How do we find hope when we don’t like our story? Heather Dixon from The Rescued Letters is on the show today sharing about her incurable and terminal genetic disorder she inherited from her mother. Because of her diagnosis she is living more determined than ever before to live like Jesus in every moment and discovering hope despite the story she’s been given.
In this episode we discuss:
- How we flourish as we live our hard stories.
- Trading heartache for hope
- Relying on God’s movement in the details of our story, even when it can’t be seen
- Gaining confidence to act in the part of our stories that we can change while watching expectantly for God to redeem the parts we can’t
This conversation wrecked me in all the best ways. Such a perspective shift. Tune in to be encouraged and equipped to trust in God, face your greatest fears, and live with hope, especially amid difficult circumstances.
Quotes:
“Prepare your bucket list and live your life well.”
“Humor is a coping mechanism for me.”
“I allowed myself the space to grieve and mourned what I thought my life would be.”
“The reason I have courage is because God is good and He is faithful. He drew me to Himself.”
“He is the only thing that can pierce through the fear and give me hope. My optimism is all Jesus.”
“I might not be able to do the things I used to do physically, but I can still write.”
“I was not the first to walk in the knowledge that death was on its way. Jesus had three years to live a life that would change the world and He lived it with a determined attitude and not a terminal perspective.”
“Every day is a gift. Life is a gift. Every day we have 24 hours and we need to make the most of them. The reality is is we are all terminal. With Jesus the word terminal gets obliterated because we have eternity because of Him.”
“To live like Jesus means to intentionally pursue humanity. It means loving, serving, and meeting the unmet needs of the people around you.”
“I told God that I hated Him and didn’t open the Bible for four years. When I left the faith those were the darkest years of my life, even darker than my diagnosis. But Jesus lovingly pursued and wooed me back into a personal relationship with Him.”
“All of us walk through season of hardship that we can’t change. How do we find hope when we don’t like our stories?”
“I am angry and brokenhearted about this diagnosis every day.”
“You just have to trust that His way is perfect and also that it’s not always about you. Yes it’s hard and yes it’s beautiful and because of Jesus I can live in the tension of those two realities.”
“It’s humanities desire to skip over the hard stuff. You have permission to grieve. We can flourish by recognizing that God is working in the details even when we don’t see it.”
“We are not helpless victims and can take baby steps to partner with God to bring about change in our lives.”
“When you carry a hard story, perspective changes on life. The Bible is living and active and it changes my heart every day.”
“God has given me what most people search for and that is contentment in the mundane.”
“When you walk through those dark valleys by contrast everything else seems sweeter.”
“Our stories may change, but His character stays the same.”
“The platitudes were true whether I believed them or not. We have to make a choice to believe in what we cannot see.”
“Do the things that make your soul thing.”
“You don’t have a terminal illness and not be best friends with anxiety. You are not helpless, you can be a part of your own story.”
Connect with Heather:
@rescuedletters
