Episode 43: Rachel Faulkner Brown

Rachel Faulkner Brown joins me for Episode 43. She is a wife and mom who has a story of heartbreak and healing. She is twice widowed and been married to her husband, Rod, for a few years now. As our conversation unfolded, the thread that was woven throughout was easy to see—it is a story and thread of healing. God has carried her through great heartbreak and has performed miracles in her life. I know you are going to be inspired today. Let’s jump right in to my conversation with Rachel.

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I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Rachel. There were a few moments along the way that it was as if God just stuck a pin in the conversation for me. When she said, “You trust me enough to allow this to happen,” my heart paused. So many times I look at God and say, “Why did you do this to me?” “Why did you allow this to happen to me?” “Do you actually love me?” But what Rachel saw and learned is an upside down way to seeing heartbreak and pain. Maybe God trusts me enough to allow me to walk through such pain or hardship. She then said that her prayer became, “Don’t protect me or my children from your glory—whatever that means.” Wow. I don’t know about you, but that is hard to say. So, I’m gonna sit on that. I’m gonna wrestle with that.

Links Mentioned:

Survival Kit:

  • Family dinners - cooking together and using Chat Packs to create conversation around the table
  • Looking at her physical, spiritual and emotional wellness to see where she needs to be intentional about developing and growing
  • De-stressing her environment 
  • Jordana Lip Liner in Rock N Rose - she forgot to mention this on the show, but she actually brought me one!

Connect with Rachel:website // Instagram

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

  • I was challenged about prayer. Some people may not have anyone praying for them. @@Praying for others is powerful. Who is praying for your kids?@@ Who is praying for you? Are you allowing someone to bless you that way?
  • There were a few moments along the way that it was as if God just stuck a pin in the conversation for me. When she said, “@@You trust me enough to allow this to happen@@,” my heart paused. So many times I look at God and say, “Why did you do this to me?” “Why did you allow this to happen to me?” “Do you actually love me?” But @@what she learned is an upside down way to seeing heartbreak and pain.Maybe God trusts me enough to allow me to walk through such pain@@ or hardship. There is a difference between having an understanding and a knowing. She then said that her prayer became, “@@Don’t protect me or my children from you glory—whatever that means@@.” Wow. I don’t know about you, but that is hard to say. So, I’m gonna sit on that. I’m gonna wrestle with that.
  • Learning how to feel again is vital to recovery. You have to feel it to heal it. And @@when it comes to helping your kids process grief, you have be in the grief with them@@. Sometimes you just have to be in the dark space with them. @@You just need to stay in the gap of what is happening in their heart and the truth of God's word@@.
  • I have been sitting with the truth that @@Jesus' body was broken for healing and to extend that grace to others@@. It's difficult to offer that grace when you are hurt and angry and feel helpless. I am learning to stand in a place of grace.

What about you? Did God stick a pin in your heart in this conversation? I’d love to talk with you about. You can email me here or find me on Instagram or Twitter. Be sure to check out the show notes for all of things we talked about today. If you are local to the Atlanta area, you should check out Rachel’s monthly gathering called Be Still. 

I am currently booking speaking engagements for spring. If you have a women’s event in your community or church, I’d love to be apart of it. Contact me here if you are interested.

Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.

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Podcast, Relationshipssarah bragg