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Hope for When You Can't Fix What Feels Broken

Peace in His Presence: Hope for the Anxious Heart

Release Date: 07/12/2025

When It Feels Safer to Hide: Overcoming the Fear of Being Seen

Peace in His Presence: Hope for the Anxious Heart

Have you ever felt like it was simply safer to stay small? Maybe you've been putting off that dream, avoiding difficult conversations, or quietly convincing yourself that "someday" will be a better time. Maybe you've learned to hide in ways that don't even look like hiding anymore. In this episode of Peace in His Presence, Michelle shares the deeply personal story of how childhood bullying taught her that staying unseen felt safe—and how that same pattern quietly followed her into adulthood, even as she stepped into podcasting, coaching, and writing. If you've ever struggled with the fear of...

When Your Inner Mean Girl Gathers Her Posse

Peace in His Presence: Hope for the Anxious Heart

When Your Inner Mean Girl Gathers Her Posse Why the voices telling you to stay quiet, stay small, and stay safe get so loud when you try something new. Have you ever wanted to start something new—a book, a podcast, a Bible study, a business, a ministry, or another dream you’ve carried for years—only to find that your inner critic suddenly has a lot to say? Who do you think you are? What if you fail? What if you don’t know enough? What if someone else could do it better? Sometimes the moment we begin moving toward something that matters to us, the negative self-talk gets louder. Fear of...

When Worrying Doesn't Fix It

Peace in His Presence: Hope for the Anxious Heart

You've been worrying about them for months. Maybe years. And here's what all that worry has fixed: nothing. Not their pain. Not their situation. Not the ache in your chest that shows up every time your phone rings. You know worrying doesn't fix it. You know that. And yet you cannot stop. You replay the conversations. You brace for the next phone call. You carry their pain home with you and set it right down on your kitchen table like it belongs there. Friend — this episode is for you. What This Episode Is About In this episode of the When You Cannot Fix It summer series, we're talking...

When You Cannot Fix It: Rest for the Weary Soul

Peace in His Presence: Hope for the Anxious Heart

Are you a Christian woman who can't stop worrying about someone you love? Maybe it's your child who is struggling and won't let you help. Maybe it's a marriage that feels like it's slipping through your fingers. Maybe it's a parent's health or a situation at work or a relationship that keeps you awake at 3am spinning through every possible worst case scenario. You believe in God. You know He is in control. And your body still won't calm down. Friend — there is nothing wrong with you. And you are not alone. In this first episode of the When You Cannot Fix It summer series, I'm sharing...

When Life Feels Overwhelming | God Walks With You (Isaiah 43)

Peace in His Presence: Hope for the Anxious Heart

Maybe you've had the phone call you weren't expecting. The diagnosis. The season you didn't choose. Maybe you're watching someone you love suffer and there's nothing you can do to fix it. Maybe you're just bone-tired from carrying more than you were ever meant to carry. Whatever brought you here today — you are welcome. You don't have to have it together. You just have to show up. About This Episode Isaiah 43 opens with words God spoke to a people in exile — people who were far from home, overwhelmed, and wondering if God had forgotten them. And before anything else, before the command not...

Can’t Sleep Worrying? Psalm 121 for Peace at Night

Peace in His Presence: Hope for the Anxious Heart

It's the middle of the night. Your mind is moving. Your heart is racing. Your body just won't settle — even though you know you need sleep, even though you've prayed, even though you trust God. You're not alone. And you're not failing. This episode is for you — the one lying awake in the dark, scanning for danger that may never come, carrying worry about someone or something you cannot control. About This Episode Psalm 121 was written for travelers on a road — people who didn't know what waited around the next bend. Maybe that feels familiar. Maybe lately you've been lifting your eyes to...

Rest from Anxiety | Bible Verses for When You Feel Overwhelmed (Psalm 91)

Peace in His Presence: Hope for the Anxious Heart

Are you carrying something heavy right now? Maybe it's fear about someone's health. Maybe it's worry about your finances, your children, or the weight of everything happening in the world — things you cannot fix no matter how hard you try. This episode is a place to slow down, breathe, and remember who holds you. This guided meditation on Psalm 91 is part of the Be Still Series on the Peace in His Presence podcast — scripture-centered meditations designed for the moments when you know what's true, but your body hasn't settled down yet. About This Episode Psalm 91 opens with a stunning...

You Trust God — So Why Does Your Body Still Feel Anxious?

Peace in His Presence: Hope for the Anxious Heart

Have you ever noticed your stomach clenching, your shoulders tightening, or your chest going tight — even when you know God is in control? Even when you trust His promises? You're not spiritually defective. You're not failing at faith. There's actually a beautiful, science-backed reason your body responds the way it does — and in this episode, Michelle explains exactly what's happening and why it makes complete sense. What This Episode Is About In this deeply personal episode, Michelle shares a breakthrough moment that connected years of theological study,...

Rest For Your Soul:When the World Feels Shaken

Peace in His Presence: Hope for the Anxious Heart

Does your heart feel shaken right now? Social media feels like a war zone. The news is devastating. People you love are tearing each other apart. And you're already carrying your own heavy weight—relationship struggles, financial stress, health concerns, kids you're worried about. You go online looking for connection and find division instead. The weight just keeps getting heavier. If you're exhausted from trying to hold it all together, if you're weary of watching people fight, if you're searching for peace when the world feels like chaos—this episode is for you. In This Episode, You'll...

What To Do When Grief Shows Up

Peace in His Presence: Hope for the Anxious Heart

Grief doesn't follow a schedule. It shows up in the grocery store aisle, while looking through recipes, when you hear a certain song. And during the holidays, grief can feel even more intense. In this final episode of the Be Still series, I'm sharing what I've learned about welcoming grief instead of trying to fix it—and how Immanuel (God WITH us) meets us right in the middle of our pain. You'll discover: • Why "small" griefs matter just as much as "big" ones • The REST framework for processing grief when it catches you off guard • How to hold both grief and joy at the same time •...

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Hope for When You Can't Fix What Feels Broken

Show Notes

Episode Summary

Has your heart ever felt so broken that you didn't know how you were going to move forward? In this deeply personal episode, Michelle shares a story from her book Promised Hope about a season when her heart felt completely shattered - and what God did in that broken place.

If you're struggling with overwhelming heartbreak, whether from recent tragedies like the devastating Texas floods, personal loss, church hurt, or circumstances that feel impossible, this episode offers hope and a path forward when everything feels unfixable.

What You'll Hear in This Episode

The Kitchen Table Story Michelle shares the raw reality of resigning from her job as Director of Christian Education just one month after her wedding, and how she and her husband Troy processed overwhelming grief by walking circles around their farmhouse kitchen table.

When Everything Falls Apart at Once Sometimes life doesn't give us just one devastating blow - it's tragedy upon tragedy. Michelle explores what happens when we're carrying not just our own heartbreak, but the pain of an entire community (over 200 people left their church during this season).

The Fog of Grief What it really feels like when you're "trying to wade through deep fog" and don't know how to move forward. Michelle describes the physical and emotional weight of compound grief.

God me them in Worship How God met them week after week at a sister church through His Word, the Lord's Supper, and a loving pastor who told them "you'll know when you're ready to serve again."

"Mended" - A Prayer for the Brokenhearted Michelle closes with a beautiful prayer she wrote years later about bringing our brokenness to God's house and leaving mended by His gifts of hope, love, joy, grace, peace, and strength.

Key Quotes from This Episode

"We kept stumbling into the same painful realization: we couldn't fix anything."

"We can't mend our own broken hearts. We try - we pace, we overthink, we cling to control - but the pieces won't fit back together by our own hands."

"God is the giver, and you're the receiver. You can go to the Lord's house just as you are."

Why This Episode Matters Right Now

With recent tragedies like the Texas flooding that took the lives of precious children at Camp Mystic, many of us are carrying heartbreak that feels too heavy to bear. This episode speaks to anyone who:

Feels overwhelmed by current events and personal circumstances
Is processing church hurt or spiritual trauma
Has experienced multiple losses or "compound grief"
Wonders where God is in the midst of overwhelming pain
Needs permission to simply receive (not serve) during a difficult season
Is looking for hope when everything feels broken

Scripture References

Matthew 11:28-30 - "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden..."
Psalm 34:18 - "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted..."

Resources Mentioned

Books:

Connect with Michelle:

Discussion Questions for Small Groups

Have you ever experienced a season where multiple heartbreaking things happened at once? How did you process those emotions?
Michelle describes feeling like she was "wading through deep fog." What metaphor would you use to describe overwhelming grief?
What does it mean that "God is the giver and we are the receivers" in worship? How might this perspective change how we approach church when we're hurting?
Michelle and Troy had to learn to simply receive rather than serve during their healing season. Why is this often difficult for Christians?
How can the church better support people who are carrying "compound grief" or multiple heartbreaks?

Takeaways

It's okay to not know how to move forward when your heart is shattered
Sometimes we need to simply receive God's gifts rather than try to serve
God meets us in worship even when all we bring is our brokenness
Healing happens in community, not isolation
Our broken places can become our most beautiful offerings

Show Notes

Episode Summary

What You'll Hear in This Episode

Key Quotes from This Episode

Why This Episode Matters Right Now

Scripture References

Resources Mentioned

Discussion Questions for Small Groups

Takeaways

Tags

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