scripture,
468
00:21:03.094 --> 00:21:04.719
watching an episode of The Chosen,
469
00:21:05.235 --> 00:21:07.203
lighting a candle as you spend time with God.
470
00:21:07.954 --> 00:21:10.077
But this goes back to getting unstuck.
471
00:21:10.196 --> 00:21:14.542
We can get into this rut of just our days look the same day to day.
472
00:21:15.100 --> 00:21:20.768
So break it up a little bit and do something a little bit different as you spend more time with the Lord.
473
00:21:21.729 --> 00:21:22.245
Number five,
474
00:21:22.448 --> 00:21:25.385
make a playlist of songs that reflect healing,
475
00:21:25.870 --> 00:21:27.510
rising up and new beginnings.
476
00:21:27.995 --> 00:21:29.370
Your moving up soundtrack.
477
00:21:29.948 --> 00:21:33.245
I have some songs on my playlist that I just love.
478
00:21:33.338 --> 00:21:35.635
They are encouraging and supportive.
479
00:21:36.963 --> 00:21:37.229
Okay.
480
00:21:37.510 --> 00:21:38.752
It's that time for prayer.
481
00:21:39.351 --> 00:21:40.834
I'm so happy to be praying for you.
482
00:21:42.176 --> 00:21:42.797
Father God,
483
00:21:43.015 --> 00:21:45.816
for the ones listening who carry quiet bruises,
484
00:21:46.457 --> 00:21:47.762
memories that sting,
485
00:21:48.183 --> 00:21:49.363
names that still ache,
486
00:21:49.465 --> 00:21:51.121
and love that feels half-written,
487
00:21:51.824 --> 00:21:53.348
I lift them up to you now.
488
00:21:54.551 --> 00:21:56.723
You see the unseen grief,
489
00:21:57.176 --> 00:21:59.426
the stories that never felt like they ended,
490
00:21:59.488 --> 00:22:01.316
and the hearts afraid to begin again.
491
00:22:02.113 --> 00:22:05.676
You know what was lost and what still longs to be found.
492
00:22:06.662 --> 00:22:06.982
Today,
493
00:22:07.103 --> 00:22:07.603
like Mira,
494
00:22:08.264 --> 00:22:10.105
we take a step toward healing.
495
00:22:10.546 --> 00:22:11.245
Not all the way,
496
00:22:11.366 --> 00:22:11.827
not yet,
497
00:22:11.886 --> 00:22:15.112
but enough to say yes to your presence in the process.
498
00:22:15.909 --> 00:22:18.433
Help us to not rush what needs gentleness.
499
00:22:19.034 --> 00:22:22.573
Teach us that healing doesn't always arrive with fanfare.
500
00:22:23.042 --> 00:22:26.105
It often tiptoes in with tea and wildflowers,
501
00:22:26.214 --> 00:22:27.761
notes left on the doorstep,
502
00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:29.948
and moments of unexpected grace.
503
00:22:31.042 --> 00:22:31.339
Lord,
504
00:22:31.386 --> 00:22:34.448
for every listener holding an old photograph in their soul.
505
00:22:34.974 --> 00:22:37.738
For every memory that's both sacred and sore,
506
00:22:37.876 --> 00:22:39.179
I ask for peace.
507
00:22:39.679 --> 00:22:41.902
Not the kind that pretends everything is fine,
508
00:22:42.183 --> 00:22:44.347
but the peace that settles deep and quiet,
509
00:22:44.441 --> 00:22:45.628
knowing you are near.
510
00:22:46.886 --> 00:22:48.230
Give us courage to forgive,
511
00:22:48.628 --> 00:22:49.652
not just others,
512
00:22:49.707 --> 00:22:50.613
but ourselves.
513
00:22:51.425 --> 00:22:52.097
Give us hope,
514
00:22:52.253 --> 00:22:53.378
not in what was,
515
00:22:53.816 --> 00:22:56.957
but in what could be because of who you are.
516
00:22:57.644 --> 00:22:58.410
And remind us,
517
00:22:58.503 --> 00:22:58.832
God,
518
00:22:59.175 --> 00:23:00.972
that no matter what chapter we're in,
519
00:23:01.160 --> 00:23:03.285
it's not the end of the story.
520
00:23:03.925 --> 00:23:04.597
We're still.
521
00:23:04.830 --> 00:23:05.331
being written.
522
00:23:06.192 --> 00:23:06.551
And you,
523
00:23:06.832 --> 00:23:08.293
gentle author of our lives,
524
00:23:08.614 --> 00:23:11.477
know exactly how to unfold what's next.
525
00:23:12.176 --> 00:23:13.957
In Jesus's holy name,
526
00:23:14.582 --> 00:23:14.957
amen.
527
00:23:16.200 --> 00:23:17.020
Until next time,
528
00:23:17.059 --> 00:23:17.442
friends,
529
00:23:17.903 --> 00:23:22.020
may you find peace in the presence and hope on the hilltop.
530
00:23:22.692 --> 00:23:26.911
This is Kimberlee Herman cheering you on from Promise Hill.
1
00:00:18.055 --> 00:00:18.895
Hey there friends,
2
00:00:19.016 --> 00:00:20.758
and welcome back to Promise Hill.
3
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First things first,
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thank you so much for listening,
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sharing,
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and walking this winding road with us.
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Whether you've been here since episode one,
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or you're just pulling off the highway to see what the fuss is all about,
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I'm so glad that you're here.
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Today is season one,
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episode seven,
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The Bruise.
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Because sometimes life doesn't leave scars that bleed on the outside,
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but it sure knows how to leave a bruise on your soul.
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So settle in,
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grab your favorite drink,
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and let's step into the story.
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Here's the bruise.
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Let's listen in.
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The road back to Promise Hill felt familiar,
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yet today carried a quiet shift.
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As Mira drove under soft sunlight,
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her thoughts wavered between memories and the hope of a new beginning.
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She'd left her mother's house,
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wondering about the unopened envelope and the weight of Ruth's fearful yet resolved eyes.
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For the first time in ages,
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she felt like she was heading towards something,
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not away.
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Turning onto the quiet street to Grandma Eden's cottage,
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Mira clutched a photograph in her lap,
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unsure if she'd meant to come or if her heart simply led her.
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Eden's porch light glowed in daylight as jasmine and lavender scented the breeze and wind chimes sang in the warm spring air.
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Grandma Eden opened the door before Mira could knock and greeted her with a smile and warmth that touched her soul.
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Hello,
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Mira dear.
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Were your ears burning or did your heart just know
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I've got the kettle on for you?
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Thank you,
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Grandma Eden,
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for being so welcoming.
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Inside,
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the kitchen smelled like orange peels and cinnamon.
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Mira settled into the same chair she always did,
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watching Eden pour two cups of steaming hot tea with her practiced gentleness.
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Penelope made her entrance and said hello to Mira with the cat rub she did so well.
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I was just at my mom's house.
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We talked.
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It went better than I expected.
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Eden gave a soft nod but said nothing,
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letting the silence stretch safely between them.
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But...
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But there was something that happened.
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There was this old photograph of me and Jackson.
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I haven't seen it in years,
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and I wasn't ready for what it stirred up.
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Was Jackson your husband?
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Mira nodded and handed Eden the photo.
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Here we are standing in front of the Pucker's ice cream stand.
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You know the one at the pier of Whispering Trees Lake,
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right?
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Look how happy I am.
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We were impossibly young and sunburned.
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The sight of it had stolen her breath.
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We met in middle school.
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He was the class clown,
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forever getting sent into the hallway for making sound effects during math quizzes.
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One day,
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he had put his calculator in the freezer at lunch and announced he was giving it a brain freeze.
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I laughed so hard.
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Chocolate milk spilled all over my jeans.
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That was the beginning.
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We dated on and off all through college.
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engaged by 22,
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married by 23,
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and by 28,
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it was unraveled.
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It wasn't a dramatic fall,
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no affair,
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no betrayal,
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just the slow erosion of connection.
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He buried himself in work,
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I buried myself in silence.
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We never fought,
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which somehow made it worse.
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We both agreed to pretend not to notice the growing distance.
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We didn't get help.
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We should have,
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but we didn't.
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Eden reached over,
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placing a steady hand over Mira's.
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He stayed in River City,
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where we lived before I moved here.
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Mira went on tearing up.
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His family cut ties with me after the divorce.
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They were like my second home during my teen years.
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And then,
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nothing.
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Mutual friends say he's dating again.
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And I'm not,
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not ready.
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Not sure I even know how.
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Ah,
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the kind of ache that doesn't bleed but still bruises.
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Mira blinked hard.
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I want to move on.
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I really do.
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But I don't know how.
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Aiden leaned back and sipped her green tea,
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then set the cup down.
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I know,
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dear.
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But I also know you can't rush healing.
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That's like trying to force a flower to bloom in winter.
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But you can prepare the soil.
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That's what forgiveness is,
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for yourself and for Jackson.
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Not forgetting the pain or regret,
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but freeing your own hands to carry hope again.
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Mira stared into a cup.
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What if I don't know what that hope looks like?
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Then it's time to dream again.
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Aiden's eyes began to twinkle.
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Not about a person.
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but about a life,
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your life.
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What makes your soul stretch wide and breathe deep?
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What stirs you when the world is quiet?
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Mira's eyes flicked to the big black book she saw on Eden's table.
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She still was not ready to ask about it.
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Then she exhaled slowly,
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the kind of breath that releases something held too tightly.
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I don't know,
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but I do know I'm scared of letting go of Jackson.
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What if I never find something like that again?
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Eden smiled softly.
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You might not,
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but what if what you find next is something even better?
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Not because it's bigger,
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but because you'll be walking into it more whole.
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Penelope made her presence again with a soft purr and side rub against Mira's leg.
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Mira felt something settle deep inside her.
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She didn't have all the answers.
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But maybe answers weren't the goal.
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Maybe healing was the journey of making peace with the pieces.
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How do I even begin getting whole?
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Grandma Eden smiled.
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Dear,
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I will drop off something later to help guide you.
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Take a read.
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It's a lot to go over,
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so I want you to have a head start.
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She finished her tea,
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hugged Eden tightly,
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and headed toward the door.
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And as she drove down the street back to her home,
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The photograph of she and Jackson was no longer on the passenger seat.
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It was tucked gently in the glove box.
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Still part of her story,
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but not the end of it.
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Later that afternoon,
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when Mira went to retrieve her mail from the post box,
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she noticed a basket sitting by her door.
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Eden had quietly stopped by with a note.
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Mira,
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my dear,
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here's a little something for you.
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There was an envelope,
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a box of chamomile and jasmine tea she made from her garden,
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and a mug that said,
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Breakthrough's coming.
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Mind your curls.
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Mira chuckled as she read that and touched her dark brown waves.
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The perfect mug from Eden.
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Mira made her tea in her mind your curls mug and settled in to read Eden's letter.
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Mira hoped this was salve for the bruise she carried for Jackson.
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She was hopeful now that she had steps to follow.
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But as she opened the envelope,
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Something slipped out.
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Something Eden hadn't mentioned.
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A pressed wildflower bookmark attached with twine to a word,
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Salah.
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Mira held her breath.
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What was this?
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Mira had stepped into something today.
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Not just the pages of an old story,
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but the beginnings of her own healing with Jackson.
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The bruise she carried for so long won't heal overnight.
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But maybe it could begin to fade,
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one step at a time.
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And sometimes,
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when we think we're alone,
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something unexpected comes to guide us.
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A letter,
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a flower,
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a mug with a new kind of hope.
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Take it away,
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Kimberlee.
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I love how Mira is addressing the wounds that are revealing their tenderness.
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She's asking for help and realizes it's time.
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Do you find yourself feeling stuck and bruised with an area in your life?
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I bet many of us have bruises we have been ignoring for years.
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Maybe now is the time to start bringing the salve and tenderly care for them.
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Perhaps the reflections and action steps today will be the ointment needed to get started.
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Something we can take away from Eden is how she listened to Mira.
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She allowed her to speak,
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didn't rush her,
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didn't interrupt her,
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and didn't try to fix her.
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This is a great reminder when we have friends who just need to verbally process something they're thinking about.
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It's not our job to try to jump in and fix.
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It is our job to create a safe space for them to feel listened to and comfortable sharing where they are.
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I have five reflections for you today.
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Reflection number one.
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Healing doesn't mean forgetting.
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It means making peace with what happened.
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Healing is a process of coming to terms with our past without being chained to it.
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It's not erasing the hurt,
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but learning to live with it in a way that no longer controls us.
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Boy,
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am I speaking to the choir.
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There's something challenging that I've been walking through,
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and this is a good reminder as I'm speaking it out loud,
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so I know exactly what this feels like.
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Hear it and hold it.
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Psalm 147 verse 3.
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He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
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Learning to live with pain is not our goal.
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We will have memories of hard times,
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but our goal is to remove the emotion from the event.
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There are different ways to accomplish this.
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One of the healing tools I use is called inner healing.
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It's when we go into prayer and submit the pain to Jesus.
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He then takes the pain and exchanges peace for it.
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It can get way more complicated than that,
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but that's the gist of it.
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I also use a form of something called internal family systems that God himself taught me for real.
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I'll go into that story at another time.
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Brain spotting and emotional freedom technique are two other tools that I use.
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Some other practitioners use EMDR,
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root cause therapy,
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and somatic release.
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There are many other ways to heal as well,
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and I'm just thankful that we can start with Jesus.
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Reflection number two.
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Grief
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and hope can sit at the same table.
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One doesn't cancel out the other.
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Goodness,
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it is possible to grieve what was lost while still holding on to hope for what is to come.
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The presence of pain doesn't mean we've lost the ability to hope.
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I'm going to repeat that.
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The presence of pain doesn't mean we've lost the ability to hope.
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But
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we must remember to keep our hope in Jesus.
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We don't know what the future brings,
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and we don't want to create a false prophecy.
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And a false prophecy is when we assume we know the future and act like that's what's happening.
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Hear it and hold it.
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Psalm 30 verse 5.
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Weeping may stay for the night,
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but rejoicing comes in the morning.
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Grieving is a process that takes time to walk through.
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I'm sure most of you know about the five stages of grief.
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While this was originally for the person who was dying,
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it made sense for these stages to be universal.
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These stages are not linear and do ebb and flow.
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They are denial,
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anger,
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bargaining,
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depression,
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and acceptance.
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While walking through it,
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you can still have hope that a better day is coming.
274
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And that hope starts with you,
275
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keeping your hope in Jesus,
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that he will carry you through the pain because that's what he says he will do,
277
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right?
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Psalm 23,
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the Lord is my shepherd.
280
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I shall not want for anything.
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He leads me beside still waters.
282
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He restores my soul,
283
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right?
284
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He restores my soul.
285
00:13:15.249 --> 00:13:16.843
There's so many difficult,
286
00:13:17.140 --> 00:13:18.546
hard things that happen,
287
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devastating things that happen in our lives.
288
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And we can choose to remain in that devastation or that grief for years,
289
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holding on to bitterness and resentment,
290
00:13:30.300 --> 00:13:32.339
getting stuck in the five stages of grief.
291
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Or we can choose to partner with the Lord.
292
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Allow him to work in your heart.
293
00:13:40.404 --> 00:13:43.707
Get the help needed to get unstuck,
294
00:13:44.890 --> 00:13:46.570
to look for hope,
295
00:13:48.375 --> 00:13:51.758
and to relieve yourself from the bitterness and the anger.
296
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It is possible.
297
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See it all the time.
298
00:13:54.992 --> 00:13:55.742
Hear it and hold it.
299
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James 1,
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2 through 4.
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Consider it pure joy,
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my brothers and sisters,
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whenever you face trials of many kinds,
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because you know.
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00:14:06.174 --> 00:14:09.534
that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
306
00:14:10.395 --> 00:14:15.192
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,
307
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not lacking anything.
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00:14:18.716 --> 00:14:21.614
While this verse is telling us that no matter what our trials,
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we are to have faith in God.
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This will grow us as we press into faith and not have doubts about God's help.
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00:14:31.145 --> 00:14:32.161
Reflection number four.
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00:14:32.858 --> 00:14:36.703
You are allowed to outgrow versions of yourself that were shaped by heartbreak.
313
00:14:37.664 --> 00:14:39.043
Heartbreak doesn't define us,
314
00:14:39.222 --> 00:14:40.668
it re-finds us.
315
00:14:41.363 --> 00:14:48.551
We can transform the versions of ourselves formed in pain and step into the healed person God always intended us to be.
316
00:14:49.801 --> 00:14:50.097
Friends,
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00:14:50.176 --> 00:14:57.566
it is so important if you were in a relationship that ended through breaking up,
318
00:14:57.863 --> 00:14:58.801
through divorce,
319
00:14:58.941 --> 00:14:59.597
through death.
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00:15:00.570 --> 00:15:03.450
Instead of holding on to heartbreak and grief,
321
00:15:04.610 --> 00:15:09.294
it's important to step through that to get to the other side for transformation.
322
00:15:10.052 --> 00:15:13.153
And the only way that can happen is for you to make that step.
323
00:15:14.333 --> 00:15:15.075
And I know you're saying,
324
00:15:15.114 --> 00:15:15.255
well,
325
00:15:15.473 --> 00:15:16.192
how do I do that?
326
00:15:17.091 --> 00:15:18.059
You reach out for help.
327
00:15:18.075 --> 00:15:19.356
You reach out for counselors.
328
00:15:19.372 --> 00:15:21.981
You reach out for support groups,
329
00:15:22.059 --> 00:15:22.809
grief groups.
330
00:15:23.434 --> 00:15:24.638
You reach out for healing.
331
00:15:25.028 --> 00:15:27.622
And you look at the areas that you feel stuck in.
332
00:15:28.442 --> 00:15:29.602
As we go through heartbreak,
333
00:15:29.662 --> 00:15:30.383
there's many,
334
00:15:30.543 --> 00:15:30.783
many,
335
00:15:30.902 --> 00:15:34.842
many issues that can come up from early childhood,
336
00:15:34.924 --> 00:15:37.603
from other heartbreaks that need to be mended and healed.
337
00:15:38.244 --> 00:15:42.908
Look for a minister that uses inner healing and deliverance.
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00:15:43.783 --> 00:15:48.603
That really is so powerful because you have God right there with you walking through it.
339
00:15:49.369 --> 00:15:55.572
You can look for someone that is trained in Sozo through Bethel or reforming
340
00:15:56.630 --> 00:15:59.533
Restoring the foundations is another wonderful ministry.
341
00:16:00.954 --> 00:16:01.173
Okay,
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00:16:02.134 --> 00:16:03.337
number five.
343
00:16:03.857 --> 00:16:05.400
Letting go isn't weakness.
344
00:16:05.837 --> 00:16:06.361
It's wisdom.
345
00:16:07.384 --> 00:16:10.665
Trusting God with your future is an act of courage.
346
00:16:11.642 --> 00:16:13.501
Letting go is not about giving up,
347
00:16:13.642 --> 00:16:15.595
but about trusting God with the unknown.
348
00:16:16.173 --> 00:16:19.720
It takes courage to release control and surrender to his plan.
349
00:16:20.658 --> 00:16:21.892
If you're anything like me,
350
00:16:23.033 --> 00:16:23.954
this one's hard.
351
00:16:24.876 --> 00:16:26.079
We want to know what's coming.
352
00:16:27.330 --> 00:16:33.252
We want to know that things are going to be okay and that his plan is as good as our plan.
353
00:16:35.373 --> 00:16:38.514
But it's so important that we surrender because when we surrender,
354
00:16:38.631 --> 00:16:39.990
we get out of God's way.
355
00:16:41.397 --> 00:16:42.451
When we're in his way,
356
00:16:42.670 --> 00:16:43.358
my goodness,
357
00:16:43.451 --> 00:16:43.748
he's like,
358
00:16:43.795 --> 00:16:44.092
okay,
359
00:16:44.389 --> 00:16:44.654
all right,
360
00:16:44.655 --> 00:16:45.029
Kimberly,
361
00:16:45.279 --> 00:16:46.108
you think you got this?
362
00:16:46.170 --> 00:16:46.670
Go ahead.
363
00:16:46.779 --> 00:16:47.873
And I don't got this.
364
00:16:49.201 --> 00:16:50.420
So I encourage you to surrender.
365
00:16:50.514 --> 00:16:51.342
And it's just prayer.
366
00:16:51.983 --> 00:16:52.295
Father,
367
00:16:52.717 --> 00:16:54.670
I surrender this situation to you.
368
00:16:55.514 --> 00:16:55.811
I want.
369
00:16:56.198 --> 00:16:56.759
your help,
370
00:16:56.879 --> 00:16:57.819
your perspective,
371
00:16:57.899 --> 00:16:58.581
your healing,
372
00:17:00.243 --> 00:17:01.782
and then let him go to work.
373
00:17:02.505 --> 00:17:02.704
Okay,
374
00:17:02.985 --> 00:17:03.685
hear it and hold it.
375
00:17:03.786 --> 00:17:04.888
Jeremiah 29,
376
00:17:04.903 --> 00:17:05.286
11.
377
00:17:06.146 --> 00:17:07.810
For I know the plans I have for you,
378
00:17:08.028 --> 00:17:08.810
declares the Lord,
379
00:17:08.888 --> 00:17:11.294
plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
380
00:17:11.489 --> 00:17:13.802
plans to give you a hope and a future.
381
00:17:14.896 --> 00:17:15.224
Goodness,
382
00:17:15.255 --> 00:17:16.771
those words are good to hold on to,
383
00:17:17.364 --> 00:17:17.599
right?
384
00:17:17.646 --> 00:17:18.974
A hope and a future.
385
00:17:20.370 --> 00:17:27.997
There's been many times in my life where I have been holding on so tightly to something that I wanted to see breakthrough in or change in.
386
00:17:28.657 --> 00:17:30.540
I wanted it on my timeline,
387
00:17:31.524 --> 00:17:31.759
but
388
00:17:32.321 --> 00:17:33.040
I surrendered.
389
00:17:33.142 --> 00:17:35.227
I decided to just give it to Jesus.
390
00:17:35.946 --> 00:17:39.149
I pictured myself literally putting the issue in his hand.
391
00:17:40.009 --> 00:17:42.165
It certainly felt good to release that burden.
392
00:17:42.977 --> 00:17:46.821
I was able to pray into the situation when I asked God for his perspective.
393
00:17:47.558 --> 00:17:48.899
I encourage you to try this.
394
00:17:49.040 --> 00:17:50.341
It really does help.
395
00:17:52.263 --> 00:17:52.563
All right,
396
00:17:52.704 --> 00:17:55.646
I have five action steps for you guys.
397
00:17:56.208 --> 00:17:56.786
Number one,
398
00:17:56.950 --> 00:17:59.271
create a new morning ritual.
399
00:17:59.552 --> 00:17:59.771
Okay,
400
00:17:59.833 --> 00:18:02.153
so before I explain what that means,
401
00:18:02.911 --> 00:18:04.536
if you're feeling stuck in life,
402
00:18:05.489 --> 00:18:08.192
you're in a mundane kind of situation,
403
00:18:08.271 --> 00:18:09.021
you go to get up,
404
00:18:09.036 --> 00:18:09.505
go to work,
405
00:18:10.364 --> 00:18:12.114
or you get up and take care of the kids,
406
00:18:13.458 --> 00:18:16.567
try something new to get out of getting in a rut or
407
00:18:16.834 --> 00:18:17.634
to get out of a rut,
408
00:18:17.654 --> 00:18:18.694
you need to do something new.
409
00:18:18.915 --> 00:18:26.233
So create a new morning ritual where you speak truth over yourself instead of replaying old memories.
410
00:18:26.796 --> 00:18:27.374
Try it tomorrow.
411
00:18:28.233 --> 00:18:31.280
An example is using scripture to step into such as,
412
00:18:32.139 --> 00:18:34.413
I am beautifully and wonderfully made.
413
00:18:35.038 --> 00:18:37.538
And I want you to look at yourself in the mirror as you say that.
414
00:18:38.758 --> 00:18:44.564
Set off your day with something easy and truthful because that comes from the Bible.
415
00:18:45.704 --> 00:18:46.404
Number two,
416
00:18:47.404 --> 00:18:48.271
write a letter,
417
00:18:48.427 --> 00:18:49.505
an encouraging letter,
418
00:18:49.646 --> 00:18:52.529
to the version of you who loved and lost that love.
419
00:18:53.411 --> 00:18:54.794
Thank her for surviving.
420
00:18:55.701 --> 00:18:58.982
This is especially helpful for the person who went through a divorce,
421
00:18:59.341 --> 00:19:00.685
a challenging breakup,
422
00:19:00.763 --> 00:19:02.122
or a spouse who passed away.
423
00:19:03.044 --> 00:19:07.232
This one brings so much compassion to parts of yourself that walk through heartache.
424
00:19:08.074 --> 00:19:15.116
This is about showing love to those parts of you that are hurting rather than criticizing them and living in the what-ifs or I should-haves.
425
00:19:16.053 --> 00:19:16.834
Oh man,
426
00:19:17.514 --> 00:19:20.358
what if I did that differently or I should have done this?
427
00:19:21.100 --> 00:19:21.600
I know,
428
00:19:22.241 --> 00:19:23.295
you know what I'm talking about.
429
00:19:24.295 --> 00:19:26.561
Let's stay away from those because they're not helpful.
430
00:19:27.498 --> 00:19:29.092
You will notice the more you listen to me,
431
00:19:29.202 --> 00:19:31.280
the more you'll hear me talk about parts.
432
00:19:31.795 --> 00:19:33.967
We all have parts that make us who we are.
433
00:19:34.639 --> 00:19:35.717
Some parts hold grief,
434
00:19:35.905 --> 00:19:37.514
some parts hold dark memories,
435
00:19:38.022 --> 00:19:39.084
Some parts hold trauma.
436
00:19:39.884 --> 00:19:43.929
It's important that we give attention to our parts so that we can love ourselves fully.
437
00:19:44.730 --> 00:19:46.090
In my work as a counselor,
438
00:19:46.207 --> 00:19:48.793
I work with what I call fractured soul parts.
439
00:19:49.254 --> 00:19:52.855
The secular world calls this type of work internal family systems.
440
00:19:53.660 --> 00:19:56.683
There is a Christian ministry called HeartSync that also works with parts.
441
00:19:57.199 --> 00:20:00.621
So God showed me his way of how he wants me to work with parts,
442
00:20:01.449 --> 00:20:03.121
and that will unfold a little bit later,
443
00:20:03.230 --> 00:20:06.168
but I wanted to give clarification to what parts were.
444
00:20:07.246 --> 00:20:07.574
All right.
445
00:20:08.230 --> 00:20:09.711
Next action step number three,
446
00:20:10.391 --> 00:20:11.872
plant something small,
447
00:20:13.110 --> 00:20:13.590
like a seed,
448
00:20:13.872 --> 00:20:14.251
of course,
449
00:20:15.090 --> 00:20:17.032
as a living symbol of being planted,
450
00:20:17.094 --> 00:20:17.696
not buried.
451
00:20:18.430 --> 00:20:19.516
I love this one.
452
00:20:20.313 --> 00:20:22.751
I'm reminded every day of this living symbol.
453
00:20:23.673 --> 00:20:27.798
We actually planted a teeny tiny small little aloe vera plant.
454
00:20:29.313 --> 00:20:29.829
Goodness,
455
00:20:30.969 --> 00:20:31.954
10 years ago,
456
00:20:32.298 --> 00:20:33.032
11 years ago.
457
00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:37.094
Now I believe we have like
458
00:20:38.254 --> 00:20:40.375
eight because they procreate on their own.
459
00:20:40.477 --> 00:20:42.918
So as they procreated over the years,
460
00:20:42.957 --> 00:20:44.699
I've given them away to so many people,
461
00:20:44.742 --> 00:20:45.762
but I've kept eight.
462
00:20:46.266 --> 00:20:52.008
And so it's just that living symbol of life growing and continuing on.
463
00:20:53.227 --> 00:20:53.766
Number four,
464
00:20:54.235 --> 00:20:56.657
schedule one life-giving activity each week.
465
00:20:57.328 --> 00:20:59.938
Something that feeds your soul with no obligation.
466
00:21:00.500 --> 00:21:01.891
It can be reading a devotional,
467
00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:03.000
listening to scripture,
468
00:21:03.094 --> 00:21:04.719
watching an episode of The Chosen,
469
00:21:05.235 --> 00:21:07.203
lighting a candle as you spend time with God.
470
00:21:07.954 --> 00:21:10.077
But this goes back to getting unstuck.
471
00:21:10.196 --> 00:21:14.542
We can get into this rut of just our days look the same day to day.
472
00:21:15.100 --> 00:21:20.768
So break it up a little bit and do something a little bit different as you spend more time with the Lord.
473
00:21:21.729 --> 00:21:22.245
Number five,
474
00:21:22.448 --> 00:21:25.385
make a playlist of songs that reflect healing,
475
00:21:25.870 --> 00:21:27.510
rising up and new beginnings.
476
00:21:27.995 --> 00:21:29.370
Your moving up soundtrack.
477
00:21:29.948 --> 00:21:33.245
I have some songs on my playlist that I just love.
478
00:21:33.338 --> 00:21:35.635
They are encouraging and supportive.
479
00:21:36.963 --> 00:21:37.229
Okay.
480
00:21:37.510 --> 00:21:38.752
It's that time for prayer.
481
00:21:39.351 --> 00:21:40.834
I'm so happy to be praying for you.
482
00:21:42.176 --> 00:21:42.797
Father God,
483
00:21:43.015 --> 00:21:45.816
for the ones listening who carry quiet bruises,
484
00:21:46.457 --> 00:21:47.762
memories that sting,
485
00:21:48.183 --> 00:21:49.363
names that still ache,
486
00:21:49.465 --> 00:21:51.121
and love that feels half-written,
487
00:21:51.824 --> 00:21:53.348
I lift them up to you now.
488
00:21:54.551 --> 00:21:56.723
You see the unseen grief,
489
00:21:57.176 --> 00:21:59.426
the stories that never felt like they ended,
490
00:21:59.488 --> 00:22:01.316
and the hearts afraid to begin again.
491
00:22:02.113 --> 00:22:05.676
You know what was lost and what still longs to be found.
492
00:22:06.662 --> 00:22:06.982
Today,
493
00:22:07.103 --> 00:22:07.603
like Mira,
494
00:22:08.264 --> 00:22:10.105
we take a step toward healing.
495
00:22:10.546 --> 00:22:11.245
Not all the way,
496
00:22:11.366 --> 00:22:11.827
not yet,
497
00:22:11.886 --> 00:22:15.112
but enough to say yes to your presence in the process.
498
00:22:15.909 --> 00:22:18.433
Help us to not rush what needs gentleness.
499
00:22:19.034 --> 00:22:22.573
Teach us that healing doesn't always arrive with fanfare.
500
00:22:23.042 --> 00:22:26.105
It often tiptoes in with tea and wildflowers,
501
00:22:26.214 --> 00:22:27.761
notes left on the doorstep,
502
00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:29.948
and moments of unexpected grace.
503
00:22:31.042 --> 00:22:31.339
Lord,
504
00:22:31.386 --> 00:22:34.448
for every listener holding an old photograph in their soul.
505
00:22:34.974 --> 00:22:37.738
For every memory that's both sacred and sore,
506
00:22:37.876 --> 00:22:39.179
I ask for peace.
507
00:22:39.679 --> 00:22:41.902
Not the kind that pretends everything is fine,
508
00:22:42.183 --> 00:22:44.347
but the peace that settles deep and quiet,
509
00:22:44.441 --> 00:22:45.628
knowing you are near.
510
00:22:46.886 --> 00:22:48.230
Give us courage to forgive,
511
00:22:48.628 --> 00:22:49.652
not just others,
512
00:22:49.707 --> 00:22:50.613
but ourselves.
513
00:22:51.425 --> 00:22:52.097
Give us hope,
514
00:22:52.253 --> 00:22:53.378
not in what was,
515
00:22:53.816 --> 00:22:56.957
but in what could be because of who you are.
516
00:22:57.644 --> 00:22:58.410
And remind us,
517
00:22:58.503 --> 00:22:58.832
God,
518
00:22:59.175 --> 00:23:00.972
that no matter what chapter we're in,
519
00:23:01.160 --> 00:23:03.285
it's not the end of the story.
520
00:23:03.925 --> 00:23:04.597
We're still.
521
00:23:04.830 --> 00:23:05.331
being written.
522
00:23:06.192 --> 00:23:06.551
And you,
523
00:23:06.832 --> 00:23:08.293
gentle author of our lives,
524
00:23:08.614 --> 00:23:11.477
know exactly how to unfold what's next.
525
00:23:12.176 --> 00:23:13.957
In Jesus's holy name,
526
00:23:14.582 --> 00:23:14.957
amen.
527
00:23:16.200 --> 00:23:17.020
Until next time,
528
00:23:17.059 --> 00:23:17.442
friends,
529
00:23:17.903 --> 00:23:22.020
may you find peace in the presence and hope on the hilltop.
530
00:23:22.692 --> 00:23:26.911
This is Kimberlee Herman cheering you on from Promise Hill.