Behold and Rejoice: Awareness of God's Presence in Every Moment

Welcome to Steps to Trusting. In this episode, we continue exploring the topic of beholding God, as introduced in Episode 64 with Teresa Whiting. Starting with a definition of 'behold' from Oxford Languages, we'll dive deep into what it means to observe and recognize God's presence in our lives. Anchoring our discussion in Psalm 23 and Psalm 27, we'll explore the tension of seeking God when we can't see Him physically and how to cultivate awareness of His presence through gratitude and constant prayer. We'll also discuss practical ways to turn our eyes to God daily, inspired by verses from 1 Thessalonians 5. If you're looking for actionable steps to deepen your faith and trust, you won't want to miss this episode. Join me as we explore how to behold God together.

I would love to hear from you.  

Links:

Connect with Erin Michele Smith at www.erinmichele.net

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

Want more information about Alpha? https://alphausa.org/

Want to check out the purpose planner?  https://thepurposeplanners.com/

Want to check out the episode I mentioned?   Living in Another’s Shadow - Season 2 episode 43 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/steps-to-trusting/id1532625610?i=1000558108150

00:00 Introduction and Purpose

00:33 Opening Prayer

00:51 Understanding 'Behold'

03:03 Exploring Psalm 23

04:45 The Tension of Beholding God

06:48 Practical Steps to Behold God

09:24 Rejoicing and Thankfulness

11:58 Personal Reflections and Encouragement

18:48 Final Thoughts and Prayer

19:58 Closing Remarks and Next Episode Preview

Transcript

Behold and Rejoice: Awareness of God's Presence in Every Moment

[00:00:00] Erin: Hi. I'm Erin Michele Welcome to steps to trusting at steps to trusting It's my goal to meet you where you are in your faith journey and to encourage you to continue to take steps to trusting the Lord more fully Today, I'm joined by Teresa Whiting.

[00:00:13] Teresa is a speaker, a podcaster. You can find her at TeresaWhiting. com, where it is her goal to be a hope bringer, a truth teller, a seed sower, as well as a friend and fellow struggler. Thanks for coming, Teresa.

[00:00:28] Teresa Whiting: I'm glad to be here. I'm glad to be here. Thanks for having me on.

[00:00:32] Erin: Of course. Teresa and I are going to be talking today about the idea of being seen and known. We're going to talk about some unhealthy places that this can take us as well as how to meet this need in a healthy way. If you are finding yourself seeking to be seen, known, and understood, this episode is for you. Theresa, I was wondering if you could start us off by sharing a time that you felt a strong desire to be seen and known and what triggered that feeling.

[00:01:00] Teresa Whiting: Wow. I feel like I always want to be seen and known. 

[00:01:04] Erin: Me too.

[00:01:05] Teresa Whiting: I think specifically of a time where I felt very small. and very insignificant. And, and I have a very vivid memory of this. One day I was scrolling on Instagram and it was actually during the holidays and we had just had an amazing day.

[00:01:24] Like I had had a beautiful Christmas with my family. We had done all the things and my kids were all home and it was so special. And Late that night, I think everybody had gone to bed and I opened my phone for whatever reason, got on Instagram. I was, you know, seeing everybody's celebrations and all the things they were doing it now.

[00:01:45] Oh, they went to look at lights and had hot chocolate and they got up and they all dressed in matching PJs. And by the end I just felt like, Oh, like what did we do? And I'm not, I'm not a very good Christmas mom, you know, all the things and just felt so small and insignificant.

[00:02:03] And like anything I had done, it didn't matter anymore. And I remember just that feeling of, I'm so unimportant and insignificant. And, and I know that that was a really unhealthy feeling and it's not something I liked and it's not something I wanted to continue. 

[00:02:20] Erin: Thank you for sharing that. And I think that most of us can relate to that of that small feeling and feeling like I should have done more or look what they did. And what I did wasn't as great where it changes actually how we see what we did when we see what other people are displaying so diving into that idea and the desire to be seen and known I think that this is a fundamental human need, like an innate need within us. I guess, would you agree? And what do you think kind of plays into that or creates that need in us?

[00:02:58] Teresa Whiting: Well, I absolutely believe it's a fundamental, need because if you think about creation, you go back to Genesis chapters one and two, God is creating the earth. He's creating a man and woman and he puts them in the garden. And the end of Genesis two, two 25 says, and the man and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame.

[00:03:20] And it's really amazing to me that right before the fall occurs, the very last words are Naked and no shame. And I think that's what we were made for. We were made to be fully seen, fully known. And in that place, they were fully loved by God, like perfectly loved in all of who they were. And then, and then the fall comes and the immediate result of the fall is.

[00:03:48] Shame, hiding, guilt, fear, like covering. And so there's this need and want and natural creation of, we were made to be fully seen and known, and yet we're terrified of it because now, you know, sin has tainted everything and corrupted the world and corrupted us. And so it's, it's like this pull of. See me, notice me.

[00:04:13] But don't see all of me, don't know all of me, because then I'd be covered in shame. And it's this struggle I think that we all have of wanting and needing to be seen and known and being terrified of being fully seen and fully known at the same time.

[00:04:29] Erin: I love how you put that and I'm constantly talking about the tensions, right? And I think there's that tension of that desire, but then that fear of if I really am seen and known, what will they actually think of the real me? So then we decide what will we show and what do we want to be seen instead of laying ourselves out there to see.

[00:04:51] Yeah.

[00:04:52] Teresa Whiting: Yes.

[00:04:53] Erin: So you touched on this a little bit, but how do you see the desire to be seen and known playing out in our culture today?

[00:05:00] Teresa Whiting: Well, definitely. I think it's all over. And I wouldn't even just say social media. I would just say it's all over everything, everywhere. This desire to make a name for ourselves, to make an impact, to leave a mark. I mean, it's. Not new. It started in, the Tower of Babel. They're like, let's make a name for ourselves.

[00:05:24] And that's still what we all want to do. We all want to, we want to leave a mark. And I don't know, I feel like it's important to make a difference in the world. but what are we magnifying? What are we exalting? Are we exalting ourselves or are we exalting God in The things that we're doing, the things we're putting out into the world, the way we present ourselves.

[00:05:45] I think that's the fundamental difference is are we trying to build a name for ourselves or are we trying to lift God's name because he's the one who's worthy to be seen and to be known. And, and it's really. I think we might get to this in a little bit, but I really think that it's in seeing and knowing him that we find our significance and our satisfaction and we stop being so scared and afraid and hiding.

[00:06:12] Erin: I'm thinking about some of the specific actions that we take to, like, I think even in posting on social media, we're trying to control what people see of us or we're people pleasing, or we let our fear drive us, you know, and I think all of those things are kind of in what you were saying, but they're the underlying motivation or the underlying action. I think that we're often taking so that, people will see us how we want. We're trying to control how people see us,

[00:06:40] Teresa Whiting: Absolutely. And I think it's what the world feeds, and it's so easy to just kind of go into that mold because that's the way the current is going.

[00:06:51] it's really difficult, I think, to swim upstream and, and to stop and be like, wait, what are my motives? Why am I doing this? Is this from a pure heart? Is this for. Exalting God or am I just trying to make a name for myself?

[00:07:06] Erin: right? I think so. How do you think this people pleasing and the pressure to meet those expectations? How do you think that they come out in our lives? Specifically? I

[00:07:19] Teresa Whiting: so many ways I think for sure for sure social media like that's just a given I feel like we can just put that on a shelf like All the answers are gonna be social media feeds this social media pushes us into this But I think aside from that before the days of where we wanted to be constantly Seen and known and have a voice There was the simple things like You're having somebody over and your house has to be a certain way or you're screaming at your kids and the phone rings and you're like, hello, you know, just like the basics or you're on your way to church and you're grouching at people and then you get there and you act all nice to everybody.

[00:07:58] I don't know. It just, it's always the way we are. We want to look a certain way. And then even to people who are, perfectionists in ourselves, it's not even so much the voices out there as I think the voices in our head, like I have to show up this way. I have to get this many things crossed off my list in a day.

[00:08:19] I have to be accomplished. This or way this or whatever, like we put these standards on ourselves of what we want to be and who we want to be. And then we pressure ourselves to, to fit those molds. 

[00:08:35] Erin: I just think of that pressure and, and how we bring ourselves pain by the pressure that we put on ourselves to meet expectations, whether the expectations are of our culture or. Actual people in our life or ourselves, I think it actually makes us feel more alone, right? Because you're on this like wheel of trying to be something. More to achieve something to make a name. Right. And I just feel like it feel it can feel very lonely if our goal is actually to look a certain way so that we are known a certain way, instead of actually being known as who we are and where we are.

[00:09:21] I think it can lead to even just superficial relationships because behind the scenes, there's this hiding of who we really are. And nobody wants to really say like, I actually, I'm not enough. I don't have enough time. I don't have enough energy. I don't, nobody wants to say that they want to step into that expectation and achieve the standard and raise the thoughts of your reputation and, and character and all of that.

[00:09:50] Yeah. You started in kind of talking about looking at God and how he changes that. And I would love to, to dive into that and really think about how does looking at God change our ability to let people see us and also change. That need that we feel that deep longing within us. So I, that's a big wide question, but what are your thoughts there?

[00:10:18] Teresa Whiting: Well, I think first of all, you were talking about how lonely it is trying to make a name for yourself. And I just wanted to. Emphasize that it's so lonely. And I think the reason it's lonely is because we're looking at ourselves constantly. We're looking at our, our own image, and we weren't created to reflect our image to the world.

[00:10:44] We were created to reflect God's image. Which then kind of leads right into this question of, you know, how does looking at God change that? And it's, It's so fundamental.

[00:10:56] So scripture is filled with people who were insecure, self doubting, you know, you, you read the scripture and you meet Moses, who God Came to Moses and he's like, I've got this amazing assignment for you. And Moses has this whole litany of reasons why he is not the guy for the job.

[00:11:16] And God does not give him a pep talk and say, but Moses, you're amazing. You're the best speaker. He says, I will be with you. I am going to set my people free. And then you see Joseph, you know, Joseph is going through all of these terrible things and it says God was with Joseph and just all through scripture.

[00:11:37] You see characters that were filled with fears and self doubt and question and insecurity. And every time God does not show up and say, But you're amazing. You can do this. He says, I'm amazing. I'm going to do this. And I'm bringing you into it. So I think when we focus on him, when we turn our faces to him, we turn our eyes on him, we say, Oh, it's not about me and what I can do and who I am.

[00:12:09] It's about who he is and what he's doing. And he's just inviting me into this. And so even that, like the pressure's off, like, I don't have to be this amazing person because it's not about exalting myself. And then I think that's what we're made for. And so it even just feels better and it lessens the pressure and the shame and the hiding.

[00:12:35] But I think also it's so easy to slip right back into that. Like I can be in that space of like, oh, but this is about God and I'm spending time and I'm focused on who he is. And then in a couple days, I'm like, Oh, but it's really about me again.

[00:12:50] Erin: Yeah, I mean, you say a couple of days, but you know, a couple of minutes sometimes, you know, it's just that it is so easy to be distracted by what we can see and the challenges that are coming at us, whether it's in our homes or our jobs, just the pressures to kind of live up to these things.

[00:13:09] I think it's easy to fall back into. 

[00:13:12] Teresa Whiting: The ending to that story that I told at the beginning after that Instagram, like depression that came over me, I sat down. And read Isaiah 40 and that completely turned my whole world upside down. 

[00:13:28] Erin: Can you share some of the high points that really spoke to you

[00:13:34] Teresa Whiting: I just remembered feeling like I need comfort in this moment.

[00:13:38] I need encouragement. And I remembered that Isaiah 40 was about comfort. And I went to that passage and it was one of those, it was like one of those moments that you don't forget. Where God is like, Oh, but Teresa, this is just for you right now in this moment. And I started reading Isaiah 40 and Isaiah is basically coming to Israel and saying, I have this message of comfort.

[00:14:03] And it starts with people are grass. You know, you're a fading flower. You're going to, you're here today, gone tomorrow. And I was like, Hmm, how is this comforting? But then you get to verse nine and. It talks about the, this Herald is standing up and shouting, proclaiming this great news. And the great news is this little phrase in verse nine, behold your God.

[00:14:32] And I realized like, Oh, that's where the comfort is. It's in beholding God. And then if you read the rest of Isaiah 40, if you haven't read it lately, I highly suggest it is this. Beautiful, incredible picture of who God is, you know, he's this mighty warrior with these strong arms and yet he's a tender shepherd carrying us close to his heart.

[00:14:58] It talks about him creating the earth and holding all the water in the hollow of his hand. He's bigger than all of the Kings and all the princes and all the hot shots and all the Instagram famous people, like they're nothing, they're like less than a drop in a bucket. And God is just amazing.

[00:15:16] And then it talks about him, you know, giving power to the faint and strengthening the weary and, and. It's just this beautiful thing. And by the end of the chapter, that angst and that frustration in me, that was just so stirred up was completely calmed down. And I think it's because I wasn't looking at myself and I wasn't looking at what everybody else in the world was doing.

[00:15:41] I was seeing God in who he is. And it was like, Whoa, that was powerful. And it brought so much peace and so much comfort. To my own heart in that moment.

[00:15:54] Erin: I love that refocusing. As you were talking, the verse that was sticking in my mind is from Psalm 39 23 and 24, but it says, search me God and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there. Is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.

[00:16:14] I was just thinking about that idea of being known by God and that invitation to be known by God. Right. And so in the passage, in that way of, of beholding him and Seeing the character of God and being invited to know him more.

[00:16:32] I just kept thinking of this passage of saying, like, we need to invite him to know us too, right? He knows us, he knows us intimately, and yet we often run and hide. And when we stand in that place, beholding who he is, we can open ourselves up to Be known by him as well in that, knowing him that there's so much grace and so much love and comfort for our own faults that we can, we can come to him also in that opposite being true.

[00:17:04] Like, I want to know you and I want you like search me and know me, and that turning over. That becomes much easier because we know the character of who he is instead of being so focused on ourselves. And we're trying to search ourselves and find the parts that are good and display them instead of being like, God, search me and know me, see if there's any wicked way in me, right?

[00:17:30] And, and letting God meet us in those needs.

[00:17:34] Teresa Whiting: Yes. Yes. I love that. Cause you know, we're made for this relationship. We're made for face to face, intimate communication with God. And so often, you know, as we've been talking about, we're hiding or not even from him, which is so silly because he knows us intimately. But even like you're saying, like wanting to have that back and forth, like, I want to know you and I want you to know me.

[00:18:01] And it's this beautiful. Relationship as it was made to be. And there's, you may actually brought a verse to my mind when you were talking about Psalm 139, which is Psalm 34, five, which says those who look to him are radiant. Their faces are never covered in shame. And I think what a beautiful picture of us turning our faces toward the Lord.

[00:18:26] We look to him and he washes the shame out of our life. And it's just a beautiful picture. And it's, and it's from that knowing each other it's from the relationship.

[00:18:37] It's not just a, I'm studying my Bible. I'm doing my quiet time. It's, it's now I'm knowing God and he's knowing me and we're in this beautiful relationship and it brings so much freedom and, and joy and peace, but not to say I always feel freedom and joy and peace. I don't want to paint a picture of like, if you just read the Bible, everything will be great in your life.

[00:19:00] You know. Reality.

[00:19:04] Erin: just what you're saying, there's this constant turning back that we constantly have to turn back to him and that peace will come, but circumstances come and it feels overwhelming and we need to turn that over to him again. And, and even when things are turned over, we still sometimes feel that overwhelm and the fear and all of that.

[00:19:21] And I think that it sometimes is just such a constant thing that we just need to be reminded that God is there and that he loves us and that he is for us. Right. But one of the things I was thinking as you were talking was I think part of the detriment that we often walk in as we're looking to ourselves and. That striving I guess maybe the, the, a clear way of saying it might be looking for like, what is our source, right? We're trying to be our own source of identity and value. And instead of looking to him as our, our identity and our value, he is our source.

[00:19:57] He is the one who made us in his image and said, we are dearly loved, right? He is the one Who gives us this value and, and we're, well, I said, I'm going to say we, but me, I'm often running, trying to earn a value that is already given to me by my own source, by my own actions that's something that I'm definitely learning that has to be a constant surrender. And as I said earlier, I'm constantly talking about tensions, but that's one of them because God calls us to be obedient and to walk in faith. But he also, It says apart from me, you can do nothing. And so that, that tension and that place that we walk in obedience and active, like taking actions and doing active things, but not doing it in our own strength.

[00:20:47] I feel like I'm constantly too, like too far. Like. Depending on myself and looking to myself, I need that constant turning back, that constant beholding who God is, beholding what he's done for me and letting, like that verse that you just said, their faces become radiant, letting my face be radiant because of him, not because I'm trying to make myself radiant. I think that's a huge struggle.  

[00:21:13] How does beholding God also affect relationships with other people? Maybe the expectations that they lay on us or the expectations that we receive and feel we need to hold.  

[00:21:26] Teresa Whiting: I think that we naturally feel the weight of people's expectations. Sometimes even we think they expect things of us that maybe they don't, or, or maybe. We're carrying expectations of somebody who's not even in our life anymore. And yet we're still bearing that weight of like having to live up to some standard that was maybe put on us when we were young or by a teacher or by a parent or by a coach, Yesterday I was talking about when I was in high school and there's this story of I was on the basketball team and I was a bench sitter. And one time the, the star player was about to foul out and the coach looked down the bench. Look directly at me, looked back out on the court and said, don't foul out.

[00:22:16] I have no one to put in. That hit me so hard. I actually never played basketball after that year, but I was saying to my husband, like, I wonder if That feeling of like you don't measure up is something that still echoes in my mind. Actually, I don't wonder, I know it does. And I, I'm not saying it was that basketball coach's fault, but there's things that happen in our lives that like sear themselves into our memory.

[00:22:44] And then you take it into, you take that into like your current day friendships, relationships, parenting. Oh my goodness. I think as a mom, like, I want so bad for my kids.

[00:22:57] To like me. I might, I might have all adult children now. And so there's these expectations of what that relationship is supposed to look like. And, and even how should I be as a mom of adults? I mean, in every relationship, friendships in churches, in marriage, It's like we have these expectations either that other people are putting on us or that we're putting on ourselves.

[00:23:25] And maybe if we focus more on that security that we have in being seen and known by God that I'm not going to be the right perfect mom or spouse or anything for that matter. I'm a flawed. Human, I'm doing the best I can, but I think the pressure is what causes so much shame of like, I'm just not measuring up to what I should be or what I want to be or what I think you think I should be.

[00:23:55] And if we could let go of that a little bit and say, God, here I am. Just use me, let me abide in you, let me be who I am, and then release the, the pressure that we put on ourselves. And that's something I'm working on, like, I guess I don't feel like I have a, a solid answer, or I might even know how to do it, but it doesn't mean I'm doing it well.

[00:24:18] Erin: It's just good to talk about it. Right. Because I think it is something that we strive to do. And we need to let go of those pressures and those lies I remember a specific time thinking the truth of to be enough.

[00:24:35] When I feel like I've let somebody down, or I couldn't do something that was the expectation of me, and realizing that it actually wasn't my job to be enough to meet that need. Sometimes God puts me in people's lives and gives me the abilities to meet a need and And I think going back to the idea of source it's with him as the source I can meet their need.

[00:25:00] And sometimes I find that when I'm pouring from myself and I just feel like I need to find some more energy or some more time and I'm like looking at how do I do this and, and how do I meet this Sometimes I just don't have it, and so I think we need to Look at God in those situations too and figure out what are you calling me to?

[00:25:23] What have you provided for me? That I can pour and offer to other people because there are so many good things that we could do. There's so many good places we can pour into, but the truth is that we're limited people and that, We really do need to allow and to recognize that God is the one filling those needs.

[00:25:42] And so if I can't be enough for what someone needs, it's actually a reminder to look to God to say like, Oh, Erin can't meet me in that. And I feel like I'm learning to use that language of pointing to God, looking to him for your need, instead of feeling like I need to be the person who makes everything go the way that it should be. 

[00:26:04] I grew up in a wonderful home and a wonderful church, And yet I came away with this feeling that I needed to perform well to make a name for myself, and I think as an adult that I'm really realizing that I don't need to make a name for myself, that God has.

[00:26:21] A specific place for me and, and a love for me that it's about his name and not mine. And in my limitedness, in my weakness, that I need to look to him to be the one who is meeting those needs when I've been trying to meet everybody's needs instead of pointing to him. So, and when I am able to meet their needs that I should point to him too, right? Because any good in me, any, any good in me is from 

[00:26:50] Teresa Whiting: Yeah, Erin, those are such good words. I mean, just even you saying, I was never meant to be the one to meet that need and in people. And so that's such a good reminder for us that, wait, that actually wasn't our job in the first place.

[00:27:06] Erin: him. It's so freeing. And I think I've not realized that sometimes me stepping in and meeting a need is letting people look to me instead of look to God, you know? And again, like if I can meet a need, it's because God has allowed me to, and I should point to him anyway. So. Yeah.

[00:27:23] Teresa Whiting: I think something too that happens pretty easily is that we. We transfer those expectations that we place on ourselves on to other people. And then we feel like, Oh, I have to live up to this standard. And so do you. And I think we need to learn to hold space for people's imperfections and starting with our own, but I think if we can learn to have grace for ourselves, we can then, you know, Extend that to other people in a much more natural, organic way.

[00:27:57] Erin: So what would you say are some practical steps that you've found to help shift your focus from seeking the validation or making a name for yourself to seeking intimacy with God and that relationship you were talking about earlier,

[00:28:11] Teresa Whiting: Some, I mean, just really practical things are spending time in the big God passages, you know, like Isaiah 40, Job 38 to 40, some of the Psalms there's certain scriptures where it seems like You know, there's stories or there's things like that, but every story, every single passage of the Bible is about God.

[00:28:34] And I think sometimes we even approach Bible study with a, what can I learn for me? What can I learn about myself? And instead, if, we approach scripture with what am I learning about who God is, what am I learning about his character? For me, that shifts The, like, what am I looking for when I go to scripture?

[00:28:55] Am I looking for validation of myself or am I looking for a stronger sense of who God is? And I think just the, the more we know him, the, less we pressure ourselves to be God. Another thing That helps, honestly, and, and this is not original to me. I actually interviewed Mark Buchanan on my podcast a few weeks ago.

[00:29:18] And he was saying that we practice Sabbath to remind ourselves that we're not God. oh my goodness, that was so convicting. Cause we feel like, but I have to do this and I have to get this done. And when we stop, like just stop and step away and say, Oh, I am not going to do all these things, these half do's,

[00:29:38] I'm going to let God be God.

[00:29:40] And I'm going to rest because he tells me to rest and I get to rest relax and enjoy him and enjoy his creation. I think that's a really practical way to remind ourselves, like to take the pressure off. And then I think even just simple things like going to the beach , or taking a walk outside and stepping away from the noise, like turn off the notifications, get off the platforms that are causing you the angst.

[00:30:10] I mean, just, let's just be really practical and say, if there is a, Social media that you're on that is putting that little spiral in your head. You don't have to be on there. And I don't mean just delete the app, like delete the account, like step away.

[00:30:25] I think that's such a huge problem for so many people and we feel stuck, like we have to stay on. 

[00:30:33] Erin: Okay. So, so to circle back to the idea of being our need to be seen and known. What do you think are some of the takeaways that you hope listeners heard as we talked about that need and the pitfalls and who God is and All of that.

[00:30:51] Teresa Whiting: Oh boy the takeaways I would hope that you would first of all not feel guilty that you feel like you need to be seen and known Because we all want that we all need that we were created for that. It's it's perfectly normal and Okay to want to be seen and known and I think the biggest thing is to ask ourselves Who do we want to be seen and known by?

[00:31:15] And when we're, when we're striving to be seen and known by the world or to show up in a certain way, it just creates so much unnecessary pressure on ourselves. And if we can turn our faces to the Lord, we can look to him. He shines on us and we shine. He just. Pours it on us and I think, you know, really seeking him, seeking his face, seeking to know him deeply and intimately, and then releasing those expectations that we have on ourselves and that we put on other people There's a lot. There's a long list, but I think if I could distill it down to one thing, like one takeaway, I would say, spend your life beholding God and letting him behold you, like just get to know him and walk with him and that stuff will, it will fall into place.

[00:32:09] And it's a journey. I mean, nobody is there. We're not doing it perfectly. We won't. Until we're with him face to face. Yay. Can't wait for that day when we're with him face to face and then it'll all be right.

[00:32:22] Erin: Oh, I love all that. Thank you for sharing that and encouraging listeners in that way. So Teresa, before we go, I wanted to ask you, what are some of the things that you're working on or places that we can find you? 

[00:32:36] Teresa Whiting: Well, the easiest place to find me is at Teresa Whiting. com. There's no H in my name. I have a podcast called find hope here. And basically it's very similar to yours, Erin. You know, we talk about encouraging one another through the scriptures.

[00:32:54] And actually the podcast originated because I had written a Bible study last year. It was published last June and it's called graced, how God redeems and restores the broken. 

[00:33:05] It's actually a study of six women in the Bible that God rescued and redeemed and restored from sexual brokenness and how he just pursued these women, brought them into his family, spent time with them.

[00:33:19] It's an amazing It's something I resonate with. It's something many, many women resonate with. And let me just tell you that if you're not a person who has dealt with sexual brokenness, this study is for you because it's about things that every woman deals with. It's about the labels we wear, the pressure we put on ourselves, the shame we deal with.

[00:33:40] It's about worship. And seeing God for who he is. I mean, it's, it's a lot about the things we talked about today. 

[00:33:47] Just head over to my website. You'll find all the things there.

[00:33:50] Erin: Well, thank you so much. Thank you for sharing your time and your wisdom with us. And I was wondering if you would close us in prayer,

[00:33:56] Teresa Whiting: Sure. Thank you, Erin, for having me on.

[00:33:59] Erin: of course.

[00:34:00] Teresa Whiting: God we look to you. You are worthy and beautiful and amazing. You are perfect and holy. You are full of steadfast love and compassion. I just pray that you would help us to turn our faces toward you on the daily, multiple times a day, Lord, when we are striving, when we're stuck in shame, when we're struggling I just ask that you would help us to turn to you and to see you clearly.

[00:34:31] And in seeing you, God it just puts ourselves in perspective and thank you for this podcast. I thank you for each of the listeners and I pray a blessing over them today and over Erin as well. In Jesus name. Amen.

[00:34:44] Erin: Amen. Thank you so much. And thank you for joining me today.

[00:34:49] Teresa Whiting: Thank you.

[00:34:50] Erin: And to you friends, thanks for joining us today. If you were encouraged, please like, subscribe, and share with a friend. If you want to connect with me, you can connect with me over at ErinMichele.Net. That's Michele with one L. There you can find links to my socials as well as sign up and receive my free gift, What's My Next Step. This is a Bible journaling resource to help you look at places in your life where you can continue to transfer trust from yourself and your actions to the God who is enough.

[00:35:18] I hope that you join us back here next time. But until then, I wanted to leave you with this reminder from Ephesians 2. 10. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Friends, I'm praying for you as you keep on stepping.

[00:35:34] See you next time.