Growth for Life ~ Page 4 of 17 ~ Jolene Underwood

One Heart’s Cry to Feel God’s Love {Guest: Lynne Cole}

Dec 22, 2016 | Growth for Life | 0 comments

Please welcome special guest, Lynne Cole. Lynne’s words speak to the struggle many believers face in the journey of faith. It’s easy to become discouraged when we don’t already feel the things we believe we’re supposed to feel. If that’s...

One Heart’s Cry to Sing Hallelujah {Guest: Heather Olson}

Dec 15, 2016 | Growth for Life | 0 comments

Welcome special guest, Heather Olson, to the blog today. Heather is a member of the Rise Up Writer’s community and graciously offered to share her words of encouragement. She shares her heart in an honest way and encourages all of us as we face challenges in...

What If This is All We Have to Give? {Choose to Give}

Oct 14, 2016 | Growth for Life | 0 comments

When you reach “the end of yourself”, what does it mean? To some, it means they are out of options. To some, it means they have nothing left to give. To others, it means they are suicidal. For a believer who’s been chased by a loving God and repeatedly nudged to let...

When You Can’t Keep Doing What You’ve Been Doing {Choose Self-Care}

Oct 13, 2016 | Growth for Life | 2 comments

Taking care of ourselves is often misunderstood, but God has so much for us in it. Considering what self care is, what it isn’t, and why we need it, is vitally important to cultivating a life well-lived as a Christian. If you know any of my story, you know I gave and...

Yes, We Can Be Brave {Choose Courage}

Oct 12, 2016 | Growth for Life | 1 comment

We’ve been tackling some potentially challenging stuff in this series, 31 Choices We Can All Make When We Feel Stuck. How are you feeling? What thoughts have you been having along the way? The thing is, feeling stuck can look like a lot of things. Like not moving...

When You Awake in Darkness, Remember the Light is Coming {Choose Hope}

Oct 11, 2016 | Growth for Life | 0 comments

This morning I awoke in darkness. The hour was early as I began to write. Maybe too early. I found it challenging to begin and prayed the words would come. “God, I need you.” I pray this short prayer daily and often throughout. When I don’t know what to ask or say...

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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.