Sara and I just returned from a wonderful time together, enjoying the fall colors in New England and Canada’s eastern provinces. Every day was a feast for the senses as we explored cities and villages in their fall splendor, walked through gardens caught between the summer and autumn, and reflected on the region’s rich history.
Even more meaningful for me was reconnecting with friends I’ve known in that region for many years. We caught up on each other’s stories and celebrated how God’s goodness has continued to unfold in our lives. One couple from Florida traveled with us for an eight-day stretch, which deepened our conversations and friendship.
I have been blessed on this journey to know so many people around the world, not just meeting in passing, but staying in their homes and becoming part of their lives. I have watched them navigate both joy and tragedy and witnessed how Jesus continues to take shape in them. I am grateful for the people who have so graciously shared their lives and stories with me, and how their experiences have encouraged me.
We are back home now and settling into the pace of life here. It will take some time.
On Monday, Part 2 of my interview with Louise Sedgewick on Lifted to Hope was released. Here’s how she describes our conversation:
God Enters Into Our Pain
Wayne Jacobsen returns this week to share more of the journey he and his wife, Sara, walked through as they began to understand the effects of her unresolved trauma on their lives and marriage. As Wayne gained a deeper understanding of Sara’s past, he came to recognize that her pain had become their pain. Rather than standing at a distance, he chose to walk alongside her, seeking to understand her experiences and do what he could to help her feel safe and loved. Through this difficult season, they experienced God’s presence in the midst of their pain and discovered that healing begins when we are met with compassion, patience, and grace.
Wayne also shares the heart behind his new book, Just Love, offering a fresh perspective on righteousness and the way God draws us to Himself. God is not asking us to perform or prove our worth to earn His love. Instead, He invites us into a relationship where we can experience His mercy, comfort, and grace. Just as Wayne chose to enter into his wife’s pain rather than leave her to face it alone, God does not stand at a distance when trauma touches our lives. He comes close, meets us in our brokenness, and lovingly invites us into healing. This conversation offers a beautiful reminder that we are not alone in our suffering, and that God’s love is not something we have to earn.
You can listen here: iTunes or on Spotify. Or you can find it on Louise’s Website.
There’s nothing worse for us living in the chaos of this age than to let pain and difficulty compromise our connection to God’s presence within us. I’ve been down that many times in my younger years, mistakenly assuming that if God loved me, I wouldn’t know pain or tragedy. It can lead to so much shame and misguided religious activity to “earn” our way back to something we never lost. God doesn’t abandon us to pain; he’s right there with us, able to show us the way through it.
I hope the podcast above helps you relax into that love in the face of whatever despair or struggle you’re facing. You are loved, even when you lose sight of it.
