Grief doesn’t always look like losing someone. Sometimes, it’s the ache of a dream that never came to life, a future that didn’t unfold as you’d hoped, or a relationship that was taken away.

In this episode of the Eternal Echoes podcast, host Katharine Rose speaks with Jan Johnson, a 72-year-old woman who has endured many adversities – from miscarriage and widowhood to estranged children, abandonment, rape and cancer. More recently, she has experienced the loss of a relationship with a grandchild who was kidnapped by her own father.

Jan shares how she’s learned to trust God through it all by grounding herself in His word, reflecting on His past faithfulness, and maintaining an eternal perspective. She offers words of encouragement to grieving hearts, reminding listeners that God uses tribulations to build our testimony of faith and draw us closer to Himself.

Wise words worth echoing:

-“We go through the trials and tribulations because that’s where we come closest to Him. He’s building my testimony to share with somebody else that might be going through it.”

-“I have learned to trust Him, which is just a hard thing to do. But you only learn that through going through hard things. If you don't go through hard things, you don't need to trust Him.”

-“If He doesn't answer in the here and now, He still has a big picture of how it's going to work, whether we understand it or not. And that’s where your trust comes in.”

-“We need to go back and write down those things and say, this is where God came through in my life. This is where He hasn't come through yet – but He will.”

-“God takes you through deep waters. He's right there and you just have to keep in the Word because if you don’t, you just get lost.”

Connect with Jan:

Website: https://jan-johnson.com/

Just Talkin About Jesus Podcast: https://justtalkinaboutjesus.buzzsprout.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justtalkinaboutjesus

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jan.johnson.5201

Substack: https://janjohnsonauthor.substack.com/?utm_source=global-search

Follow Katharine and Eternal Echoes:

Facebook and Instagram: @EternalEchoesMinistry

Substack: http://katharinerrose.substack.com

Website: www.eternalechoesministry.com

Email: ⁠⁠Katharine@eternalechoesministry.com⁠⁠ for speaking events or interviews

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2A4VkhcFV4

What’s the soundtrack playing in your mind? Are you rehearsing all the ways you messed up, fell short, or "should have" done better? What if you could quiet that inner bully and finally believe the truth about yourself?

In this episode of the Eternal Echoes podcast, host Katharine Rose speaks with Carol Feil (61), a writer, speaker, and self-described cheerleader of women. Carol sheds light on the importance of paying attention to our thought life, encouraging women to recognize, root out, and replace the lies with this truth: you are seen, known, and deeply loved by God.

Carol also discusses how grounding ourselves in our identity in Christ can help us navigate expectations, rejection, and various social dynamics. She also offers words of wisdom on not letting your feelings have the final say, knowing God’s character, trusting God when you don’t understand, and a whole lot more.

Wise words worth echoing:

-“Those thoughts that try to do battle with us, first we have to recognize they're there in order to do anything about it.”

-“The Lord sees us when we're the bud. He sees us when we're the full bloom and He still sees us and loves us when we're the wilting flower that's done its process and it's time to rest before the next cycle of growth.”

-“It doesn't say I always feel like He’s never leaving me or forsaking me. It says He will never leave me or forsake me.”

-“He's a good, good father. But He also can't be less than He is. So along with being a good father, He has lots of attributes that I can't pick and choose which ones I want to embrace.”

-“Who people think I am on the outside has nothing to do with what the Lord has put inside of me.”

-“Even when we don't feel seen, known or loved, we can be confident that God says in His word that what He starts, He finishes. He's a completer. He's a redeemer.”

-“I don't want a God I can fit in a box. I want a God that is so much bigger than my circumstances that when I can't see a way through, I can believe that He sees it from beginning to end.”

Connect with Carol:

Website: https://carolfeil.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolfeil/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarolFeilWriter

Follow Katharine and Eternal Echoes:

Facebook and Instagram: @EternalEchoesMinistry

Substack: http://katharinerrose.substack.com

Website: www.eternalechoesministry.com

Email: ⁠⁠Katharine@eternalechoesministry.com⁠⁠ for speaking events or interviews

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjBMF_8AN64

In this episode of the Eternal Echoes podcast, host Katharine Rose speaks with Laura Padgett (73), a multi-published, multi-awarded author and dancer who knows a thing or two about struggling with perfectionism.

Laura explains that she has come to see perfection as a “queen who is held up by three handmaidens”: competition, comparison and control – all of which can be destructive to ourselves and our relationships.

She encourages listeners to knock the queen off her throne by adopting an attitude of gratitude for who God made you to be and the gifts He has given you. She also highlights the importance of self-awareness in relinquishing control and remaining curious when an unwanted behavior arises.

Throughout our conversation, Laura offers words of wisdom on learning to love ourselves, walking in reliance on God, overcoming fear, and more.

Wise words worth echoing:

-“Perfectionism will kill curiosity. Control will kill curiosity. Comparison will keep you from being curious about the things God wants your curiosity spent on.”

-“When you are on the altar for the Lord, you drop perfection, you drop precision, and you drop the pursuit of self. Now it's worship, praise, prayer, and oftentimes lament.”

-“The thing I want to do is start each day with gratitude for who I am, what I am, and the gifts I've been given.”

-“Begin to ask God, what are my gifts? And then take a chance. Step out."

-“Get a mentor. When it comes your time, be a mentor. Because this is how we continue to share that beautiful, sacred, feminine truth that we are all mothers to each other.”

-“Rely on God when things hurt, rely when things are strange, rely when things are uncertain.”

Connect with Laura: https://lauralpadgett.com/

Follow Katharine and Eternal Echoes:

Facebook and Instagram: @EternalEchoesMinistry

Substack: http://katharinerrose.substack.com

Website: www.eternalechoesministry.com

Email: ⁠⁠Katharine@eternalechoesministry.com⁠⁠ for speaking events or interviews

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPPCV5wMLAo