Soul & Self Stewardship ~ Jolene Underwood

You Don’t Have To Do It All and You Don’t Need To Either

Feb 9, 2019 | Healing Journey, Soul & Self Stewardship | 0 comments

Maybe I’m stating the obvious to some, but I titled this post with words I need to remember often. You don’t have to do it all. When I get an idea, I feel the need to act. When I see a need, I feel compelled to fill it. When there are loads of decisions to...

When You Want the Ending of Your Hard Journey Now

Oct 2, 2018 | Soul & Self Stewardship | 3 comments

Plastic gingerbread pieces and visions of scrumptious lands beckoned childhood wonder. Candy Land’s cards with colored blocks and enticing images meant hidden possibilities. Just the right draw placed you on Rainbow Trail or Mountain Pass, ahead of everyone else. One...

When Tensions Rise and It’s Hard to Admit We’ve Been Wrong

Aug 31, 2018 | Soul & Self Stewardship | 1 comment

My latest article on iBelieve has me rattled. The pieces I choose are generally topics that come from a place of growth. Areas I’ve been challenged in and still wrestle through. I suspect I’ll be on this course of struggling and growth until the day I die....

When Life Takes You Down, Take Courageous Steps to Heal Emotionally

Aug 7, 2018 | Soul & Self Stewardship, Spiritual Health & Recovery | 0 comments

When a prolonged season of extreme stress overtook me, I collapsed. I could no longer do what had been done before. With my brain muddied-up and fuzzy all the time, an inner drive took over. Move towards healing or move aside and let life deal with you. I chose to...

Permission to Deal With Minor Losses That Feel Big

Jul 14, 2018 | Soul & Self Stewardship, Spiritual Health & Recovery | 0 comments

Over the last five years I’ve purged a lot of material things from our home. Getting rid of these items took courage and decision making which are hard when losses pile up. If I cry in front of you about the way some of these losses impact my heart still, you...

When Life is Topsy Turvy and You Feel Afraid, Step Forward Anyway

Jan 9, 2018 | Soul & Self Stewardship | 5 comments

Transition marked my life for the last seven years, and it sure stirred things up. Maybe you’re feeling some of that now. When one thing after another changes, or breaks, or fails in some way, it can be disorienting. Even disheartening. I wish transition...

« Older Entries

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.