Finding Hope When Life Is Hard
Happy One-Year Anniversary to The UnPerfect Podcast! As we celebrate 44 episodes of talks and interviews that help us fully live in the now and the not-yet, I’m going to share my “Top 22” list with you, my listeners. These are summarized principles we’ve talked about over the last year on the podcast—principles for finding hope when life is hard. So listen in…
Welcome to Episode #44 of The UnPerfect Podcast. In this episode, you’ll be hearing another failed parenting story that our family is reminded of every year when celebrating the anniversary of adopting our youngest children from Rwanda. 🤦🏽♀️
However, the rest of the episode is my personal attempt to enact Dave Letterman’s Top Ten List. (But you guys know me and my love for sharing, so my list is a “Top 22”).
I’ve perused the content of the last year’s episodes and narrowed them down to 22 principles. Twenty-two bite-sized nuggets to encourage and challenge you in finding hope when life is hard. I’ll paraphrase them below so that you’re able to see which podcast episodes contained that particular content. Then, you can go back and listen to the ones that resonated with you the most! So here goes…
The UnPerfect Podcast’s Top 22 Principles from the Last Year’s Shows:
- 22. God is the great redeemer of regrets. Take the next right step. (Episodes #37, #38, #39, and #40)
- 21. We must be intentional. Relationships matter to Jesus. (Episodes #33 and #34)
- 20. Our scars tell our story. (Episodes #31 and #35)
- 19. Anger is a secondary emotion that self-awareness helps us overcome (Episode #27)
- 18. God gives us practical to overcome our fears. (Episodes 26, #41, #42, and #43)
- 17. You can have peace at your table. (Episodes #24 and #25)
- 16. Try these strategies when you’re in a season of feeling “stuck.” (Episode #23)
- 15. We serve a Savior who knows and understands rejection and helps us heal. (Episodes #19 and #20)
- 14. God uses imperfect women. (Hallelujah!) (Episodes #18 and #28)
- 13. Sometimes, God calls us to stay somewhere we’d rather not be. (Episodes #32 and #17)
- 12. Waiting is an opportunity for us to trust God’s heart. (Episodes #14, #15, and #36)
- 11. God provides for us what He – in his infinite wisdom – knows that we need. (Episode #13)
Top 22 – Finding Hope When Life Is Hard – The UnPerfect Podcast Anniversary Episode
- 10. Busyness is a barrier to living a balanced life. (Episodes #11 and #12)
- 9. Evaluate the goals God wants you to have for you and your family. (Episode #10)
- 8. God can handle – much better than me – whatever I entrust to His control. (Episodes #9 and #16)
- 7. We can embody the with-ness of God to others when we listen emphatically. (Episodes #8 and #29)
- 6. It’s ok – and therapeutic – to grieve things that never happened. (Episode #7)
- 5. Being what God calls you to be is a much better goal than being “GREAT.” (Episode #6)
- 4. We can trust God’s plan for our child’s life by embracing the work-in-process rather than holding too tightly to our own expectations. (Episodes #5, #21 and #30)
- 3. No one else can speak into your life like the living and active Word of God. (Episode #4)
- 2. Comparison robs us of leaning on Jesus and fully experiencing Him in the midst of our imperfections. (Episodes #2 and #3)
- 1. And finally, no one is living a perfect life – no matter what their social media feed reveals. We are living in the constant tension of the now and the not-yet. (Episode #1)
