118: Beauty from Ashes with Heather Lobe Johnson

Heather Johnson is a wife, mama, writer, speaker, and podcaster who is passionate about encouraging women with the truth of how the Lord can bring beauty from ashes. She joins me on the podcast to share her story of going through abuse, broken relationships, divorce, single parenting, and now a sweet new marriage and brand new son. We pray you will walk away encouraged by today’s show to believe in the Lord’s great redemption power!

What She Chats about in Today’s Episode:

~The hardships Heather has faced over the years

~Going through life as a people-pleaser and what looking to others for love and acceptance led to in Heather’s life

~Heather’s abusive marriage, divorce, and subsequent 5 years of single parenting

~The waiting period that often has to be gone through before we are able to rise up out of the ashes

~The problem with codependency, and the importance of boundaries

~How Heather was able to finally come to see that the love and fulfillment she had been looking for were only able to be found in Christ

~Coming to see the truths of God’s grace as true for us, too, and not just other people

~How the Lord met Heather in the midst of 5 years of single parenting; how the body of Christ showed up for her

~Truth to free you from people-pleasing

~The problem of feeling you have to justify yourself to other people

~The beautiful story of how God brought Heather to where she is today, with a new husband and new baby boy

~Words of encouragement for those who are still in that waiting period for God to finally bring beauty from ashes

~The importance of giving yourself space and time to grieve

~And more!

Resources Mentioned

Offer for a free audiobook and 30 day trial membership from Audible: www.audibletrial.com/HomeandHearth

This Too Shall Last: Finding Grace When Suffering Lingers by KJ Ramsey

Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us Out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode — And into a Life of Connection and Joy by Aundi Kolber

My Freedom Story on Heather’s blog on Finding Freedom from the Shame of Legalism

INSPIRING QUOTES TO REMEMBER:

“My heart is so big for women who, like me, experience broken relationships. Because when you go through things like that, it can be easy to start to view yourself as broken. But God doesn’t view you that way.”

“It’s not healthy to look to other people to make us feel seen, heard, loved, and whole. Only Jesus can do that for us, and He is the only One Who is unchanging, stable, and our Rock.”

“God made us to live in community, but not in an unhealthy, co-dependent way.”

“Feeling as if we have to justify our decisions to other people is not the same as biblical accountability.”

“We have to come to the point of being okay when someone else disagrees with our decision, if we know the Lord led us to make that decision.”

“The Lord has called us to walk in freedom, and there is no reason to go back to the chains He freed us from – including the chains of trying to live up to other peoples’ expectations.”

“You are not broken. Yes, you have gone through broken things, but that doesn’t mean you are broken. And it doesn’t mean God can’t bring healing and wholeness to your story.”

“He loves you so much – even when you feel unlovable or unable to find the love you’re looking for on this earth. Turn to Him, and let Him heal your heart.”

WHERE YOU CAN FIND HEATHER ONLINE:

Website – Heather Lobe

Instagram –@heatherlobejohnson

Podcast – Take These Ashes

To Leave a Rating and Review on iTunes

Have you been encouraged or inspired by today’s episode? If so, could I ask a little favor? If you could leave the podcast a rating and review in iTunes, that would be amazing! The more ratings and reviews a podcast receives, the more iTunes shows that podcast to other folks searching for shows to listen to, so by leaving me a rating and review, you truly are partnering with me in this podcast ministry to encourage and help as many women as we possibly can. Thank you so much for taking the time to do that! Here’s how:

If you’re on your computer:

Access iTunes on your desktop and type Home and Hearth in the search box on the upper right hand corner.
Click on the podcast photo when it comes up
Click on “Ratings and Reviews” beneath the podcast title
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