Rock Solid Families
Rock Solid Families
Walking Through Pain - Ep 300!
Episode 300 is one that all of us have experienced or will soon. There's the old saying that 'two things are certain, death and paying taxes.' Today, we are going to turn add one more thing that is certain in life, PAIN. None of us wants it but all of us will experience it. Whether it's physical, emotional, or mental, all of us will have more than our desired share of pain.
This show was inspired by Merrill's long summer of recovery from knee replacement. Off to a great start he hit week number 3 and things began to get ugly. His incision began to swell and the knee itself became even more uncomfortable. It soon led to a doctor's visit where the doctor said that he was allergic to the internal stitches. His body was going full force battle against the stitches with the collateral damage being the swelling of the knee, and lots of pain and stiffness. For more than six weeks his knee had 6-7 large pores that were seeping constantly. Changing dressings two- three times per day and lots of rounds of meds.
As with all good pain, never let it lose an opportunity to teach us something new. Whether it be about ourselves or life in general. Merrill's pain has led to an opportunity to learn and hopefully encourage others to get through their pain.
Pain is one of those areas that tends to drive people closer to God or farther away. Many grasp for anything God will give them for relief and purpose in the pain. Others can see no good reason why a loving God would let such pain exists. The bottom line is, pain does exist and hope is the best way through to the other side. And God is the author of hope!
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Welcome to the Rock Solid Family Podcast. This is Merle Hutchinson sitting alongside my nurse and wife, Linda Hutchinson. How are you, Linda?
Speaker 2:Why are you calling me your nurse.
Speaker 1:Isn't it cool how you get different titles every week.
Speaker 2:You do, let me guess, because you felt like an invalid all summer.
Speaker 1:Pretty much, that's pretty much. It. Just you know, feel sorry for me for just a little bit. Come on, give me a little bit of love.
Speaker 2:You know you've made a little progress this week, but, man, you had a really rough week, last week I was. I was feeling really sorry for you. Were you?
Speaker 1:yes, I was, because you did not look happy. Oh, last week, can I say it, it sucked your uh knee was very angry.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was a lot of going into spasms.
Speaker 1:On me it's going into spasms and the hamstring was going crazy and it was all swollen and I was like ah, so Do you feel a little? Bit like Job. I felt like Job, job Felt just like.
Speaker 2:Job, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:You know it's like okay, god, are you trying to punish me or are you trying to see how I'll come through this? Are you testing me, sifting me through?
Speaker 2:or is he just wanting you to use it as a podcast theme?
Speaker 1:that's, and see, that's kind of where I landed walking through pain is the name of our show today so yeah, so I think that will be a great.
Speaker 2:Actually, hun, when you, when you brought up the idea and we talked about it, it definitely is. I mean, we just kind of put a pause on what we're doing, right and said okay, this is, this is a topic that we know we're not alone in and you're not alone in, and so we really want to talk about what do you do when you feel like you're walking through the pain and you don't see an end in sight, or you didn't see it coming so.
Speaker 2:So we really want to address that, but before we do, we need to talk and thank our sponsors.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So let's thank Casey's Outdoor Solutions, maxwell Construction and the Hoosier Ice House for sponsoring the Rock Solid Families podcast. Guys, we also just want to thank you. We want to thank all of you listeners and viewers. You know we continue to want to pump out messages. One because we use them in our actual ministry, our coaching ministry, but two, hopefully it will be a message that starts to permeate and help out outside of our office, outside of the realm that we work. So if you hear a show that is helping you, great. If you hear a show that you think could help somebody else, please share it. You know, I mean, it's all free, guess what?
Speaker 2:It's free, all right, and if you are walking through some emotional pain or relational pain and it has to do with parenting, or you and your spouse, or you and your ex not on the same page as parenting, we have a monthly reoccurring class called Families Rock and it is held at the Lawrenceburg Firehouse and it is on the fourth Sunday of the month and it will be on August 24th, 2024, if you're listening to this in archives and so if that's pain that we could help you with, then please check out our website at rocksolidfamiliesorg. Go to events or services and you can find out about that under those services.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, so you kind of alluded to it, but I'll just say it again. So we're talking about pain, but it could be in lots of different facets. It could be physical, it could be mental, it could be emotional, it could even be spiritual, right, like I'm just lost and confused here, right? So pain is discomfort, right?
Speaker 1:It's that uncertainty, that discomfort. I don't quite like where I'm at. Sometimes it creates a tension inside of us because, you know, our body likes to kind of be at a level of equilibrium. That means that all things are kind of stable and calm and when the big storms come in right, the waves are hitting, things are out of whack. And so just I don't want to get into too much of this, but the promptinging of the story just so to bring people up to speed my pain.
Speaker 2:Some people did not follow your your knee replacement right on June 5th I had my knee replaced. I've already my second.
Speaker 1:I had my right one replaced, like four and a half years ago. I I kind of knew the process and it wasn't fun the first time to be quite honest, so it's kind of why I took four and a half years to get ready for the second one.
Speaker 1:But so I had it and I came out of the gate just like a like a racehorse. Everything was good. I was already had good range of motion for where I was, Pain was very manageable. I was doing very little on any kind of heavy pain medicine and then around three weeks in it just was getting very uncomfortable. I kind of blamed it on my proteasome that my doctor started me on out of surgery. It was like, well, that was finished and that was probably part of it. But what we found out is my body started having a reaction to all the internal stitches and so about three weeks in my legs started swelling again and very uncomfortable, couldn't find comfort anywhere. And we were getting ready to go on vacation, to go to our sons down in South Carolina, and I was nervous like I cannot be in a vehicle like this.
Speaker 1:I mean, I'm not even comfortable to do that. So I got a quick visit to the doctor and he's like yeah, I don't think you're infected or anything. Um, you're rejecting the stitches. Here's some more steroids, here's some antibiotics, just in case. And that got me through the trip. But as we were down in south carolina I started getting and I'm not going to try to gross anybody out, but I started getting these like pimples on the incision where the stitches were yeah, they were rejecting it.
Speaker 1:They were rejecting, and that was like July 5th, so that was about a month in Things started seeping out and I'm down to one Band-Aid. So as we record this, this is August 15th on our recording. I'm still closing those up and so a week ago it was still a mess. So I say that to say my whole healing process got thrown out of whack and my whole ability to deal with the pain is tested.
Speaker 1:Me and you know one of my you've heard me talk beforehand like one of my things I don't ever want to experience is that chronic pain Like we know people who have been in pain for years for, you know, injury or whatever it is right Disease, illness, and like I just can't imagine every day, like when you go to the doctor he says well, rate your your pain on a scale, you know, one to 10 or whatever, and so I would say, like, as I sit here right now, I'm probably about a four. Okay, when it gets up to that six range, I'm going okay.
Speaker 2:But last week what was it?
Speaker 1:Last week when I was in spasms I was at like an eight, like there were a couple of times where I think we probably got to do something because I couldn't even move. That whole hamstring was locked in. I mean for hours at a time.
Speaker 2:But you know, as we record this and you're listening to this, we just want to make clear we believe that the gospel is truth, that God's promises are real, and so when we look back at creation, the story of creation in the garden, that's not the way God intended our life to be.
Speaker 2:It was intended to be no pain. It was intended to life to be. It was intended to be no pain. It was intended to be no death, it was intended to be no injury and so illness and because of the fall, we experience these sufferings. We experience this pain. But a lot of times we turn against God as if he is the cause of pain. And so we just want to clarify that we are here to say that God can bring glory even through the deepest, darkest pain. And it's hard to say when you're in that pain, but Romans 5, 3 through 5 really reminds us of that suffering. Can you read that for us? Yeah, let me read it, because it means something to me.
Speaker 1:Sure, it says not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, not last week but because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. And let me just say to that, like you know, when there was a great fall in the garden, that basically meant that God gave us choice and we chose ourself over him, and what he is wanting us to do at all times is please come back around and accept me over you, right?
Speaker 1:And so I don't want to act like I know everything about suffering, but I will tell you one thing as Job discovered and many, many, many of us, I believe God continues to allow suffering to happen as a mechanism to figure out what you really are going to rely on. And I mean you know I had this week the opportunity to either curse God or say God, help me help me help me prayer Right.
Speaker 1:So, I again, I don't want to minimize the suffering and all of that, because people are in far worse situations, but I do believe that God, it is a tool, it is a mechanism that brings us back, yeah, and so everybody has different thresholds of pain, and yours is very high.
Speaker 2:So for you to be in that eight, I knew that that would have probably been a 12 to me, and so I knew that you were persevering through that pain and that suffering, and really that's part of your character is that you're not a whiner and a complainer. And so when you're really in pain, man, it is so hard for me to see too, and so we want to help you with some coping strategies that you can put into place or help someone to put into place when you experience suffering, or maybe you see someone you love going through pain.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah. So these, you know these are. They're coping strategies, they're not solutions right, they're strategies.
Speaker 2:We can't take the pain away, right we're not the.
Speaker 1:We're not the savior, the physician. But here's the first one and I do think this is an important one, because I think this is a little bit of my mindset and yours too hon, you're actually fantastic at this and that is to muscle up or not right, in other words, to suck it up buttercup or not right. And so there is a time for muscling up, and I don't at all want to say you should never do that, you should instantly call your doctor.
Speaker 2:You should instantly no. That's just baloney, Like that is not good.
Speaker 1:It's not good parenting either, and so there is a time to muscle up like, hey, you know you cut your finger, hey, you know you got, you got an ache, you got a pain. And so I think we are called to work through that discomfort. But I think it has to be within um, within your understanding and your past experience, like if listen, I've had this sore foot before, I know the it stinks right now it tends to last three days. So, all right, I can handle that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. That's why I think a mission trip is a great life experience that everybody should go on and I know you've gone on more than I, but I'll never forget being in Ecuador and with a team of people and someone got injured and it was really one of these muscle up, you know, suck it up, buttercup or not, because we're literally on the Colombian border.
Speaker 2:And we would have to literally go across the border to Colombia to take this person to the hospital. And so you're literally like can we go through, you know, can we suck it up and deal with it ourselves? And so you really have to weigh that. Can I just wrap it up and deal with it, or is this something that's serious, that it's going to need step two and that's professional help? Yeah, yeah, because we're sitting here, by the way, with missionaries in a village where it's like come on, like seriously, can't you deal with that?
Speaker 2:But then at some point you're like, okay, no, it does need professional help.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. And so the second thing here to think about is seek that professional help you know, especially when you don't know, you don't understand the source of the pain. You don't understand the history of the pain, you don't have any past experience in it. Seek the help. You know I can tell you, hun specifically, and I'll give a great shout out to Beacon Orthopedics and specifically Greg Newkirk. Greg, if you're listening specifically, he's a physician assistant and he knew kind of the discomfort I was in and he said hey if you're struggling, just just give me a call.
Speaker 1:Let's let's work through this, and the idea that I could call him when these things were all festering out of the incision and he could say okay, send me some pictures, let me look at it, and then he could give me feedback. His feedback just was it took the seven or eight pain, it took that right down to a six or five, just because he said yeah, yeah, yeah. So there was comfort there, so seek that help.
Speaker 2:And also that's why Rock Solid Families exists. Because there's so many was comfort there, so seek that help.
Speaker 2:And also that's why Rock Solid Families exists because, there's so many people out there with relational or emotional pain, and some people, especially women we try to be the rescuer and the savior for everybody else and we kind of ignore our own warning signs and muscle through it and I've got women that have come in with real deep emotional pain or relational trauma for decades and it's like, wow, I wish you would have been coming to me a decade ago or two decades ago because, man, I could have helped you avoid so much pain. So please, sometimes it's hard and I'm guilty. Asking for help is really hard for me, but sometimes that's exactly where God wants us to ask for help.
Speaker 1:Yeah, as you're saying that I'm thinking because there's one thing that triggers me to call for help, and that is the level of pain, the extreme. The other thing is the duration of pain we have people that come in, and I have felt this way for the last 10 years in my marriage and you're like holy cow, 10 years of you being out of three or four pain right. So duration and intensity are really big things that we have to look at.
Speaker 2:I've had a couple who have been married for 50 years and they would say 25 of that has been painful.
Speaker 1:I can't imagine right so yeah, so seek professional help. Number three yeah, it is important and you do this in advance. You don't do this game on build a support network have something in place hun, this has been another reminder of why you should have friends and family.
Speaker 1:You have to have support. You've been carrying my load most of the summer like. There's been a few times I couldn't even carry like my bag. You know, I'm like, and so you've been like hey, I got it, I'll help load the, help load the car, I'll do this, I'll do that. And so just having the support network allows, allows you to have another. Okay, I can take that part off my plate and do whatever I need to do for this, this pain.
Speaker 2:Because the enemy who wants to get in your head with this pain right and intensify it and magnify it, he works in in isolation. So if you can diffuse that by creating a support network. And, hun, I'm going to specifically say, if you're dealing with the grief of pain, right, then, find a grief support group.
Speaker 2:If you're dealing with the consequences of addiction, then find an addiction recovery group like find that support around you for the specific pain you're going in. I know for a fact that there are support groups for chronic pain I have clients who are in them or specifically for fibromyalgia or lupus or, you know, cerebral palsy like. Whatever your condition is, it creates that pain. There are those specific groups and now with the World Wide Web, you can find them at your fingertips.
Speaker 1:Find that support who people have been where you are yeah, yeah, that's good stuff and um, like I said, man, when you said some of those things like fibromyalgia- and lupus those are those things that I go oh man, day after day, that's intensity and duration.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah uh, so the next one is that idea of practicing self-care now. Now I don't know like that sounds kind of ridiculous. We should take care of ourselves. But how often do we deal with somebody who's struggling with deep depression and they're continuing to not sleep, eat terribly, live just an unhealthy lifestyle, which we know that the eats, sleeps and the exercises are the bare minimum of what you can do for things like depression and anxiety? And so the self-care is important, because nobody's going to care for you, and if you're not taking care of yourself and yet you're asking others to care for you, it gets really frustrating.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. And so that is where you know, if you're going a hundred miles a minute and you're revving that engine and the engine's ready to blow, then maybe it's time to back off and maybe take a vacation day, maybe cut back to part time. Maybe, you know, get into an exercise program, hire a personal trainer, do something that you can get a jumpstart into that healing process, and even if you can't heal the pain, then you can again try to wrap around some comforting things that will help you in that pain.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think of the one thing is for my emotional side of things, trying to keep my mood down. I've been kind of grouchy.
Speaker 2:A little short and, by the way I've said it before, I can't imagine being a person with chronic pain, because I get whining, complaining with a headache.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but praying right Like praying, because I don't have any other quick answer but the idea that you're inviting Jesus asks us to ask him right. To seek him, and the idea that you do ask, and I think this is part of that sanctification process, that purifying like who are you going to lean on here?
Speaker 2:And so prayer is such a big time with any one of these pains and going back to that support system asking people to pray with you and for you, like when, hon, you weren't at Bible study the other night, but the whole group is praying for your knee and your recovery because they knew that you've been in so much pain. So we've actually. There's verse in James, chapter five, that talks about that. You bring your pain to the elders and let them pray over you.
Speaker 2:And so being a part of a full-time church ministry, we had all kinds of people come in who have been diagnosed with cancer or some kind of, you know, terminal illness, where they have just called in the leaders of the church and said please pray over us because emotionally, physically, we're at a loss. Yeah, it's powerful though. Yeah.
Speaker 1:The next thing I asked you to consider is set realistic goals, and this backfired on me right, so I was taken aback. So I had goals set in my mind prior to my surgery um and part of that was based off of some different plans that we had for the summer, like the reason why I had it done at the beginning of the summer. People go why'd you have it done in the summer and ruin your whole summer? Um well, we have a, a trip that we've been really looking forward to in september.
Speaker 1:That's going to involve some hiking and stuff like that, and it's like I'm not going to be able to hike if I don't get something done You're already in pain, right? So it's like, okay, I'm going to get this done at the beginning, and so, right when I did that, I started using my summer calendar to go okay by July. I want to be like this by August by this September.
Speaker 1:So I had goals set up and once everything blew up, for the last six weeks I've been on an altered goal, I've been in altered states, and so it has messed with me. So now I have been trying to reset the goal timeframe, like, okay, so let's get through this part first and now let's start to take smaller steps to see what we can do to reach those steps. And this is ridiculous, it seems. Yeah, but sometimes it's literally like I got to get to lunch because at lunch I'm going to go back to the house, I'm going to take some pain.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Right, so, but that's the idea really Like and we see that in a lot of people are in difficult situations Don't hesitate to go to the smallest goals, because those are the things that get you to the next, to the next safe place.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's not silly hon. I've got people who struggle with depression and anxiety, and their homework is that you're not allowed to lay around in your pajamas.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:That you're supposed to get up, make your bed, take a shower and put clothes on every day.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that alone is a hard goal, but, like you know, we got to start somewhere and sometimes it's just simple things like that. So set realistic goals, but also ask people around you what, what do you think you know? Where do you think I should be or what do you, you know, like your doctor asking him because his goals are different than your goals.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's like oh, merle, you're not going to be able to walk for a year. What, yeah, yeah. So this you know Matthew 634 talks about. This is the one, do not worry about tomorrow, for today has enough.
Speaker 2:Tomorrow, yeah, tomorrow we'll worry about itself.
Speaker 1:And the idea, guys, is just that, like we get all out in front of ourselves and you know, Christ is actually asking us or telling us here. Let's just keep the main thing. The main thing. Let's work with what's in front of your nose right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, and again we're we're Merle's talking about physical pain, but it could be relational pain, it could be emotional pain, it could be spiritual pain, where you're mad at God or you don't hear his voice. And so we want you to challenge. Here's the next step. Step six is to challenge your negative thoughts. Pay attention to the, the script that you've got going on in your head. Like I have so many women that come into me that literally hear them say you don't deserve to be happy, or no one will ever love you, or this will never change. And so you've got to capture the Bible says to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. And so we have got to break those strongholds of that negative core pattern in our head and the pain that just gets magnified when we have those negative thoughts.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and some ways to do that. Like you know, when we say challenge them, a lot of times people will be I've just got to quit, stop. So I've got to stop thinking about that. And we actually know that you can't just stop thinking about something. You actually have to replace thoughts, because your brain does not sit as an empty vessel. It's always, it's always functioning. So you actually have to say okay, instead of thinking this, what else could I think about? And so distraction is huge. We even do this with little kids right, they, they, they.
Speaker 2:Your mommy's gone and they're starting to cry Like, come on over here. Oh, look at the train over here, it's distraction.
Speaker 1:So they all of a sudden they have a new focus, right, but that's no different than us, right? Like right now, the knee is bothering me. You know what? I'm going to go out, I'm going to cut the grass, or I'm going to go wash the car, or whatever, like. It gives me a different function and it may not alleviate the pain, but the fact that you're not thinking about it as much it allows you to get through that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I do this exercise with women all the time is. We'll write down the lies and then, we will do some lie busting and we'll go and find the truth from God's word to replace that, the promise that God gives us instead of the stinking thinking going on in our head so challenging those negative thoughts. How about number seven?
Speaker 1:Number seven is and this is hard for a lot of people learning to say no when you're in a state of pain. Sometimes the world just keeps on moving right. Everybody else is still doing their thing, and so demands and timeframes and activities just keep on going. And there's this feeling of guilt, there's this feeling of expectation, and that adds to the stress of it all. And so the idea that you recognize no, you know what. I'm not comfortable, I don't feel good, I'm going to say no to that. And I'm like you know, and I know you don't take offense to it now, but you might say hey, I'm going to go visit somebody. Do you want to come along? And if I'm, if I don't want to, I just say no, I'm not offended, please go. If I go there, I'll be totally miserable and I just don't need to do that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and sometimes just that permission to okay, I'm not going to be guilted into it or I'm not going to be forced into it. We've got to have those kinds of relationships around us where we have permission to say no. And if you don't feel like you have permission, then really, really reevaluate your relationships, because you know there are times when you just got to circle the wagons and you just got to hunker down because you're healing or you're resting or recovering, and so we all need that.
Speaker 1:Number eight sounds cheesy, but I think we should be doing it. Whether we're in pain or not, All right. The attitude of gratitude, practicing gratitude, like when you're in a dark spot. It's so, so easy to get focused in on all that is dark and wrong.
Speaker 2:You know, I'm not working now.
Speaker 1:I can't do what I want to do, and you can just create that list, but in the meantime, I happen to live in a beautiful home. I have a great family. My boss is holding my job right. There are. So putting the focus on what you have rather than what you have not is really critical for you having the motivation to keep on going. If you keep covering everything with the darkness, it will get bleak.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I always think of Eeyore. It's never going to get better. It's always going to be like this. And so you know, if we're the Eeyore, then one, people aren't going to be the one around us and two, we'll never get out of that stinking thinking. I think of Philippians 4, 8, hun, finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is praiseworthy, whatever is admirable, think of those things, and so that's what Apostle Paul was telling us to do in prison.
Speaker 2:He was in prison and he was saying, as a matter of fact Philippians 4.4 is one of my favorite like rejoice in the Lord always, again, I say rejoice, you know, let your gentleness be evident to all through prayer and petition. Present your request to God and he will give you a peace that passes all understanding. So that reminds me, man. No matter what's going on, I want to rejoice, and it's easier said than done. I'm not going to say I'm perfect at it, but that's a goal that we try to have when things aren't well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that was eight things to do. Let's quickly give four things that you really want to avoid getting sucked into, and we kind of mentioned these One we mentioned isolation.
Speaker 2:You know, avoid withdrawing Again. We talked about circling the wagons but still have your support system. Make sure you're communicating with the people that you trust in and love in. Don't let yourself be isolated.
Speaker 1:The second one is substance abuse self-medicating. I'm just going to fall into. Whether it's even prescription meds that you're abusing, or whether it's alcohol, or whether it's pot or whatever. It's like that whole idea that you'll use it as your coping mechanism, and it doesn't take long for it to become part of your habit, whether it's a physical addiction or even a psychological addiction that you fall into it. So just avoid that. Find the better coping mechanisms rather than some substance.
Speaker 2:Yeah, blame and shame is the third. We can fall into that trap of blaming ourselves but also blaming others. It's all your fault. I'm in this pain. Shame like not just I made a mistake, but I am a mistake. That's what shame is. So we want to avoid that. That doesn't do us any good and sometimes it's heaping on us worse than the pain is. So avoid those two things.
Speaker 1:And then the fourth thing, and I'm really struggling with this this summer comparing yourself to others.
Speaker 2:They're riding their bike. They're out riding.
Speaker 1:I've got my guys that I like to ride bikes with, and normally I like to ride with them and we ride pretty hard. They're riding great this summer and I'm not riding at all. So the idea here, really, guys, is this is a trap. This is a trap and it could be on body image, it could be on finances, it could be on relationships. The whole comparing yourself to others just is a no-win game. So just put the hammer down. Like I've actually said, listen you guys, go out and ride, enjoy your ride, I'm just not going to go there this summer.
Speaker 1:I've already closed that gate and it's okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so remember, you know you are not alone. God sees your pain, he knows what you need, he hears your prayers and your cries, and so he wants to use every stinking thing of it the pain, the tears, the frustration. Please turn it over to him. He is a much better healer. He is the great physician right, he is the wonderful counselor.
Speaker 2:He does know he's the creator of all things, he is your heavenly father, he loves you. So, please. I know it's hard to understand or receive in that pain, but that's why we need to believe that and seal our minds with the helmet of salvation so that it does protect our thoughts when we are in that intense pain.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So, guys, our final challenge is if you or someone you know is really in a period, a time of pain whether it's contacting Rock Solid Families, contacting a physician, contacting a preacher like, reach out, get the help, get on the pathway, get at least a plan to get you rolling and get out of that, or at least get the best care that you can get while you're in that. So that's our challenge for you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, hey. Can we just take a moment, hun, and just pray for all those that are listening? Hopefully you're going to share this show out there and there's going to be somebody that that sees this. That maybe is just tearing up thinking about the pain that they're in. Can I just pray for you, and I'll pray for you too.
Speaker 1:Oh hey, I'm all about it, Dear.
Speaker 2:Heavenly Father and Lord, we just want to lift up those that are listening to this podcast today or whenever they receive it from a friend. Possibly, lord and I know the Holy Spirit can use the World Wide Web, can use podcasting to reach those that are hurting God, and so we know there's people out there with tremendous pain who don't understand what's going on, or why, or how they're going to go another day, and so, lord, I just pray that you would offer them the hope, lord, that comes from you. God, you tell us to always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that you have. We have God, and we believe that hope is Jesus Christ, and we know, god, you are the great physician and that you do see our pain. So, lord, please help those that listen to this.
Speaker 2:I pray for Merle and his recovery and his healing, but I also pray for those that are going to be listening or watching, lord, that they would connect with somebody, that they would not allow the enemy to play in their head and to keep them in isolation, god, but they would communicate and connect with people who can possibly help them and encourage them in their pain and through their pain. So, lord, we love you. We thank you for who you are, even when we don't see you or when we're in intense pain. God, we pray that they would experience the peace and the joy and the love and the hope that comes through you and your word, and we ask all this in your mighty and precious name.
Speaker 1:All right. Well, thank you and guys, thank you for listening to the Rock Solid Families podcast. We also want to thank our sponsors, casey's Outdoor Solutions, maxwell Construction and the Hoosier Ice House. Thanks again for listening to Rock Solid Families podcast. Building a strong community, one family at a time. Make it a great day.
Speaker 1:Rock Solid Families wants to thank Casey's Outdoor Solutions for sponsoring the Rock Solid Families podcast. Casey's has grown to be one of the largest and most unique garden centers and gift shops in the Cincinnati tri-state area. Whether you are looking to take on that next landscape project or simply add a little home decor to your house, casey's has you covered. Located at 21481 State Line Road, lawrenceburg, indiana, call them today at 812-537-3800. Let Casey's help you add beauty to your home. Rock solid families wants to thank max Maxwell Construction for sponsoring the Rock Solid Families podcast. For over 30 years, maxwell Construction has been a leader in turning dreams into realities Building schools, banks, restaurants and many other commercial and public facilities. Maxwell Construction has made it their priority to not just build buildings but to build into their community. So if you have any construction needs, call them at 812-537-2200.
Speaker 2:rock solid families would like to thank hoosier ice house for being a proud sponsor of the rock solid families podcast. In the heart of historic lawrenceburg, indiana, the ice house is at the corner of vine and high streets. The historic building evokes a feeling of comfort, with spacious indoor and outdoor dining, a large bar bar and comfortable dining areas Large enough to host parties, yet intimate enough to feel like your favorite neighborhood restaurant. So thank you again for the Hoosier Ice House for sponsoring the Rock Salad Families podcast.