When the waves of life tower over us, where do we find our anchor? This question resonates deeply as I sit down with the remarkable Cheryl Holland, a testament to unwavering faith in the midst of life's squalls. Our latest EncouragHER Community Podcast episode sails through Cheryl's moving testimony, striking a chord with anyone who's faced hardships and contemplated abandoning their post. We delve into the Apostle Paul's "Don't Jump Ship" narrative from Acts 27, drawing parallels to her own experiences and discovering how, even in the roughest seas, God's presence is a steadfast beacon of hope.
“Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” Acts 27:31
Through that storm, she found solace and strength in the ties that bind us to faith and the community. In sharing the five strategies that anchored me, we hope to offer you the same ropes of support that steadied my vessel. Our conversation is a testament to the blessings disguised in new beginnings and the transformative power of adversity, as we celebrate the shared journey of navigating tumult with trust and surrender.
As our episode concludes, Cheryl and I reflect on the essence of church—beyond the physical structure to the heart of its community. We resonate with the biblical account of Jesus calming the storm, recognizing the power of unity and shared experiences within the body of Christ. I extend a prayerful thank you to Cheryl for her inspiring strength and invite our listeners to let the guidance of the Holy Spirit chart their daily course. Join us as we champion spiritual growth, the ripple effect of our stories, and the grace of encouragement in the EncouraHER Community.
When the waves of life tower over us, where do we find our anchor? This question resonates deeply as I sit down with the remarkable Cheryl Holland, a testament to unwavering faith in the midst of life's squalls. Our latest EncouragHER Community Podcast episode sails through Cheryl's moving testimony, striking a chord with anyone who's faced hardships and contemplated abandoning their post. We delve into the Apostle Paul's "Don't Jump Ship" narrative from Acts 27, drawing parallels to her own experiences and discovering how, even in the roughest seas, God's presence is a steadfast beacon of hope.
“Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” Acts 27:31
Through that storm, she found solace and strength in the ties that bind us to faith and the community. In sharing the five strategies that anchored me, we hope to offer you the same ropes of support that steadied my vessel. Our conversation is a testament to the blessings disguised in new beginnings and the transformative power of adversity, as we celebrate the shared journey of navigating tumult with trust and surrender.
As our episode concludes, Cheryl and I reflect on the essence of church—beyond the physical structure to the heart of its community. We resonate with the biblical account of Jesus calming the storm, recognizing the power of unity and shared experiences within the body of Christ. I extend a prayerful thank you to Cheryl for her inspiring strength and invite our listeners to let the guidance of the Holy Spirit chart their daily course. Join us as we champion spiritual growth, the ripple effect of our stories, and the grace of encouragement in the EncouraHER Community.
Now get out into the world and be a woman who intentionally encourages another!
#women #podcast
Speaker 1:
Good morning Encouragers. Welcome back to the Encourage Her Community Podcast. This is Jo, your co-host here at Encourage Her. Today we have a special podcast that we're going to drop right in the middle of the things we're doing here on the podcast. If you've been following along, we've been in Holy Week, so now that Resurrection Sunday is over, we are going to be doing a new series. And to kind of kick off this new series, we're kind of bringing back a theme that we've had in the past that I like to call what Is God Up To, and I love this series because we know as believers that God is always at work and sometimes we get to hear how he's blessing people, how he's speaking to them in their hearts Sort of the story of God in other people's lives. Sometimes we get to hear about that and it really blesses us to remember number one that he's good, to be reminded that he's always working and then to kind of personally reflect after listening to someone else's story. I think one of the benefits is that we then turn it to ourselves and think, wow, where is God working in my life? If you feel after listening to the story today that you don't have such a personal connection with the Lord. That's something I would love to talk to you about. You, too, have access to the Holy Spirit and to God's working in your life, and I would love to talk to you about that. If you if that's kind of foreign to you if you don't know what we're talking about here when we say relationship with Jesus, please reach out. I'd love to encourage you on that one. All right, so to get going.
Speaker 1:
This morning we have a guest on the podcast, which we haven't in quite a while, so I'm so excited to have Cheryl Holland, a very good friend of mine, on the podcast. Cheryl and I go way back Cheryl I don't even really know how many years at this point over a decade but we met first at a ministry called MOPS Mothers of Pre-Schoolers and then we led MOPS together for a number of years, as well as other women's ministry events and all kinds of fun. We also are in a community group together, which is probably where we connected to the deepest level. Our families get together, our kids know each other. Even our daughters are having like a really special relationship these past few years. So Cheryl is very special to me and we've done a lot of life together, right, cheryl.
Speaker 1:
So welcome, cheryl, to the podcast. She is going to be telling us today and sharing what God has been up to in her life, and I know there's so much more that she could probably share than what she will share today, because she's had a lot of life these last few years and I'm just so honored, cheryl, really, that you'd be willing to share. Before you share, I'm going to open this up in prayer, but just welcome to the podcast, cheryl. All right, I'm going to open this up in prayer and then I'm going to throw the floor to you, cheryl, and I'm just going to ask you that very question what God did not do. All right, let's open our hearts for prayer.
Speaker 1:
Dear Lord, thank you so much for this time. Thank you for technology that we can record together even if we're not sitting next to each other. Thank you for friendship and the ability to do life with other sisters in Christ. Cheryl's story encourages me. I'm reminded of the fact that you are a good God, that you do direct, that you do lead our steps. You're always listening and even in the heart, even in the heart you're there, you're ever present. Thank you for the desire, youth place and Cheryl's heart to share today and we both pray that it blesses those that listen. Lord, if there is follow-up to this podcast, women left feeling like they want more. Help them, be bold and brave and reach out to someone for help, maybe prayer, maybe even just an ear to listen. All right, we thank you for Cheryl and just bless this day, lord. Thank you again Just yesterday, resurrection Sunday. Thank you for your son and all the work on the cross In your name, amen.
Speaker 2:
All right, cheryl, yeah.
Speaker 1:
All right, well Welcome.
Speaker 2:
What's up and how's?
Speaker 1:
you girl.
Speaker 2:
All right. So you certainly got it right when you said earlier you know there's been we've done a lot of life together the last few years and so thankful for your friendship and your prayers for everything. So, as Joe knows, you know I am someone who is pretty open about my story. However, it's been a hard season and it's hard to share that when you know I'm just trying to wrap my own brain around how life has taken a turn and things that have changed over the last few years. So just wanted to share a little bit of my story and you know I can sit for hours talking about all this. So this is like the Cliff Notes version of everything, but it's just a reminder of God's faithfulness through hard seasons. You know, if I were to give my conversation today a title, I'd say it's Don't Jump Ship. It's, you know, it's the story in Acts 27, 27 about Paul and the group of men on the boat and just trying to wave or trying to get through the storm and what they had to do to get through that storm.
Speaker 2:
And I many of you who may know me know that I do not enjoy public speaking, so doing a podcast is like a comfortable version of that and I've been thinking about sharing this story for a while. But my pastor preached a message a couple of months ago and the entire time I felt God speaking to me saying Charlotte, you've got to tell your story, you've got to do this. So Joanne knows I texted her right away because I didn't want an excuse to back out of this idea and so I'm here because the Lord called me to share this and we you know my family and I have gone through a season the last few years that has been hard and you know, to give a little bit of background, I personally have done hard, a lot in my life. Many of you who know me know my story, that I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was a teenager. That led me into a calling. My career is actually working with patients who have diabetes. I worked in pediatric, I worked with adults and I really feel called to that. So I have made that my ministry and that was a really hard time in my life, right before heading off to college and then fast forward.
Speaker 2:
You know I have two kids. I guess I should probably give a little background to I've been married almost 22 years. I have two children a 17 year old daughter and a son who's going to be 15 next week, which is crazy. So I'm in that season of my life. But when my son who's my youngest was born, he was two months old and I found out I had cancer at that time, and so that was a really hard season as well. As we were walking through that, with two young kids Going through all that, my father in law at the time was also battling cancer of his own, so it was a lot for our family. So I say all that to just give you a background that we've done hard and nothing could have prepared me for the last five, six years of our lives and it just looks different. Right, we all have seasons of hard, but that hard can look very different and it looks very different for each person. But for those of you who have children, you know like walking through things with kids is also very different.
Speaker 2:
Than you know, my other journeys involved my kids, or some of it was before I even had a husband too, but it was more like my personal journey in a way. But this was a big family journey. So just to take you back a little bit, about six-ish years ago, my mother-in-law, who I was very close with, was diagnosed with ALS. This is my husband's family, we're all very close and that has been for lack of a better word has been brutal. I would not wish ALS on my worst enemy. It is a horrible, horrible illness, like many other things are. But that was kind of the beginning of hard for our family. My father-in-law also got a little bit sick over the last few years as well, so there was a lot going on within the family and caring for my mother-in-law.
Speaker 2:
And then, you know, as we all experienced, 2020, right, a year, a number that will always be like a trigger for many of us. You know that happened and having kids in school when all that happened was hard and that was a communal hard right. We all went through hard stuff there. We had already been kind of in the thick of a lot of hard stuff with the family and then that hit. So you know, as we all encounter, we were all trying to get through that. I always say it's kind of like treading water. I feel like we were all just trying to tread water and come up for breath and nobody knew how to do this. And you know it was tough.
Speaker 2:
I was working, still working in healthcare at the time. But you know, that was a very different look at that time, with COVID and, you know, trying to manage working virtually seeing patients, managing my kids all that was crazy, so, but that was like a, that was like a hard that many of us were going through. But you know, still we were caring for, specifically, my mother-in-law at that time and shortly after that and honestly I don't even know the timing of all this, but I'm going to say 2020-ish with after the pandemic but you know we hadn't been going to church for a while. This is at the time. We had been going to the same church that Joanne and her family go to and many of our friends. We had been going there for 20 years long time and, as Joanne mentioned earlier, I was involved in many of the ministries at this church and absolutely loved being plugged in.
Speaker 2:
But during the pandemic, I think for many of us, it started to. We started to really question things in life, especially because of the hard season we were in with my in-laws and my mother-in-law in particular, and you know when we felt comfortable going back to church in person. You know my husband has said to me. You know what I'm really feeling like we need to maybe look elsewhere and just to give a little bit of background. I'm not gonna share my husband's story because that's his story to tell, but he struggled getting connected. Our kids struggled getting connected.
Speaker 2:
I was very, very involved so I felt very different, but we were at the season of our lives, especially with the pandemic, that we really needed to put our kids first. My husband and I are believers and we wanted our kids to be surrounded by that and feel connected and we were all just questioning and we were at the season of our lives where we really couldn't feed into others. We needed to be fed into and I do believe that we all go through those seasons and it took me a while to realize that that is okay. But we were at that time and Joanne knows I started like little by little, backing out of seven ministries because we just really needed that and at that time in my life the ministry was my children, because of what was going on within our family and everything. So spare all the details. But long story short, we ended up switching churches and that sounds like such a light thing. It is hard after being somewhere for 20 years and knowing so many people and being connected, it was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. Joanne knows I shed many tears over this decision, but I will say that we prayed and prayed and prayed through this and God clearly was setting a path, that we were being called to a new place, and there have been so many confirmations on that sense and I think that's just part of my story here. I'll kind of get back into that later but all of this was happening again.
Speaker 2:
We switched in 2021 to a new church. My kids started really getting connected, involved. Things were sort of starting to look up, although hard was still happening. But at this time my mother-in-law was really getting worse and requiring a lot of time and need and help for my husband as well as the rest of his family, and it was a big strain on our family because he was gone a lot and I was trying to manage the kids struggling post-pandemic high school years, middle school years it's just it's hard season for a lot of people, but to be in the thick of all these other things happening too, it's just really hard, and so we went through a lot and again I'm leaving many parts of the story out, because it's not all my story to tell, but fast forward to last year.
Speaker 2:
My father-in-law became even more ill and he passed away in April. My mother-in-law passed away in September and that was after a few very hard months. I mean five, six years has been hard, but the last few months were extremely challenging and hard and in the midst of that, god decided to drop a oh, by the way, cheryl, you need surgery. And I was like Lord, what in the world? I don't even know what this point, what's going on, and what I spared telling the details of here too, is that in the middle of all this, about a year and a half ago, I also was really feeling that the job that I thought I would be at for the rest of my life I had been there for 17 years suddenly did not feel like the right place for me. And I remember talking to the Lord and saying Lord, there is so much change happening right now. You know I do not like change, and why is all of this just?
Speaker 2:
It literally just felt like a storm. It was a massive and I wouldn't even say storm. It felt like a tornado hurricane. It was like hot mess, central. Everywhere I looked and I just was like I don't even know how I can take one more thing. It felt like we were really just drowning, and the funny slash not funny part of it is like some of it definitely was out of our control, like my mother-in-law's health and everything but leaving a job. I thought why would I choose to do this in the middle of everything? But God was just calling me to be elsewhere. And so I say all that because in the middle of all this hard, especially last year 2023, right, 2024. Now see, this is how crazy my year is. I can't even remember what year it is. There was a lot last year, so I switched jobs in January. My father-in-law passed in April. My mother-in-law passed in September. I had surgery literally three days before her funeral. It was awful, awful timing, but what came of that year and the last few years has just been the reminder that God is there. As much as I have done hard before this season of my life, this was God's like.
Speaker 2:
This theme of don't jump ship was very much like Cheryl. You have to realize that you cannot do anything without me, and I think, as someone who is a little bit of a control freak, my to-do list self. That's where Joe and I like really bonded, is talking about our joy of to-do list and checklist, but basically it just it was. I really needed to feel that I had nothing and I could not control anything in my life. It was spinning out of control and I needed that. However, to have him kind of like knock into my head like Cheryl, you need to rely on me, you cannot do this in your own strengths. And so that's the story, and there's several things I want to share about it that have really helped me through that really hard season. But that is the hard season, the Cliff Notes version, and I'm happy to say where we're at right now.
Speaker 2:
I have had several confirmations that I switched into a wonderful new job. I miss terribly where I used to work and the people I used to work with, but my current job is much more mentally healthy, just much more. I've been able to care for those other areas of my life and it has been beautiful, because there have been people in my new church who have happened to be in the hospital I work at for completely unrelated reasons, and I've literally run into them on elevators on their hardest day and it's reminded me that not only did God place me in this new job, but he placed me in this new church Because these are people through my new church who I've run into when I've been at work and just constant reminder of, and these are people who were with me and journeyed through the hard times of changing careers and then they happened to see me at this new job. It's just been wonderful.
Speaker 2:
And for my husband too, who has God knew where he was placing us in the hardest season of our lives, because we have our lead pastor at our new church has become such a huge prayer warrior and connection for my husband during the hardest season of his life. And we didn't even know this guy when we switched churches and yet God knew where we needed to be during these years. And it doesn't mean we don't. We still grieve the loss of our previous church but we have maintained as Joanne mentioned earlier, as we have maintained many of those connections. We've taken the good that we needed to keep from that, because there was a lot of good at that previous church, but we were definitely not in that season that we needed a switch. So that's my hard story.
Speaker 1:
And then, yeah, oh, my word, Cheryl, just to even hear it again. I've lived life with Cheryl during this story and just to know the things she's not mentioning. There's so much more to the story that are weighty and it's unbelievable to hear it again, cheryl, just kind of like as a storyline. It's wild and it again brings me just to like this posture of gratitude because I know where you are now and to know where, what he's taken you through, what he's allowed, how I see even you have transformed. I see you as stronger, you have more clarity, I don't know. There's just a difference. You can see the journey Like you can see that the journey has happened and that you are changed because of it, like continued transformation, I guess. So thank you so much for sharing all of that and there's so many themes throughout.
Speaker 1:
The one thing I'd love to do now is just to read, as you were talking about the storm, which I think so many of us can relate to, just like those I'm picturing, like the rocky, unknown waters, and for you that looked like a lot of different things, including a loss, like the unknown and timeline you know, just a lot of unclear you lived in for so long. It's like unsteadyness. Is that right Like? Would you describe it that way? That like?
Speaker 2:
the long here. Thank you, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I, yeah, and I don't know if you were about to go into something, but I was gonna say like, if you know some of those things that really helped me, I kind of call them like the things that helped me stay on that ship, because that's literally kind of like what the season was is you know five things in particular that here's where the list part of me comes out. You know, these were like really five things that I, that I funght to, that were all God but number one, like using the anchors and ropes that God has given you like to lean into that.
Speaker 2:
Joanne mentioned that we are part of a community group.
Speaker 2:
This community group has I mean to say you've prayed and been there for us as an understatement and we do life together in this group.
Speaker 2:
We have all lived hard together and just having that, you know, I have a couple of prayer warrior group texts that I'm on with some very close friends as well, and just leaning into that because I, you know, I think it's okay for us to acknowledge that there are seasons of our life where we may not even be able to pray.
Speaker 2:
We might literally say, lord, help me just be here. We need those. We need those people to come alongside us to help us do that and to help us pray through the heart. And I would say, if you're in a season of your life where it feels similar to this, to lean into those people, lean into God too, but it's okay if all you have to say to God is why what's going on is the way I look at it is at least you're asking and you're not saying I don't even want to talk to God, because I have been there in those seasons of my life too where I didn't even want to talk to God. But even if you just shout out and say, lord, help, and you know, lean into those other people, so put down those angers to help steady you, because that that is a huge part of getting through these hard things.
Speaker 1:
I love that, cheryl, and I love that. I love this whole thought or visual, whatever you want to call it, about staying in the boat, you know, not jumping ship. I think that's incredible and I think that the listeners right now could imagine an area of their life, pinpoint one I know I can a few where a boy, it's tempting just to jump out right instead of staying in the unsteady, the unsure, the fear which we know, fear is not from God, but that scary kind of lack of control which I know, you and I don't love. But I think that's very relatable and I wanted to read. I love what you said about anchors and ropes too, because, just like you said so beautifully, those are just tools that help you stay in the boat. Right, it's not an exit strategy. Right, it's actually like a keeping. And I want to read now you referenced the storm scripture and this is there's a few different places you can find it, but I want to read from Mark four verses 30, let's see five to 41. It says Jesus comes to storm. On that day, when evening had come, he said to them let us go across to the other side and, leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat just as he was and other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose and the waves were breaking into the boat so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern asleep on a cushion. And they woke him and said to him teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? And he woke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea peace, be still. And the wind ceased and there was a great calm and he said to them why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith? And they were filled with great fear and they said to one another who then, is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?
Speaker 1:
And a couple of things stand out in that scripture to me, or I was reminded of as we were talking. The first is that let's see in verse, I think, 36. It says and other boats were with him. So I've always pictured this scene as just Jesus and the disciples on this one boat in the storm. And actually there were other boats in the storm too. So there were other people. Just like right now you're telling your storm story. There's, we are one big body of Christ believers experiencing this world, in the world right, and we're in rough waters together.
Speaker 1:
So that visual of just like when he calmed the storm, he didn't just come that boat, it impacted other boats as well. So your story impacting his calming of your life, if you will impacting others and like the ripple effects of that, that's just what I'm thinking about. And then also the fact that he didn't take it's not that he removed them from the boat. They're still in the boat, which means there may be another storm. You know he's not promising a future of clear water. He's just saying have faith in me. Like shift the focus, don't be fearful, I'll stare at the storm, look at me. So those are two things that I just was thinking about when you were talking. I was like, wow, that's like literally, yes, exactly what it says in his word right, just stay in the boat, trust in me, focus on me, keep your eyes on me.
Speaker 1:
And actually sharing your story ripple effects on the other boats that are also in the hard waters. So I'm just so grateful that you're sharing because I feel like man. It's so relatable and I love, if you don't mind, just speaking about the church changing. I know that we're in a time you said it, 2020, what a fun year that was how many people can relate to a shifting of life that occurred during that time and I do. I trust God with it all.
Speaker 1:
Like I feel as though he showed a lot of people some changes that need to be made. And maybe it wasn't a church body switch, but it might have been. We've been seeing a lot of that in church culture just people changing their environment and grateful that you stayed with God, right, but you changed your environment based on what he said you needed. And I think that that is so hard, so hard, and yet there's such beauty in that like I am so blessed to see that you are still in our community group this kind of encouragement that it's one big body, we're not isolated to just the walls of one church.
Speaker 2:
That's so easy to have. It's not about a building, it's about the community, and it doesn't matter what building you are sitting in, as long as you are looking to the one who is in control and the one who gets you through these hard times. And I think it took a while for me to be okay with that and grieve that.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, because again it's like that comfort zone or just that nor like that fear also that creeps up from the unknown. What will it be like? What will it feel like? Will this, is this the right decision? Are we hearing you correctly? And I've heard I think it's Stephen Fertick, Pastor Stephen Fertick, um, say something along the lines of like sometimes God's confirmation follows, you are obedience, and we know that's not always the case, but it sounds and I've seen in your life this be true.
Speaker 2:
Yes, it absolutely has been in our case and I think and like you said, not everybody will always get that Um, but I think, after the season we've been, we have been through my family has been through, I am grateful that God has given us that confirmation because there's been so much hard that has been um out of our control and you know those the church switch, the job switch I think those things that we chose during those really hard seasons, um, not that we needed that confirmation, but I think we all, we all love to have it right and but I look at that as a gift, because I acknowledge that that is not always going to be the case for some people, but I think we needed that as a gift. That was like I got you through this hard season and this is, you know, this is where I have you, and I've got you, got your back. Um, yeah, so I agree. And there was something you said in the story earlier too, when you were reading the verses about. You know the calm and I forget the actual verbiage in the verse, but you know there were so many moments where we just were praying to God like why, why are you not bringing the calm to us. Yet why do you still have us in this storm? This feels like an unending storm, um, and just praying, for you know, especially my mother-in-law, who you know she's, she was a believer, but you, you just had days where you just prayed.
Speaker 2:
The Lord was taking her, um, because it just got so awful. And yet you're like Lord, why, why do you have her here? And I mean again, this is like an offshoot of the story too, but she had a couple aides taking care of her. That, um, you know, are getting closer to knowing Jesus and you know, we look at that. As she was able, even though she could not speak, she was able to speak life into them and you know, maybe that's why that what God's purpose was for keeping her here longer, um, as hard as it was, but yeah, it's. But there are times in our life where we're just looking around like Lord, why, you know, you breathe calm into this boat for some and not others, and why is this happening? But, um, you know, and it's a gift to be able to look back and see that, and sometimes we may never see it, um, in our, in our humanists, we may never see what that gift was that came out of that storm. But um, the gift is is if we do see it, so yeah, Absolutely, Cheryl.
Speaker 1:
And again those words that you were referencing. When they say, teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? It's like, do you not see like you're literally sleeping? And how relatable is that. You know, like where, what you know.
Speaker 1:
And I love, I love what you're saying, that sometimes we won't. I mean, we're not. Our brains are not capable of understanding all the works of God, and I think that is largely a gift. We can't imagine, right, Um and I think that is actually quite protective on his part that we don't understand all things. But it is also a real struggle because we're built, our brains are built to understand. So when we're not understanding and it's not making sense, like two plus two doesn't equal four You're just like where are you? You know why, why, Lord?
Speaker 1:
And I love in this story just the reminder that you know he didn't wake up and like scream that done so, questioning him. You know he didn't do that. He rebuked the storm. He didn't rebuke them, he rebuked the storm. And then he turns to them and says, like how do you have faith? Like, come on, I'm Jesus. These are disciples who saw him perform miracles.
Speaker 1:
So if you're someone like that, you're in a season of just like why, Lord, do you not know that I'm perishing? He knows, sister, he knows and he also can do what he needs to do. He is all knowing and all capable and yet it is his timing. And we're just with you in that tension. That's tension for the human right, For the flesh, Like that is tension in the weight and pain sometimes too, yeah, and I'm just sorrow.
Speaker 1:
You know, I can totally relate to that with loss, Just why, why? And coming to the place of acceptance, of understanding that I really won't understand at all, being okay with that but trusting my God, despite not easy to walk out, Nope, but so awesome and so important to encourage each other in Well. Cheryl, I know you have to get to work, work. I just want to thank you so much for sharing your story. It's so important that we share our stories. We're asked to do that by God, to get out into the world you know and share what he's doing. So I'm really grateful that you were able to do it in this platform. I'm very encouraged just by hearing it again, even though I knew it. I can never he never sees too amaze right by God and his working.
Speaker 2:
And Joanne, just yeah, do you mind if I end with the lyrics of a song that that that I think real really helped me through a hard time.
Speaker 1:
I didn't mean to cut you off, but no, I was just going to ask you if you have any parting words, so that's perfect. I love that.
Speaker 2:
Yeah. So we've kind of talked about all the points I wanted to hit on to just like the practical parts of getting through hard things. But many of you are probably familiar with Katie Nicole, who has become like a pretty recent artist, and she had released a song a few years ago called Hold On and it just I clung to that on the hard days because I just, you know, when I was going, you know, in the hard part of the storm, I just had to get rid of all the distractions and the noise and just listen to Christian music. I listened to Christian podcasts and calming music and things, and that's partially why I made the job switch to. I just needed more calm. Going back to that word calm. So I just want to read a portion of the song. I'm not singing it, I'll spare you that, but it just really spoke to me. So if you don't, if you're not familiar with this song, I definitely suggest listening to it.
Speaker 2:
But the lyrics that held the most meaning to me were smoke clouds all around, couldn't see your face. Darkness consumed me, stuck in the bitterness. But I know there's light that's waiting up ahead. So I'll stay in the fight and look to the one who said hold on just a little bit longer. I know it's going to be okay. These days are going to make you stronger. You'll find purpose in the pain. Hold on just a little bit longer. Deep down there's a well of faith. Let hope arise as you're lifting up my name and just hold on.
Speaker 2:
And I just want to end with that because, again, we don't always know the storm we're in, we don't always know what the purpose of that storm is, but I do. I love the phrase you'll find purpose in the pain. I have used that for many years, since I was a child and went through my own struggles as a kid. And just a reminder to hang in there, don't jump ship, Stay in there, use your anchors, get rid of the. You know all the things that are hindering you, but thank you, joe, for allowing me the opportunity to share my story today.
Speaker 1:
That's amazing, cheryl. I will try to put the link to that song so they can go ahead and listen to the full version in the show notes. I love that song so much. Hold on, sister.
Speaker 1:
And what I want to just close with, I'll close this in prayer, but again, thank you to Cheryl for this reminder to hold on, so relatable. And I want to remind you, just coming off Resurrection Sunday, that although Jesus returned to his father, he left a helper here, and you and I and Cheryl have access to this helper, this holy spirit, this God-placed spirit, this GPS that Cheryl relied upon, and she and Jan and her family made their steps and chose their directions. They followed the spirit, and that's what we're encouraging you to do Listen to the spirit, for he knows the plans he has for you and if you don't know what we're talking about, again, reach out, reach out. I'd love to talk to you about your GPS that you have access to, and I'll close this in prayer. Thanks again, cheryl, for being here this morning.
Speaker 1:
Dear Lord, thank you so much for Cheryl and her family. Thank you for all the things that had to occur, lord, that you allowed that to happen and I brought her to this place. Thank you that she didn't jump ship Ahead of time, before the storm. You knew the anchors that she would need. You knew the ropes that would need to be in place. You set it all up in advance, knowing what was to come. And yet you wouldn't choose pain for us, lord. You wouldn't choose sorrow. You didn't design it that way. You sent your son to save us from it all and to have freedom from pain and fear, and one day we will in full.
Speaker 1:
But remind us this morning and keep us in that reminder today to hold on just a little longer. You are coming back. You are here, working. Jesus is interceding for us at the right hand as we speak, and the helper is here inside of us, directing and keeping us safe. Thank you again, lord, for your son, thank you for Cheryl, and be with the women today. Help us to be women who choose to encourage. In your name, amen, all right ladies, happy, happy Monday. If this encouraged you, please share it. It's free for the taking. It's for your encouragement and others. Get out into the world and choose to be a woman who encourages her. Happy Monday, love to you all.
