God can use the challenging circumstances of our lives to strengthen us and give us confidence in who He is and who we are in Him. Suffering doesn’t have to rob us of hope. It can give us a deeper experience of life and greater intimacy with God. Kelly Hall shares more of how being a mother of three profoundly deaf daughters became her gateway to life abundant in Christ.

Our version of impossible circumstances is not impossible with God. Nothing is too hard for Him. Nothing is impossible to Him. He meets us each day with strength and help to meet the challenges He allows in our lives. Author, teacher, and podcaster Kelly Hall shares how God met her through the journey of parenting three daughters who are profoundly deaf. His faithfulness carried her through.

When hardships seem unending, in our desire for relief, we can find ourselves blaming ourselves or others for the struggle. We often feel shame, believing it is somehow our fault that the trials persist. We can wonder where God is and if He cares, which only contributes to the shame we feel. Instead, God wants to minister to us in the heartache, giving us grace and strength to endure.

Shifting from a culture of hiding and pretending to one of authenticity is no small task. Yet living behind a mask keeps us from living as our real selves. Delphine Fanfon is my guest again this week. She shares her courageous journey to invite others to a life of vulnerability. There are challenges and rewards as she watches the Holy Spirit move in the lives of those she influences.

When poverty is added to the mix of a person’s experience, shame’s power seems great. Only God’s grace can overcome shame. Delphine Fanfon, who lives in the country of Cameroon in Africa, shares the harsh realities of the suffering of the people there. She tells of her own journey to come to trust Jesus and His grace, and now comes alongside adolescents to give them hope of what God can do.

The antidote for comparison and performance is God’s grace. Sue Tell, a veteran leader of the Navigators’ ministry shares how learning affirmation, identity in Christ, and trust began to free her from the patterns of the past. In living by God’s grace, her ministry expression deepened and she experienced greater intimacy with God.

We can fall into the trap of comparison among fellow Christians. We might fear that others have greater influence or standing within the Christian community. This creates judgment, criticism, and shame. Sue Tell, veteran leader in the Navigators ministry shares some of her story of falling into the comparison trap, followed by a spiritual crash. This led her to a readiness to receive God’s grace.

Arriving at the milestone of 100 podcast episodes affords the opportunity to reflect on lessons learned, joys experienced, and gratitude to God and all who helped make it happen.

Misguided theology creates shame. Misapplied Scripture creates shame. Without an understanding of God’s grace, Christian organizations and churches can be places where Christians experience shame. This is not God’s intention. God doesn’t create shame. He heals shame. God intends for the body of Christ to aid in this healing of shame. As we grow in grace, God can use us as avenues of His healing.

Misguided theology creates shame. Misapplied Scripture creates shame. Without an understanding of God’s grace, Christian organizations and churches can be places where Christians experience shame. This is not God’s intention. God doesn’t create shame. He heals shame. God intends for the body of Christ to aid in this healing of shame. As we grow in grace, God can use us as avenues of His healing.

Even public humiliation can’t stop God from healing us. He is greater than our deepest wounds. Cheryl tells how God met her to help her forgive her ex-husband. In the process of working through the harms done to her and her children, she came to know God in an intimate way that matured and strengthened her. She can now pass on the hope to others who are hurting.

Divorce is painful. Having your family’s sins written up in the newspaper for all to read might feel worse. Cheryl shares her journey of walking through divorce and public humiliation. She shares how God met her in the crisis. His faithfulness carried her through a day at a time.

God’s grace is our hope when we believe we should condemn ourselves. After divorce, Mark saw himself as a failure, focusing on his mistakes rather than on who he was in Christ. The grace offered to him by brothers and sisters in Christ freed him to forgive his ex-wife. He began to believe he had something to offer others. Hope for the future was restored.

The ending of a marriage through divorce is painful for everyone affected. It can bring up feelings of shame. It can make a person lose confidence and hope. Mark shares how his marriage started with all good intentions and then struggled. Even after working hard to save the marriage, it ended in divorce, which created a sense of failure in him. Redemption was on the horizon, but he couldn’t see it yet.

Students in middle and high school have a significant need to belong. When they fear they don’t have a place among their peers, shame is often the result. Nicole Hunter, veteran teacher and youth minister, explores the impact of social media and culture on students. She shares how the Gospel can bring hope to students who need encouragement.

Understanding how brain development affects the behaviors and thought processing of teens helps adults know how to be a support to them. Nicole Hunter shares her expertise and wisdom after years of teaching. She gives insight into the ways students cope with their fears of not measuring up academically. She tells how adults can guide their students to success.

After a childhood filled with trauma and shame from relational neglect and educational breakdown, Cary begins to find healing through Jesus, a grace-based church, and career success. Through God’s enablement, he was able to forgive those who brought him great harm. He began to walk in the truth of who he really is.

Before there was understanding of learning differences, students were sometimes wrongly labeled. They were identified as having character issues. Shame quickly took root. Cary shares the story of his painful experiences in school with teachers and peers who didn’t know how to meet his needs and embrace his unique design.

School makes up the majority of each day for children and teens. We often tell them that going to school is their job. Yet school can be a place where students come face to face with their fears and insecurities about themselves. It is important that the shame experiences are addressed so that we can move forward with health and wisdom.

Identifying the shame lies he believed about his height and his value as a man was the first step of healing for Brian. As he began to receive instead of dismiss the affirmations of those who knew him well, the truth penetrated his heart and mind. He began to believe what is true about him, growing him in confidence of who he is. This freed him to live out the calling of his life with greater joy.