Growth for Life ~ Page 2 of 17 ~ Jolene Underwood

One Thing the Overwhelmed Christian Can Do Right Now

Jul 12, 2017 | Growth for Life | 0 comments

I’ve been wrestling with a tough decision lately. It’s tough because it means facing the reality of what’s on my plate and the fact that it’s overloaded. The truth is, I’ve done it again. There are so many things I want to do, that I say yes. Yes, yes, yes. Lord, let...

Start Where You Are, No Matter Where It Is

May 31, 2017 | Growth for Life | 3 comments

The door slammed. It wasn’t a two-year old in the home, just the two-year old in me. Whatever hard circumstances happened just before resulted in an explosion of anger and overwhelm. Nothing feels good about reacting strongly. I don’t want it and those...

On Taking Risks and How the Great Hair Tragedy Is Not So Tragic After All

May 26, 2017 | Growth for Life | 4 comments

I might be hiding for awhile. In an attempt to fix what I thought needed fixing, I managed to mess the whole thing up. Or I thought I did. Ever done that? Let’s just say, the great hair mishap of 2017 isn’t as bad as the one of 1995 or even 2005. I’m...

What Do You Really Want In This Life?

Mar 7, 2017 | Growth for Life | 6 comments

I’m weary today. If I told you of every day I felt weary you’d grow weary of hearing it. All too often I ask myself, “Do I stick with this theme of cultivating a life well-lived? How do I keep writing about it when I experience numerous challenges...

A Prayer for When the Days are Hard

Feb 26, 2017 | Growth for Life | 2 comments

Father God, We’re in battle. This battle is one you’re intimately familiar with and one you’ve fought. The enemy seeks to destroy us through every avenue. Through the good things we experience and the bad. Somehow he finds a way to get us feeling...

When Someone You Love is Hurting and You Don’t Know What to Do

Feb 22, 2017 | Growth for Life | 0 comments

When someone is hurting, it can be challenging to know what to do. Hearing their hard story may cause our faces to reveal conflicted hearts. Eyes shift towards the floor and our body language shows defeat. Or, the opposite occurs. We jump into assumptions and...

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When Trying Harder Isn't Helping & You're Tired of Hurting

No matter how hard you try to do the "right" and "good" things, especially as a Christian, sometimes the hard things never end.

It's frustrating and depleting.

You may wonder how to make it through. And why isn't God doing the things you thought he'd do?

Perhaps you're in a season of transition.

You realize you're not the person you thought you'd be. You're not experiencing the "abundant" life you thought you should have by now.

You may look back at your life and wonder, "How did it get this way?" "What happened?" "Why haven't I been able to do (or not do) the things I want to do? Or act the way I want to act with other people?"

You may be feeling exhausted, confused, hurt, and disappointed.

But dealing with all those messy thoughts & feelings seems like too much.

What can you do? Could it ever be different?

It can.

After years of over-serving, people-pleasing, and trying to be a "good" Christian, I bottomed out. In deep pain & utter exhaustion I cried out to God asking for healing, not just for the recent trauma & extreme stress I'd endured, but for the years of fears that held me back from being who I sensed I was designed to be.

It was a scary prayer, so I asked God for courage to face the steps of growth that would be difficult.

Since then, I've experienced a tremendous amount of healing & pursued a lifelong journey of growth.

Today, I feel more fully alive as the person God designed me to be. The journey that began with a prayer in 2013 continues today

If you're ready to dig into a journey of growth & healing too, I'd love to support you through the content I share &/or the groups I lead.

When you subscribe to email updates, you'll receive a couple of messages from me. I'd love it if you replied to say, "HI" and let me know you're ready to experience...

Growth for LIFE.