Nothing truly prepares you for the pain of losing your husband. It changes everything—your daily rhythm, your sense of security, your future. If you—or someone you love—is walking the path of widowhood, I want to gently introduce a resource that offers comfort and strength in the midst of heartbreak.
In this week’s episode of The Love Offering Podcast, I’m sharing my conversation with Rachel Faulkner Brown about her book titled Widow’s Might: A 365-Day Devotional for Widows. This beautiful book weaves together powerful stories from women who have walked this road before—women who have found solace, strength, and the sustaining love of Jesus.
This devotional isn’t just a book—it’s a companion for your grief and a light for your journey. It’s a place to be reminded that you’re not alone, and that God is still writing a story of redemption in your life.
Tune in to hear more about how God brings beauty from brokenness and how you can experience His might in your weakness.
You are seen. You are loved. And you are not walking alone.
With compassion,
Rachael
Summary
In this episode of the Love Offering Podcast, host Rachael Adams speaks with Rachel Faulkner Brown, author of ‘Widows Might’, about her journey through grief after losing two husbands. Rachel shares her experiences of widowhood, the challenges of navigating life after loss, and the importance of community in the healing process. She emphasizes that true healing comes from vulnerability and connection with others, and discusses how her faith has played a crucial role in her recovery and ministry. In this conversation, Rachel Faulkner Brown shares her journey of healing and purpose after the loss of her husbands. She emphasizes the importance of confession, community, and emotional health in the grieving process. Rachel discusses how she met Jesus in her loneliness and how faith can lead to strength and hope. The conversation also touches on the significance of bold faith and love, and concludes with a powerful prayer for those who are suffering.
Takeaways
Rachel Faulkner Brown is an advocate for women navigating grief.
Joy can only be understood through pain.
Widowhood at a young age can lead to profound life changes.
Community is essential for healing after loss.
Vulnerability fosters connection and healing.
The healing process is ongoing and requires hard work.
Secrets can keep us stuck in our grief.
The gospel offers freedom and forgiveness beyond performance.
Honesty in sharing our struggles can lead to healing.
Grief can be complex and multifaceted, not always straightforward. Confession is essential for healing and community.
Isolation can deepen the pain of loss.
Grieving is a necessary process that cannot be rushed.
Emotional health is crucial for spiritual growth.
God’s presence can transform our darkest moments.
Finding purpose after loss is possible through faith.
The strength gained in pain can lead to deeper revelations.
Bold faith can catalyze miraculous changes in our lives.
Living in the present is vital for healing.
God’s goodness is the foundation of our hope.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Love Offering Podcast
00:59 Meet Rachel Faulkner Brown: A Journey of Grief
04:25 Navigating Life After Loss
12:00 The Healing Process and Community Support
19:09 The Role of Community in Healing
21:51 Healing Through Confession
24:04 The Importance of Community
25:40 Grieving and Finding Purpose
30:34 Emotional Healing and Spiritual Growth
34:27 The Strength Found in Pain
37:15 Bold Faith and Love
40:11 A Prayer for Hope and Power
Transcript ( AI Generated):
Rachael Adams (00:01.515)
Welcome to the Love Offering Podcast. I’m your host, Rachel Adams, author of Everyday Prayers for Love, learning to love God, others, and even yourself. Each week we dive into meaningful conversations about how to live out the greatest commandment, loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Whether through inspiring stories, practical tips, or biblical truths, I hope to encourage you to love boldly, live faithfully, and reflect God’s love in your everyday life.
Rachael Adams (00:30.753)
Today’s guest is Rachel Faulkner Brown. is the author of Widows Might, a 365 day devotional for women who have lost their husbands. Rachel is a passionate leader, speaker and advocate for women navigating grief and healing after loss. Through her own experience of widowhood, she ministers to others with empathy, strength, and deep faith. Well, hello Rachel, and welcome to the Love Offering Podcast. I’m so happy to have you today.
Rachel (00:55.054)
I’m so happy to be here to my other fellow Rachel who spells her name differently.
Rachael Adams (01:04.338)
I know, you spell yours the biblical way though, so I’m a little bit jealous.
Rachel (01:08.514)
Yeah, well, I have a friend named Leah and I’m like, well, you had the weak eyes. I spilled.
Rachael Adams (01:14.807)
That’s funny.
Rachel (01:16.874)
That’s hilarious. I know, I know. Love it. It’s an honor to be here, truly.
Rachael Adams (01:22.657)
Well, so we’ve already connected so much. We’re both Southern girls. have a boy and a girl and all the things. So tell us about just life in general. You’re moving your son out as we speak for college. And so what does life look like right now for you?
Rachel (01:36.525)
Yeah, life is so full. You know, you always think, I always say when our Super Bowls are done, our retreats and our conference and you know, the speaking season kind of goes with the school year, right? And so I was like, oh, all that’s over. We’ll get to like slow down a little bit. And I’m like, oh yeah. And then you have kids and I got to move out of college. And yeah, my son just finished his freshman year at Auburn. So we’re moving him out today, which is just crazy. And my daughter’s a junior and my husband started his own business this year. He retired after being a pastor for 26 years and started his own consulting business. So, I mean, we’re just like two entrepreneurs living in a house who really never wanted to be entrepreneurs, which is hilarious. And life is full, but it’s so fun. And, you know, I love being in that season where I can be friends with my kids because I was always like, I’m never going to be friends with my kids. And then you get to a season where you can be friends with them and then you get to coach them and they get to consult you and it’s so cool. It’s a good season.
Rachael Adams (02:40.055)
Even though my kids are a little bit younger than yours, I feel like we’re in that season in some ways. I really genuinely just enjoy being with them. we love to go, go out to eat. We love to go on vacations together and just, or just watch the Derby together, you know, whatever it may be. it’s, it’s just fun to be with them and support them and live life alongside them. Isn’t it.
Rachel (03:00.307)
Yeah, it is. mean, my daughter was so funny. were gone. Obviously, we were gone last night and because I was down here helping Davis and she was like, I just I missed our little tribe because we watch a show together every night. We’re watching Victoria on Masterpiece and it’s amazing. And it’s been so funny. I’m like, my gosh, like you really love being with us and we love being with you. So it’s a it’s a good feeling. I think that’s what every parent longs for. And so I kind of I’m like, OK, this is it. This is what we prayed for. And, you know, it’s not always sunshine and roses, but most of the time it’s beautiful.
Rachael Adams (03:38.015)
Yeah, I’m gonna have to look at that show. Kate and my daughter and I are always looking for something new to watch.
Rachel (03:43.326)
It is so fabulous. I mean, it’s so well done. If you watch Paul Dark on Masterpiece, I love PBS shows. They’re so well done, but it’s similar to that. Paul Dark and Victoria.
Rachael Adams (03:55.223)
I don’t have masterpiece, so maybe that’s step one.
Rachel (03:58.538)
Well, you can buy it. Like it’s on Prime and they used to buy the season or whatever. So I mean, it was like 20 bucks and I’m like, totally worth it. You know, for eight hours to process and be excited about something together. And you know, it’s hard with teenagers. There’s not a lot of great shows that everyone can watch, you know, and we’ve watched some that, you know, probably weren’t for everyone. But I think at the end of the day, this one was really high quality.
Rachael Adams (04:25.491)
Yeah, well, we’ll include that in the show notes too. So I know we’ve started off light and I’m thankful that we did, but life has not always been great for you. You’ve had a lot of suffering that you’ve experienced. So maybe tell us about the season before the one that you’re in.
Rachel (04:41.772)
Yeah, well, is, you know, somebody said the other day, like, how are you so filled with joy? And I think at the end of the day, if you don’t know pain, you can’t really know joy. And so for me, I was widowed at 23. My first husband had an aneurysm and I was, you know, just in the, the prime. were playing our family like that day. And when we were going to start our family and we just go to church and you know he passes away five days after September 11th. So I’m left widowed just in the problem of my life really and thinking oh my gosh I’ll never recover from this and of course that’s not the reality is I was able to you know recover and restore what had been stolen and I remarried two years later to a fighter pilot in the Air Force who was actually a family friend. My in-laws were friends. They were best friends. They traveled together every year and you know Blair was older. He was 35. I was 25 at the time and he was just doing the thing, dropping bombs and flying jets and I mean he had this super cool life and you know we always knew about Blair’s life but we were just working normal jobs in our little town. And so, you we always live a little vicariously through him. And then we started dating, fell in love. Oh my gosh, like immediately I was in love with him. And I was like, you’re 35, you love Jesus, you need a wife. Like, I will help you. And, you know, it just, it was a fairy tale. I’m gonna hate to say it, but God, you know, I was just like, oh my gosh, God has restored what the locusts have stolen. I mean, you all of the things that you say. And to be honest, Rachel, like I felt like my life, like all the hard things that were gonna happen to me had already happened to me. And I was just like gonna get to cruise on through the second marriage and having babies. And, you know, in my head, I was like, got the job card, right? I paid the price, you know, the number one stressor on a person is losing a spouse. I was like, I’ve done that, you know, and Jesus and God and Holy Spirit are just gonna give me a pass just to love, you know, people and do the thing. The rest of it. And the reality is, is that that is just not the promise of the gospel. In my head though, it was the promise and the deal that we had made, you know, like God, you won’t give us more than we can handle and I’ve already handled the worst. So let’s, you know, let’s move on together in total goodness and in this world, we will have troubles and they don’t stop coming. That’s the reality. Like no matter how much you’ve suffered, there is always more. And I hate to say it and that’s not super exciting, but I read this thing recently. It said, if you just know life’s gonna be hard, it doesn’t have to be so hard. You you just know life is hard. And, you know, I think the other piece of this is people don’t know who they are. So, you know, in this world, we will have troubles, but take heart I’ve overcome. Well, if Christ is in me, then He’s overcome and I’ve overcome. So no matter what it is, I’m going to survive every one of my worst days. And Blair, you know, went out to fly on April 23rd, 2008, 17 years ago, actually a couple of weeks ago. And I had a five month old and a two year old and he and his student pilot, they were taken off and a cable in the wing was broken and they had a full tank of gas. took off below a thousand feet. The ejection seat doesn’t work, but Blair tried to get, you know, that was their only hope. He knew we’re going to go down in a ball of flames if we don’t eject. And so they did. And of course it didn’t work properly and they were both killed instantly on the runway on that day. I, you know, I was left like, we had joked about like, will net you’re like safe, like you’re not gonna be in the jet and have any, I mean nothing’s gonna harm me, right? That’s what we had kind of told her, I mean not kind of, we had said that, like I’ve already lost a husband, there’s no way this will happen to you. So we’re kind of safe and it did and when I walked back to my house that day after they told me what had happened something in my brain just flipped. I can’t really describe it. I didn’t know Genesis 50-20. says, you intended for harm, God intended for good and the saving of many lives. And then he goes on to say, fear not, I will take care of you and your little children. And that was my story. I was just like, my gosh, people are going to get saved. Diplers funeral. I thought it was all about the funeral. I think widows do think that, especially widows that know Jesus. They’re like, this funeral is going to bring so many people to know the Lord and that happened. That did happen. There were 2,000 people at his funeral but I think at the end of the day it was so much bigger than just a funeral. I couldn’t see all that and I wouldn’t have wanted all that at that moment. That’s why God I think just shows you breadcrumbs and one step at a time. Psalm 84, it’s on the back of the book. It says they grow stronger and stronger with each step forward, not with leaps forward.
You know, and each step forward is where you grow strong. And for me, you know, I just, couldn’t believe it, but I knew that there was something bigger going on. And there was, there totally was. And, you know, I always say the reason that I have a ministry is not because I lost two husbands, it’s because of what happened after Blair died. I really imploded. I mean, I had been striving for God. I had been working for God. I had really not understood that my emotions matter to God. So there were just this cascade of events that happened. But the main thing was that I had a secret and I had held that secret from Blair. I had held that secret from Todd. I had been abused by a distant relative when I was younger and it wasn’t quote unquote, that big of a deal, but to a little Jesus girl who had never not been in church, it felt like the dirtiest thing ever. And it was my first sexual experience, even though it wasn’t sexual in nature. And so I think at the end of the day, that secret kept me totally stuck, even though I believed it was keeping me safe. But after Blair died, the wheels just fell off my life. I did not have the same ability to manage the shame that I did before Blair died and I let go of my secret which is why I have a ministry today.
Rachael Adams (12:00.161)
So we are going to take a brief break to hear a word from today’s sponsor and when we come back we’ll dive into the healing process and what it means to fund strength in community.
Welcome back today. We’re chatting with Rachel Faulkner Brown about her powerful devotional widows might so Go ahead and just continue your story I mean, this is such a such a journey of healing for you and then a new ministry that was birthed out of it out of that So tell us more about that new ministry
Rachel (12:30.26)
Yeah, well, I mean, I let go of my secret. I understood. I had watched women. I was in Huntsville, Alabama. I moved. think moves are like totally setups by God for like a new life. love every time Widow’s like, should I move? I’m like, yes, you should. Like, my gosh, please move. Like it’s just, you know, expanding your tent pegs is like such the low hanging fruit. There’s just so much more that comes with that. And that was for me was exposure to women who were free.
And not that I hadn’t probably been around women who were free, but they weren’t talking about it if they were. That was the reality. And so I was in this Bible study. was kind of a cool story. was visiting churches when I first moved to Huntsville. I go to this church over the mountain, which is pretty far. And I sit down and there’s this woman who is in front of me. She’s got a five-year-old. I had a five-year-old and I was like, this is awesome. Could we go to coffee and talk about like kindergarten and what we’re doing? And nine months before I’d called a friend and said, hey, where should we go to church? Like what are the good churches in Huntsville? And she gave me this girl’s name and she was like, I don’t know. We’re not really going to church right now, but this girl lives down the street and she loves Jesus. Well, there are a million people in greater Huntsville. And I sit down at this church across the mountain.
And guess who’s in front of me? It’s the girl who loved Jesus down the street. And I thought, my gosh, if God does not see me, I don’t know how you can deny that he set me up. I mean, he totally set me up. And Leah was free and I was not. And she invited me to her Bible study and these women were telling these dark, nasty, awful stories about themselves and things they had done and things that had been done to them. And I’m like, what is happening? It just felt so wrong for them to be sharing these deep, dark secrets because we just kept secrets. That was just kind of what we did. I mean, we just, if something bad happened, we just moved on kind of like it didn’t happen. That was just like the way we operated kind of as a family. at the end of the day, I was just blown away. I was like, I don’t even know what’s happening here. And so those women showed me what freedom looked like. They showed me that my
Rachel (14:45.338)
You know, like I said, my secrets were actually keeping me stuck. I let go of my secret. And then I understood. And then the next step of that was really understanding the gospel. I thought the gospel was Rachel plus the gospel equaled sanctification, equaled the kingdom. And the reality was I had nothing to do with it. It was all that he did. But yet I was trying to act like I had a role in the gospel and on some level obviously we do but I was trying to earn it. was like trying to remember all my sins every night. I was you know performing for God and the better I performed the more I felt like I was loved and you know that’s the way humans had treated me so I didn’t think you know I thought well God’s very similar so at the end of the day learning that I’m fully forgiven. There’s nothing else I could do to get more forgiven. And that feels like such heresy to people because you just, you want to do something, right? You want to do something to earn that forgiveness and like, it’s not up to you. And then, you know, that I was righteous and, and honestly, if you’d asked me 15 years ago, you know, would you consider yourself righteous? I would have never raised my hand because righteousness was equated to performance and the things that I did for Jesus. And I just had no concept about that and then you know that I was lavishly loved and again, I was loved because of You know, I won this or I made great grades or I did the right thing I did all the Bible studies I’ve you know went to church all the times I could go that that week and so all of those things it was just this perfect storm and then I met my husband, you know, and and he what he said I would have never dated you had I not met you when I met it that you because I wasn’t healed, was self-protecting, was judgmental. If you weren’t participating in the things that I was participating in, performing like I was performing, and you weren’t my denomination, I was just like, I mean, I don’t know about you, but we’re doing good for Jesus over here. I was just so self-righteous about my denomination just a hot mess of religion. That’s really what the reality was. And so I met Rod in a season of just undoing religion and then letting go of a secret. And I was just a transformed person. And it’s crazy because I always say, I’m going to meet my husbands in heaven and introduce myself because they genuinely did not know me. It’s so sad. I mean, I’m like, I could have been so much more for you, but I didn’t know what I didn’t know. And I think that’s the thing when you’re 32 years old and raising babies, you’re just not real aware of how your past is informing your current reality. And I was thinking it was all Blair’s fault. Before he died, it was like, your job’s ruining my life, your job, whatever you’re doing, however you’re not helping me. And it had nothing to do with Blair. Blame is the fruit of shame. I mean, that’s just the bottom line. And so that was fortunately for Rod, we’ve been married 12 years and he met me like kind of after a lot of that had been sloughed off my life. yeah, so it’s just been a beautiful journey and healing is such hard work. You know, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Like it is it’s constant. And this side of heaven, you know, we’re just never done. It’s a journey. But the joy, right? I mean, we’re never gonna arrive and the more you partner with that, the more fun it becomes, you know? It’s just a treasure hunt. It’s like, do you have for me today, Jesus? And He’ll show you.
Rachael Adams (18:44.889)
So you mentioned Leah, your friend that kind of came alongside you and just this community of women. And so I’d love to dive more into that. What has, what role has community played in your healing process and why would you encourage maybe somebody that is a widow or going through a really tough time of grief to invest yourself in some community?
Rachel (19:09.206)
Yeah, well, I think the reality is what happened on the cross, healing was paid for, right? But Jesus says, confessor sends one to another so that you may be healed. Well, he’s like giving you the prescription for what healing on earth really looks like. The healing has been, the work has been finished. It was finished on the cross, but yet to apply it, you have to do that with one another.
And I just, I so believe that there is no true healing outside community. And I think the litmus test for me was, and still is, is there anything in my life that I couldn’t openly share about that I’m hiding or self-protecting or whatever that the glory of God has not touched in my life? Because if the glory of God hadn’t touched it, then you don’t feel free to share it. But when the glory of God touches that hard thing, that messy thing, that secret that you kept, that that offendedness, you know, when the glory of God touches that and you know, my gosh, I mean, there is a better way, right? I mean, you just get to come higher. And so when I’m offended at someone, I don’t feel any shame when I go tell them, hey, I’m so sorry that offended me. And I just want to come to you and say, I’m sorry I felt that way. The confession is just so much easier when you know God has touched it and it becomes this sweet dance with the Lord and with your own community where vulnerability takes over and it just becomes, it’s just contagious. You vulnerability is absolutely contagious. And I sat in a group processing emotions, it’s called Wellspring in Atlanta, and I was at the group on Monday night and you know the things that I want to believe in my head or over sharing are actually the things that heal me. Isn’t that funny how that works? know like to the degree of honesty that you can be is the degree that you’ll be healed. That’s just the way I feel about it and I’ve tried to impart that to the widows because a lot of widows, they didn’t have easy marriages. And when a husband dies, they become heroes, even though they weren’t sometimes great people. And that is a real reality. And we do a whole session at our conference called When Grief Hits Different because it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, you know, when they were alive. And there’s a relief when they’re gone a lot of times and the guilt that widows feel.
Because of that relief, my gosh, I mean, if you’ve had a husband who was addicted for 20 years and you were married the whole time, you are tired. You are so tired when he, know, whenever whatever happens and he leaves this earth. And so, you know, there’s just a shame to that, that has to be confessed for that widow to be healed. And so it is so beautiful. Confession is where it’s at. And you know, you’re saying what Jesus has said about you. You are healed. You’re mine. You’re beloved. Not you’re awful. You’re terrible. This is dirty. This is too much. You’ve done this. You really did at that time. That’s not what Jesus says about you. He’s reminding you of who you are. so confession, even in a great means, say the same thing as, I’m going to say what Jesus says about me, and then I’m going to be able to share this in community.
Rachael Adams (22:43.625)
Yeah, you know, I mentioned to you that I was just in your area a couple of weeks ago. And after I spoke, there was one lady that came up to me that said she is a widow and she had her husband had passed three years ago and she had been in isolation pretty much until this event. So three years of just really being to herself, keeping to herself. And she said after after our conference that she felt led to start a widow’s ministry after being in community and that the Lord was leading her that way. And it was a friend that invited her there. And I think what if that friend hadn’t reached out to her? And so I’m just mindful of for those listening, maybe you aren’t a widow, but maybe you know somebody that is or somebody that has just lost a loved one. Be the friend to reach out and listen to the Holy Spirit. You have no idea, you know, how long they’ve been isolated and how much they felt alone.
Rachel (23:31.669)
Yeah. It’s so common. COVID made it so, you know, all of our brains were changed on some level and the isolation, you know, and then for these widows who lost their husband during that season, my goodness, the pain that they endured alone and not able to go back to church and just silently suffering. my goodness, it’s so real. We see it all the time with our widows. Yeah, it’s brave.
Rachael Adams (24:04.627)
Well, we are going to take another brief break to hear a word from today’s sponsor. And when we return, we’ll talk about finding joy and purpose again after loss. Welcome back. We are continuing our conversation with Rachel Faulkner Brown, author of Widows Might. And you know, we just talked about just this importance of being in community and not being alone. And you did mention this, but I wonder if you have anything to elaborate on how did Jesus meet you in that place? I know you were a strong believer you got involved in the church, but I’d love to just hear how you met, how he met you in that loneliness and in that suffering and pain.
Rachel (24:42.696)
Yeah. Well, the reason I started the ministry is because I didn’t do that well, Rachel. I really, I really want people to not do what I did. You know, if you don’t grieve, you’re going to have to go back and repeat it. And that’s exactly what happened to me. I just stuffed and just kept going. I had two little kids. didn’t, in my mind, there wasn’t time to grieve. And the reality is, on some level, that was true, but what I did, and this is just such testimony of how religion works, but I started a Bible study two weeks after Blair died because I was panicked that I did not know the 66 of the books of the Bible well enough to teach my children about each one. And so I had 30 women in my den, and I don’t know why one of those women didn’t say, hey, is this the highest and best use of your time as a grieving widow? Because it wasn’t. I mean, was truly, I need to just perform even in grief. But we were all in the jar together and no one could read the label that that was on some level performance in religion. And so when you look back and you’re like, you were starting a Bible study two weeks after your husband died with two little kids and yeah, that’s what I was doing. And so I just, so much of what we do with Never Alone is like, hey, don’t do what we did. Like there’s a better way. And of course hindsight is 20-20. I mean, I’m 17 years out, so I have so much knowledge of, I wish that I would have done this. But I will say the Lord met me in many ways. Unfortunately, I did have such a solid foundation, even though I was performing and even though I was religious and didn’t really understand the gospel, but I knew God, you know? And I knew him in the depths of who I was and seven days after Blair passes away, passed away, I was in my room journaling like what had happened during the death and the funeral and it was, you know, it’d been seven days and my best friends had slept in the bed with me and um and that night I just had this undeniable manifest presence of the Holy Spirit in my room and I didn’t have a grid for that so you have to know I kind of grew up with like Jesus God, the Holy Bible and you know, maybe the Spirit hits you one time a year. But I just didn’t, I didn’t know the Holy Spirit intimately. And but, my gosh, this night I was like, this is, I was terrified, first of all. So it was, it was the most terrifying piece I’ve ever known in my life. And I think that night really unlocked and removed the fear of living off my life because having lost two husbands, could have locked myself and my kids in to our house and never done anything, you know, never let them learn to ride a bike or climb a tree or, you know, get on an airplane over again. I mean, there could have been some real, real fears, like that could have locked down on my life because let’s be honest, the door was open for that. You know, you lose two husbands. I mean, that is an open door for the spirit of fear to take over. And I just believe that night the Lord came in truly to my bedroom and just remove that opportunity from the enemy. And I can’t explain it. I will never be able to explain it, but I know that it changed I know that it changed me and I know that it made all the difference in my future.
The other thing that I will say is I read Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, and I challenge anyone who kind of grew up like I did, where you were denominational bound, and you, you know might have had shame on board, but I read that book and know, Pete was a pastor and he was in the heavenly realms with Jesus spiritually, like know all the things, knowledge, you know, got the scriptures, did the Bible studies, but yet emotionally couldn’t tell you how he felt about anything. And that was me. And I read that book and I was, I cried the entire way I was going to speak in Boise, Idaho, which of course I shouldn’t have been speaking about anything because I didn’t know anything about anything, but I was out there cried the entire way there reading this book because it was about me. And I’m like, I have missed a part of who I am. And I have missed that God cares about my emotions and I’ve missed that, you know, they’re important to Him and they’re important to my body to heal. And I just didn’t know all that. I think, you know, The Body Keeps Score, that was a really new book back then. You know, my body was holding trauma and I had no idea. And so those two things like allowing, you know, God allowing me to even find that book. I still don’t know how I even got that book, but he was just leaving a path, you know, the manifest presence experience seven days after he died and then this book and, you know, then moving and meeting this girl Leah. I mean, you he was, he had the path. You know, he saw the back of the tapestry. He knew all the people that he was going to introduce me to. And that is sometimes freaky to even think about that he had that all planned out from the day I was born. He knew I’d be born with a with a high capacity for joy, which I do have that. And so, you know, sometimes, Rachel, when you look at your life and you’ve suffered so much and yet your life is still beautiful, it’s hard to rationalize the mystery because you can’t rationalize mystery, right? And to the level of mystery that I’m willing to live with about my own life is the level of freedom that I walk in.
Rachael Adams (31:41.725)
Hmm. That’s beautiful. I’m just mindful of the woman that maybe is has lost a husband or just lost a loved one. You know, your, your story is so much of hope, like in, in some ways God has wrapped it in a beautiful bow in some ways. I know a life isn’t perfect, but how would you encourage the woman listening to not give up hope?
Rachel (32:06.297)
Well, I think for me, it is one day at a time. mean, I, you know, I’m still, we still deal with secondary losses, you know, when you have been widowed, like those don’t stop coming. Like my son’s graduation last year, I mean, it was as joyful as it was, there was this deep sadness, you know, even to the whole thing and just watching him go to college and moving in that day and how excited his dad would have been to see what his path was gonna look like and where he was. And my daughter suffered with an eating disorder and just the hard things of that. But it’s one day. God is just like, don’t worry about tomorrow. He knew if we worried and we future casted worry into tomorrow that it would be really hard to be present in today. And so I just, every time I meet with the widow, I’m like, you’ve survived every single hard day of your entire life. And you got here today. Like you’re with me. You’re at a conference. You’re at a retreat. You’re at the local group. And so just celebrating that you’ve survived all these hard things to me is just so powerful. Yeah, I did. Because you get so mired down in like the hard that you’re currently in. But like thinking through, I’ve survived my hardest days, you know. I’m still living to tell about it. And God’s still good. I think that’s the other thing too, Rachel, that I would say is that if the foundation of your life is built on the circumstances of your life, you will not have hope. But if it’s built on the goodness of God and that if he’s good, he can’t be anything but good. And that really comes by faith and really understanding the gospel that we’re in a new covenant and that old you that thought God wasn’t good every other day, or was good every other day, or that God was like my dad, or whatever. That girl died and so you get to live in a new covenant and fully know if Christ is in me, that is the hope of glory.
Rachael Adams (34:25.045)
I know your new book is called Widows Might and so for those that aren’t familiar with that biblical story maybe give us a brief synopsis of that and then just tell us about what readers can expect when they pick up a copy of your devotional.
Rachel (34:40.972)
Yeah. Well, it’s a play on words, obviously. So it’s Widows M-I-G-H-T. So it’s just, it’s really about the strength that we gain in pain. And as much as I hate that, it is the reality of the lives that we live on Earth. You just, you do grow stronger and stronger. Psalm 84-7, that’s the whole, I wrote the whole book and every devotional with that thought that you where others find pain, we can find a brook of blessing. And that is what Psalm 84 says so beautifully. you know, that was written by a family, his entire family had been obliterated. And so I’m like, you know, where others would say there’s no good that could come out of this, we know there is. And that’s what I asked the widow. So 200 of them wrote for for the book plus all of my entries. I asked them, was like, mind the depths of revelation that God has given you in these hard places, you know, in this pain. And then write that down for another widow. And that’s what it is. It’s the revelation of the goodness of God with a story, with a truth on every page. And you only get that in the dark. The crops only grow in the valley. They don’t grow on the mountain. And sometimes you can see the mountain and the beauty of it much better from the valley. On top of the mountain, you can’t see the mountain. And so I think at the end of the day, the book is just treasures. It really is. It’s 365 treasures from so many widows aged 25 to 90 who have just mined the depths of revelation of what God and who God is even in the paint.
Rachael Adams (36:34.707)
Yeah, and their testimonies to him. That’s powerful. Is there maybe a biblical concept of love that you think applies to this topic today?
Rachel (36:45.28)
Yeah, you know, I think about the widow at Zarephath and how, you know, she and her son were literally about to die. And she took a bold step of faith and she was like, all right, I’m going to go, I’m going to go gather those pots from my neighbors. And there is no greater love than laying down your life for those that you love. you know, it’s Mother’s Day this weekend. That’s the concept of love. mean, there is, the love that I feel for my children is so supernatural and I can’t even imagine how God feels about us. But I also know when I step out in bold faith for my family, that’s when things change. And, you know, I can be an absolute catalyst for the miraculous, for my own family. And, you know, the boldness that she felt as a widow, Yeah, I feel that. I mean, I really do. I’m like, I sometimes look crazy, the things that I dream up with God, but somehow he always meets us. that’s that kind of love. I mean, to me, bold faith is there’s no greater love.
Rachael Adams (38:01.877)
So I love that example as many times as I have asked that question nobody’s given the answers so well done Rachel. So tell us something you are loving right now.
Rachel (38:14.102)
Well, I love Victoria. I told you that earlier. The other thing I’m loving are these like, this is so vain, but those lashes that go up under your eyes, you just, you kind of press them on. They’re like kiss or something. And they’re like, they’re like little short ones and they go up under and they don’t like have the glue and they’re pre-glued and they’re amazing. And I love them so much. And then the other thing that I would say I’m loving is my 50 milligrams of progesterone because I am in perimenopause and I’m not sleeping so great and I’ve always slept so great and I’m like what is happening to me? So and then okay one more thing because I have lots of things that I love it’s peachy spoons Protein powder she has vanilla and chocolate. It’s called the peachy spoon and it blends in your coffee. So every morning my first cup of coffee I’m getting 38 grams of protein in my coffee. I don’t love food in the morning. I don’t love eating a lot of food and meat especially. And so I’m like, I love that I know that when I go to the gym, I’ve got 38 grams of protein on board. Isn’t that good?
Rachael Adams (39:22.341)
It is good. love how practical I’m going to I’m going to Google every bit of that as soon as we get off. That’s so good. You’re speaking my language for sure. Yeah. Well, well, I know I want to stay connected with you. I’m sure listeners are going to want to and going to want to purchase a copy of this devotional. So tell us how we can best do that.
Rachel (39:28.384)
Yeah, so fun. So fun. Yeah.
Rachel (39:39.914)
Well, our website is Never Alone Widows.com and if you know a widow, we have 70 local groups across the country. Actually, we have two in Kentucky and we just want widows to be connected. We want them to be in groups where they feel known and that is the place to connect to our local groups and then our conferences and retreats. And then for me, I’m just at Rachel Faulkner Brown on Instagram and our Never Alone Widows Instagram is at Never Alone Widows.
Rachael Adams (40:07.861)
Well, would you do us the honor of praying for us as we close today?
Rachel (40:11.743)
Yeah, Lord, thank you so much for the love that you poured out on the cross. But more than that, God, thank you so much for getting up. my goodness. You were like the ultimate. You were just the ultimate example of death has been overcome. And so, Lord, thank you for every person listening who feels like they have died in their pain and they’re dying currently. That resurrection is possible and it may take longer than three days, but it is a reality and resurrection power flows in us. God, I pray for every person listening that they, just like you reminded the disciples, don’t leave Jerusalem till you’re clothed in power. I just pray for power, the power of the Holy Spirit to come on every person listening to be able to do the greater things. Jesus, you told us you will do greater things than me and that feels so impossible for so many of us, but God, your love is the reason that we can do that. And so God, I just declare a baptism of love on all of our friends that are listening and that they would feel overjoyed, overcome and just known in your love and your power and what you want to do through us and with us. Not just standing and watching, but you really want to partner with us every day. And so just bless every person to know that partnership in a deeper way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Rachael Adams (41:50.933)
Amen. Well, thank you everyone for joining us today. Thank you, Rachel. You’re just such a blessing and such a joy. So I appreciate being with us today.
Thank you so much for listening to the Love Offering Podcast. I hope today’s conversation encouraged you and inspired you to love God, love others, and even love yourself a little more. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and leave a review. It helps others find the show and spreads the message of love even further. To connect with me, visit my website at rachelkadams.com. While you’re there, be sure to download the Love Offering Calendar, a free resource filled with simple daily ways to love those around you.
Don’t forget to pick up a copy of my new book, Everyday Prayers for Love, Learning to Love God, Others, and Even Yourself, and Rachel’s book, The Widows Might. They are available now wherever books are sold, and we pray they are meaningful resources for your faith journey. A special thank you to Life Audio for supporting this podcast and making it possible. To find more great podcasts, visit LifeAudio.com. Thanks again for joining us today. Until next time, let’s make our lives an offering of love.
