{"id":307460,"date":"2022-04-05T08:02:08","date_gmt":"2022-04-05T12:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/laura-story-the-change-you-never-wanted\/"},"modified":"2022-04-05T08:02:08","modified_gmt":"2022-04-05T12:02:08","slug":"laura-story-the-change-you-never-wanted","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/laura-story-the-change-you-never-wanted\/","title":{"rendered":"Laura Story: The Change You Never Wanted"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Maybe you&#8217;re in a season where life took a turn into something you never wanted.. How do you move forward &#038; kiss normal goodbye? Singer-songwriter Laura Story talks about life upended\u2026&#038; a God who loves enough to remove the training wheels.<\/p>\n<p>Show Notes and Resources<\/p>\n<p> \tCheck out the live experience we had in studio with Laura Story- soo musically talented!<br \/>\n \tFind resources from this podcast at shop.familylife.com.<br \/>\n \tFind more content and resources on the FamilyLife&#8217;s app!<br \/>\n \tHelp others find Familylife.\u00a0 Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Maybe you&#8217;re in a season where life took a turn into something you never wanted.. How do you move forward &amp; kiss normal goodbye? Singer-songwriter Laura Story talks about life upended\u2026&amp; a God who loves enough to remove the training wheels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/mp3.familylife.com\/fl2022-04-05.mp3","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:25:25","filesize":"23.28M","filesize_raw":"24408291","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2822],"tags":[7066],"podcast_series":[8513],"cwp_profile":[8913],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-307460","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growing-in-your-faith","tag-you-never-wanted","podcast_series-laura-story-so-long-normal","cwp_profile-laura-story","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/307460\/laura-story-the-change-you-never-wanted","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/307460\/laura-story-the-change-you-never-wanted","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"0okwt1iSNI\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/laura-story-the-change-you-never-wanted\/\">Laura Story: The Change You Never Wanted<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/laura-story-the-change-you-never-wanted\/embed\/#?secret=0okwt1iSNI\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Laura Story: The Change You Never Wanted&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"0okwt1iSNI\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"spectra_custom_meta":{"_wp_page_template":["default"],"transcript_url":["https:\/\/transcript.familylife.com\/fl2022-04-05.pdf"],"audio_file":["https:\/\/mp3.familylife.com\/fl2022-04-05.mp3"],"transcript_content":["<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> We didn\u2019t like each other, and we didn\u2019t like ourselves; and it just was a tough time. A lot of it was because we were just kind of putting on a happy face rather than acknowledging that: the change we\u2019d gone through was <em>hard<\/em>; the loss we had experienced was <em>real<\/em>. Once we had people help us understand what good biblical grief looks like, we could really grieve the things that we had lost.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>, where we want to help you pursue the relationships that matter most. I\u2019m Ann Wilson.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> And I\u2019m Dave Wilson, and you can find us at FamilyLifeToday.com or on our FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> app.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> So it isn\u2019t every day you have a singer\/songwriter in the studio at <em>FamilyLife Today. <\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I\u2019m so excited!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Aw!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> And she has her guitar out!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> You\u2019re so excited because somebody else is playing the guitar besides me;\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> No, I like it when you play too.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> \u2014she\u2019s skilled!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> We can start a band together! That\u2019s what we could do.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> That\u2019s what we could do. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> You guys!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I can get a bass. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019ve got Laura Story back in the studio at <em>FamilyLife Today. <\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>\u00a0<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Yay!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> And she\u2019s already got the guitar in her hand.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Laura, we\u2019re excited that you\u2019re here again. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Y\u2019all are so sweet! And thanks for having me. It\u2019s just sweet to be with you guys.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> It\u2019s fun.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes; so what are we going to hear right now?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> I have a new song\u2014kind of\u2014I have a book out called\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes; what\u2019s it called, Laura?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> It\u2019s called <em>So Long, Normal. <\/em>And then, the song is called <em>Hello Unknown. <\/em>It\u2019s for anyone who has kind of been forced to embrace a new normal; and then even asking the question of: \u201cWhen are things going to get back to normal?\u201d We kind of all realize\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Oh, yes!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> \u2014we\u2019re so prone to want things to be normal again or to want things to be sturdy again. This song talks about just the excitement of God\u2019s plan being <em>bigger<\/em> than just returning to normal. I think it\u2019s Ephesians that talks about God doing exceedingly more than we could ever ask.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Ephesians 3:20; it\u2019s one of my favorite life verses.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Yes! So, we\u2019re reminded that normal is way too small for God; for what God has in store for His children. So this is kind of a fun\/hopefully, a song that gets people excited about leaving normal. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Laura singing <em>Hello Unknown<\/em>]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Wow!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Yay!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura: <\/strong>That\u2019s a little snippet of it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> That\u2019s good.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> It\u2019s <em>so<\/em> good.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> [Indecipherable] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> I know! I needed a drummer on that one.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Talk to us about what that song means to <em>you<\/em>, because you\u2019ve walked through\u2014we all have\u2014leaving normal, as you write about <em>So Long, Normal<\/em>. How do you get an excitement about the abnormal?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I know it\u2019s not abnormal, but it\u2019s not normal; so you\u2019ve got excitement.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I mean, it\u2019s hard to write a song in a positive note of what we\u2019ve been through; but you\u2019re always looking at: \u201cNo, what is ahead?\u201d\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> \u2014and \u201cThis is a good place to be\/that we\u2019ve left normal.\u201d One of your lines was \u201cWe\u2019re freefalling into Jesus.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Yes; and I don\u2019t want it to sound like I haven\u2019t grieved at all.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> The loss of\u2014well, we\u2019re calling it normal here; but the loss of things, whether that\u2019s with COVID\u2014or even with our own story, with Martin and I\u2014and the things we\u2019ve walked through with our marriage and our family with his brain injury. I think, at the very beginning of it all, we spent our first four or five years in a little bit of denial. It\u2019s not even so much that we were in denial; but as believers, we didn\u2019t know how to grieve.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe knew that we had gone through this complete change, where expectations seemed to have been dashed in a lot of ways. Everything about our future ended up looking different. As believers, I think we kind of felt like we needed to just kind of put one of those Romans 8:28 bandages on it\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> \u2014and go, \u201c\u2019We believe all things are working together for good.\u2019 We trust God! We\u2019ll be fine.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> \u2014or even James: \u201cConsider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Exactly! And when you\u2019re not counting it all joy, you just kind of feel, \u201cWell, I\u2019m a lousy Christian; I must not trust God.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt was probably five years into things with Martin\u2019s brain injury that we kind of were at the place, both in our marriage and in our personal lives, where we were just kind of putting on a happy face rather than acknowledging that: the change we had gone through was <em>hard<\/em>; the loss we had experienced was <em>real<\/em>. Once we had people help us understand what good biblical grief looks like, we could really grieve the things that we had lost.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> So what does that look like?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> One thing: acknowledging that grief is not the opposite of faith. I think, for a while, for some reason, I just thought, \u201cI can\u2019t be sad about what\u2019s happened if I really trust that God\u2019s going to work it together for good.\u201d One Psalm that was especially helpful\u2014Psalm 13\u2014where the psalmist says things to God that I was like, \u201cAre you <em>allowed <\/em>to say that?!\u201d [Laughter] It was like a bad Facebook<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> rant; and I\u2019m going, \u201cHow did <em>that <\/em>get in the Bible?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut he says: \u201cHow long, O Lord? Will you forget me <em>forever<\/em>? How long will you hide Your face from me?\u201d Honestly, he was just being honest about how weary his soul was. You see that in different places in the Psalms. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Did you read that and think, \u201cThat is me. That\u2019s exactly what I feel\u201d?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Yes! There are so many moments, when we\u2019re honest, that it does feel like God\u2019s <em>hiding<\/em> from us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Right, right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Or it does feel like He has forsaken us. We know that His promises are true; but somehow, we can\u2019t quite figure out why it doesn\u2019t seem to be applying to me in this particular situation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I\u2019m thinking of the people [who] have lost loved ones with COVID,\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Yes!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> \u2014and they couldn\u2019t even be with them. That deserves to be grieved, you\u2019re saying.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Yes, especially when you\u2019re thinking about: \u201cOkay; God\u2014I know that He has this plan for abundant life for me!\u201d\u2014and then you\u2019re going through this situation, where your husband has this brain injury. You\u2019ve prayed and prayed every day for God to heal it, and He hasn\u2019t yet. You\u2019re going, \u201cGod, it really does feel like You have forsaken me.\u201d I think being able to be honest about that was really helpful. But I love, even in that Psalm, the psalmist doesn\u2019t <em>stop<\/em> there.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes; I was just looking at it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Yes! It\u2019s six short verses. You have time to stop;\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> \u2014whatever you\u2019re doing, just stop and read it right now. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Dave, read it to us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Okay. [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura: <\/strong>\u201cFind that\u201d; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Give me a moment here, alright? [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura: <\/strong>Do it; go on! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>I\u2019m grieving through this whole process. [Laughter] And it is written by David. It says:\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHow long, O\u00a0Lord? Will You\u00a0forget me forever?<br>How long will You\u00a0hide Your face from me?<br>How long must I take\u00a0counsel in my soul<br>and have sorrow in my heart all the day?<br>How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat\u2019s just two verses.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: And then, verse 3:\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tConsider and answer me, O\u00a0Lord\u00a0my God;<br>\u00a0light up my eyes, lest\u00a0I sleep the sleep of death,<br>lest my enemy say, \u201cI have prevailed over him,\u201d<br>lest my foes rejoice because I am\u00a0shaken.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd then, the last two; it\u2019s like two, two, two.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: The last one turns:\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut I have\u00a0trusted in Your steadfast love;<br>\u00a0my heart shall\u00a0rejoice in Your salvation.<br>I will sing to the\u00a0Lord, because\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe has dealt bountifully with me.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Well, when you think about kind of what David lays out there, he begins his worship of God with honesty; he begins it with this grief. It\u2019s not that we have to check it at the door and put on smiley faces when we come into church; you know? He\u2019s honest with God about the sorrow that he feels, but he doesn\u2019t stay there. You know, the Bible talks about us grieving, but not as those without hope. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI love even just the progression there of: \u201cOkay, so what\u2019s our role in this?\u201d We\u2019re honest before God, and then we trust. He said, \u201cI\u2019ve trusted Your lovingkindness; my heart will rejoice in Your salvation.\u201d Then, I think this is especially\u2014special for me!\u2014because it says, \u201cI will sing\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: I thought of that for you too.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes!\u2014\u201cbecause You have dealt bountifully with me.\u201d It\u2019s like he\u2019s turning around and looking at his life\u2014and God\u2019s track record of faithfulness\u2014and he says, \u201cThat is worth singing about.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: I think, sometimes, when we read a Psalm like that, we tend to think it\u2019s quick.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: It\u2019s six verses: verse 1, he\u2019s \u201cHow long?\u201d; verse 6, he\u2019s trusting and singing. You\u2019re like, \u201cThat took two minutes\/three minutes.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: But it often can take days, months\u2014or for you, it took years\u2014it takes years for all of us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes, but I think it\u2019s also\u2014I appreciate the progression in the Psalm\u2014but I don\u2019t\/it\u2019s not necessarily like he moved from a place of grieving to a place of rejoicing. I think what I\u2019ve learned is\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: It was amidst it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes; these things can happen simultaneously. Your praise can begin prior to you understanding why the things that are happening to you are happening. Your praise is kind of your response in the waiting. Worship isn\u2019t this thing you do after God has explained it all; you know? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tEspecially, I think about the life of Job. It\u2019s not at the end that he says, \u201cThough He slay me, yet I will worship.\u201d It\u2019s not when he begins to see God\u2019s hand more clearly. It\u2019s, in the midst of it, he says, \u201cThe only way I\u2019m going to get through this is to continue to sing.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFor me, as I\u2019ve just\u2014five years, I talked about, you know, us kind of hitting a really hard season for each of us personally and for us in our marriage\u2014I wrote\/I\u2019ll say a journal entry that ended up being a song. It was probably the most honest and the most vulnerable I\u2019ve ever been in songwriting, but it was a song called Blessings. I began by talking about my fears and my doubts, and then asking these questions of: \u201cGod, is it possible that You could use all of this pain for Your glory? Is it possible that it\u2019s the sleepless nights that are actually providing me that closeness that I\u2019ve so long prayed to have with You?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt was that song\u2014again, not writing about some truths that I\u2019ve mastered\u2014but I feel like it\u2019s what God knew that I needed to sing, night after night for the next ten years; because it\u2019s not about: \u201cEverything\u2019s resolved, and my soul can be okay,\u201d\u2014it\u2019s, \u201cNo, no. As long as I have the Lord, as long as He is with me, as long as I am clinging to His promises, things don\u2019t have to be okay in order for me to be okay.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: The first time I heard that song, Laura, I can remember where I was. Isn\u2019t it funny how songs\/you kind of connect. I remember I was driving on the highway. I turned\u2014because I had never heard it; it was new out\u2014I turned it up, and I just wept; because I was thinking, \u201cWhoa! Someone\u2019s being incredibly honest of what this feels like when you\u2019re in pain.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: I mean, there\u2019s so much truth. Even the line, \u201cWhat if a thousand sleepless nights\u2026\u201d I mean, I hear that, and I\u2019m like, \u201cNo, no, no! I don\u2019t want a thousand sleepless nights.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: But the presence of God in that is even worth it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tTell us the story about your kids.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Well, it\u2019s not even really about my kids. It\u2019s more about me and how, you know, you find out more about what you believe when you have kids.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: [Laughing] That\u2019s so true! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Because you see what you\u2019re modeling, because they\u2019ll really show you how you\u2019re\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: They call it out!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes; oh, they will definitely call it out. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd one of the verses that I\u2019ve been thinking about more now, being a parent, is in Romans 5, where Paul talks about: \u201cRejoice in your suffering, because suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.\u201d It\u2019s so often, as a parent, I want to see my kids grow in those virtues like endurance and character. \u201cCan\u2019t I just put them in a Sunday school class to teach them these things?!\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: As a mom, you don\u2019t want them to go through pain.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: No, and that\u2019s the thing. It\u2019s been hard, thinking about with my kids, that my job isn\u2019t necessarily to protect them from suffering or to teach them to wiggle out of situations that are hard;\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: \u2014because I truly want to see that in their lives. But I\u2019m just as guilty\/I\u2019m just as guilty of wanting to learn things like endurance, and character, and hope, you know, through the latest Bible study; you know? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: [Laughing] Yes!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: If I could just learn these things some other way, but Scriptures so clear\u2014and not just there\u2014but throughout Scripture, talking about that deep work of the Spirit that comes only through how we meet with God in our suffering.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: Are you different, based on the suffering that you\u2019ve been through?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Oh, absolutely!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: Who would you be if you hadn\u2019t gone through it?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: I\u2019m certainly not as different as I wish I was. I\u2019m certainly not as much like Jesus as I wish I was, but there has been somewhat of a freedom\u2014you know, like the Proverbs 31 woman, who laughs at the days to come\u2014there\u2019s been somewhat of a freedom: \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<ul><li>\n\t\t\t\t\tWhen your life gets knocked so far off the tracks that you, you know, you think of this idea of, as a family, trying to \u201ckeep up with the Joneses\u201d\u2014the Joneses are like on a different planet; [Laughter] it\u2019s not even\u2014our life looks so different than most people\u2019s lives that that\u2019s not even an option for us. And there\u2019s something that\u2019s freeing about that. \n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/ul><ul><li>\n\t\t\t\t\tThere\u2019s something that\u2019s freeing about how we have to function, because of my husband\u2019s disability; okay? We have one driver in the family. Martin is unable to drive because of his vision, so we do less activities. I don\u2019t think we\u2019re going to get to heaven and go, \u201cOh, I just wish I had been busier!\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/ul><p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: And God\u2019s not saying, \u201cWow! Too bad, guys. I planned for you to do a lot of activities.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: That is exactly right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<ul><li>\n\t\t\t\t\tOr with Martin\u2019s disability, sometimes, we just can\u2019t move at as quick of a pace. It\u2019s just how we are; so we find ourselves just going at a slower pace sometimes, and that\u2019s always a blessing. \n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/ul><ul><li>\n\t\t\t\t\tWe\u2019ve learned so much about how our greatest fear, having kids, was how Martin\u2019s disability would negatively affect our children; okay?\u2014that was Martin\u2019s greatest fear. I knew God would take care of it; but I think, when I\u2019m really being honest, that was a big fear of mine as well.\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/ul><p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd what we\u2019re seeing and learning is, yes, things look different for our kids. Yes, there are limitations that we can\u2019t\u2014or we\u2019re not going to sugarcoat\u2014but Martin\u2019s disability has been one of the clearest ways we have seen God work in our family; it\u2019s been one of the clearest ways we\u2019ve seen God work in the lives of our children. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI was picking up Josie from preschool; this was a few years ago. I take my kids on the road with me; so we\u2019ll be on the road until late at night or early in the morning, however you want to see it. [Laughter] We had had one of those, where I brought Josie to preschool on probably five hours of sleep! You know, terrible mom!\u2014I get it. But I was picking her up; and the teacher said, \u201cHey, can I speak to you a second?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: Oh, boy.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: Oh, no!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: I was like, \u201cNo, no!\u201d She pulled me aside, and she said, \u201cI want to brag on Josie for a second.\u201d I\u2019m thinking, \u201cOkay, this is not at all what I was expecting here.\u201d [Laughter] And she tells me about a boy, who has joined their class, who had some pretty severe learning disabilities; and how Josie had been so attuned to making sure he was getting in the line when he needed to, make sure he was keeping up with everything. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe question she asked me\/the question she asked me\/she said, \u201cSo what have you done, as a mom, to teach Josie to be so compassionate towards people with disabilities?\u201d [Choking up] I wanted to laugh! That week, I had just had such a tough week. I think I had been driving around so much, and I\u2019d been working so hard. Sometimes, it\u2019s like, \u201cGod, I know You\u2019re working it all together for good somehow! [Laughter] I\u2019m just not seeing it!\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe asked me this, and I had an opportunity to say to her, \u201cI don\u2019t know if you know, but my husband has a brain injury and pretty severe learning disability,\u00a0 and that is what God has used to develop that character, that endurance, and that hope in our children; because He promises He\u2019s not going to waste our suffering. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: \u201cHe\u2019s going to use it.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: I remember Chuck Swindoll, years ago\/I heard him say, \u201cYour pain will never be in vain.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: I\u2019ve heard so many pastors\u2014and Dave, you\u2019ve said this\u2014is: \u201cOur pain, when we give it to God, can become our platform in some ways.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019m thinking about your daughter: \u201cWho knows what God will do with that?\u201d\u2014and your kids\u2014their heart and compassion; you know? God is shaping them and their character in these beautiful ways that you would have never chosen for your\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Absolutely not.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: \u2014you would have never chosen that for you guys; and yet God, in His goodness and His mercy, will use that for good.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: I\u2019m so thankful that He does.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Shelby:<\/strong> As I look back on my life, the areas that have been the most difficult and most uncomfortable are <em>the<\/em> prime areas that God has worked in my life to bring me, not only closer to Him, but closer to my spouse\/closer to my kids. The fact is you lean on God more when you\u2019re in places of discomfort. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave and Ann Wilson have been talking today with Laura Story, and she has pointed out that principle to us. What we want to be normal is often not what God wants for our lives; because we want normal to be easy, and God wants to use the circumstances and people in our lives to draw us closer to Him, to go deeper and become more godly people.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura has written a book called <em>So Long, Normal: Living and Loving the Freefall of Faith. <\/em>This is a book that talks about things like finding true community and encouragement in our struggles with uncertainty; discovering comforts and gifts to steady us on our journey, as opposed to releasing us from our difficult circumstances. When you head over to FamilyLifeToday.com, and make a donation of any amount, we are going to send you a copy of Laura Story\u2019s book, <em>So Long, Normal, <\/em>as a way of saying, \u201cThank you for contributing to the ministry effort of <em>FamilyLife Today.\u201d<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>\u00a0<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe care about getting resources like this into your hands, and into the hands of anyone, so that God will be glorified\u2014not only in our personal lives\u2014but in our marriages, as we parent, and as we are neighbors as well. Again, you can head over to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com, make a donation of any amount, and we will send you a copy of Laura Story\u2019s book. Or you can call at 1-800-358-6329; that\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd while you\u2019re at FamilyLifeToday.com, if you wanted to see Laura Story perform her song, <em>Hello Unknown, <\/em>she did that in the FamilyLife studios. You can find that link at FamilyLifeToday.com and watch that video of her performance.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, tomorrow, Dave and Ann Wilson are going to be talking with Elyse Fitzpatrick and Eric Schumacher about Jesus and gender: rethinking our identities, and roles, and relationships around Christ instead of what the culture communicates. That\u2019s coming up tomorrow. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOn behalf of Dave and Ann Wilson, I\u2019m Shelby Abbott. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife, a Cru<sup>\u00ae <\/sup>Ministry. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelping you pursue the relationships that matter most.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<sup>\u00a9<\/sup>Song:<em>Hello Unknown<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tArtist:\u00a0 Laura Story\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAlbum: Single<em>,<\/em> (p) 2021, Fair Trade--Columbia\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2022 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>"],"_seopress_titles_title":[""],"_seopress_titles_desc":[""],"_seopress_robots_index":[""],"duration":["00:25:25"],"show_notes":[""],"_thumbnail_id":["294104"],"filesize":["23.28M"],"filesize_raw":["24408291"],"_uag_css_file_name":["uag-css-307460.css"],"_uag_js_file_name":["uag-js-307460.js"],"_uag_page_assets":["a:9:{s:3:\"css\";s:82560:\".wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape-top svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-top .uagb-container__shape-fill{fill: rgba(51,51,51,1);}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape-bottom svg{width: calc( 100% + 1.3px );}.wp-block-uagb-container.uagb-block-e11dbe9f .uagb-container__shape.uagb-container__shape-bottom 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you're in a season where life took a turn into something you never wanted.. How do you move forward &amp; kiss normal goodbye? Singer-songwriter Laura Story talks about life upended\u2026&amp; a God who loves enough to remove the training wheels.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylife.com\/fl2022-04-05.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> We didn\u2019t like each other, and we didn\u2019t like ourselves; and it just was a tough time. A lot of it was because we were just kind of putting on a happy face rather than acknowledging that: the change we\u2019d gone through was <em>hard<\/em>; the loss we had experienced was <em>real<\/em>. Once we had people help us understand what good biblical grief looks like, we could really grieve the things that we had lost.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>, where we want to help you pursue the relationships that matter most. I\u2019m Ann Wilson.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> And I\u2019m Dave Wilson, and you can find us at FamilyLifeToday.com or on our FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> app.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> So it isn\u2019t every day you have a singer\/songwriter in the studio at <em>FamilyLife Today. <\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I\u2019m so excited!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Aw!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> And she has her guitar out!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> You\u2019re so excited because somebody else is playing the guitar besides me;\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> No, I like it when you play too.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> \u2014she\u2019s skilled!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> We can start a band together! That\u2019s what we could do.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> That\u2019s what we could do. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> You guys!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I can get a bass. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019ve got Laura Story back in the studio at <em>FamilyLife Today. <\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>\u00a0<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Yay!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> And she\u2019s already got the guitar in her hand.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Laura, we\u2019re excited that you\u2019re here again. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Y\u2019all are so sweet! And thanks for having me. It\u2019s just sweet to be with you guys.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> It\u2019s fun.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes; so what are we going to hear right now?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> I have a new song\u2014kind of\u2014I have a book out called\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes; what\u2019s it called, Laura?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> It\u2019s called <em>So Long, Normal. <\/em>And then, the song is called <em>Hello Unknown. <\/em>It\u2019s for anyone who has kind of been forced to embrace a new normal; and then even asking the question of: \u201cWhen are things going to get back to normal?\u201d We kind of all realize\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Oh, yes!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> \u2014we\u2019re so prone to want things to be normal again or to want things to be sturdy again. This song talks about just the excitement of God\u2019s plan being <em>bigger<\/em> than just returning to normal. I think it\u2019s Ephesians that talks about God doing exceedingly more than we could ever ask.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Ephesians 3:20; it\u2019s one of my favorite life verses.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Yes! So, we\u2019re reminded that normal is way too small for God; for what God has in store for His children. So this is kind of a fun\/hopefully, a song that gets people excited about leaving normal. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Laura singing <em>Hello Unknown<\/em>]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Wow!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Yay!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura: <\/strong>That\u2019s a little snippet of it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> That\u2019s good.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> It\u2019s <em>so<\/em> good.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> [Indecipherable] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> I know! I needed a drummer on that one.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Talk to us about what that song means to <em>you<\/em>, because you\u2019ve walked through\u2014we all have\u2014leaving normal, as you write about <em>So Long, Normal<\/em>. How do you get an excitement about the abnormal?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I know it\u2019s not abnormal, but it\u2019s not normal; so you\u2019ve got excitement.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I mean, it\u2019s hard to write a song in a positive note of what we\u2019ve been through; but you\u2019re always looking at: \u201cNo, what is ahead?\u201d\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> \u2014and \u201cThis is a good place to be\/that we\u2019ve left normal.\u201d One of your lines was \u201cWe\u2019re freefalling into Jesus.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Yes; and I don\u2019t want it to sound like I haven\u2019t grieved at all.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> The loss of\u2014well, we\u2019re calling it normal here; but the loss of things, whether that\u2019s with COVID\u2014or even with our own story, with Martin and I\u2014and the things we\u2019ve walked through with our marriage and our family with his brain injury. I think, at the very beginning of it all, we spent our first four or five years in a little bit of denial. It\u2019s not even so much that we were in denial; but as believers, we didn\u2019t know how to grieve.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe knew that we had gone through this complete change, where expectations seemed to have been dashed in a lot of ways. Everything about our future ended up looking different. As believers, I think we kind of felt like we needed to just kind of put one of those Romans 8:28 bandages on it\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> \u2014and go, \u201c\u2019We believe all things are working together for good.\u2019 We trust God! We\u2019ll be fine.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> \u2014or even James: \u201cConsider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Exactly! And when you\u2019re not counting it all joy, you just kind of feel, \u201cWell, I\u2019m a lousy Christian; I must not trust God.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt was probably five years into things with Martin\u2019s brain injury that we kind of were at the place, both in our marriage and in our personal lives, where we were just kind of putting on a happy face rather than acknowledging that: the change we had gone through was <em>hard<\/em>; the loss we had experienced was <em>real<\/em>. Once we had people help us understand what good biblical grief looks like, we could really grieve the things that we had lost.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> So what does that look like?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> One thing: acknowledging that grief is not the opposite of faith. I think, for a while, for some reason, I just thought, \u201cI can\u2019t be sad about what\u2019s happened if I really trust that God\u2019s going to work it together for good.\u201d One Psalm that was especially helpful\u2014Psalm 13\u2014where the psalmist says things to God that I was like, \u201cAre you <em>allowed <\/em>to say that?!\u201d [Laughter] It was like a bad Facebook<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> rant; and I\u2019m going, \u201cHow did <em>that <\/em>get in the Bible?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut he says: \u201cHow long, O Lord? Will you forget me <em>forever<\/em>? How long will you hide Your face from me?\u201d Honestly, he was just being honest about how weary his soul was. You see that in different places in the Psalms. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Did you read that and think, \u201cThat is me. That\u2019s exactly what I feel\u201d?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Yes! There are so many moments, when we\u2019re honest, that it does feel like God\u2019s <em>hiding<\/em> from us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Right, right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Or it does feel like He has forsaken us. We know that His promises are true; but somehow, we can\u2019t quite figure out why it doesn\u2019t seem to be applying to me in this particular situation.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I\u2019m thinking of the people [who] have lost loved ones with COVID,\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Yes!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> \u2014and they couldn\u2019t even be with them. That deserves to be grieved, you\u2019re saying.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Yes, especially when you\u2019re thinking about: \u201cOkay; God\u2014I know that He has this plan for abundant life for me!\u201d\u2014and then you\u2019re going through this situation, where your husband has this brain injury. You\u2019ve prayed and prayed every day for God to heal it, and He hasn\u2019t yet. You\u2019re going, \u201cGod, it really does feel like You have forsaken me.\u201d I think being able to be honest about that was really helpful. But I love, even in that Psalm, the psalmist doesn\u2019t <em>stop<\/em> there.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes; I was just looking at it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> Yes! It\u2019s six short verses. You have time to stop;\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura:<\/strong> \u2014whatever you\u2019re doing, just stop and read it right now. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Dave, read it to us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Okay. [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura: <\/strong>\u201cFind that\u201d; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>Give me a moment here, alright? [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Laura: <\/strong>Do it; go on! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave: <\/strong>I\u2019m grieving through this whole process. [Laughter] And it is written by David. It says:\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHow long, O\u00a0Lord? Will You\u00a0forget me forever?<br>How long will You\u00a0hide Your face from me?<br>How long must I take\u00a0counsel in my soul<br>and have sorrow in my heart all the day?<br>How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat\u2019s just two verses.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: And then, verse 3:\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tConsider and answer me, O\u00a0Lord\u00a0my God;<br>\u00a0light up my eyes, lest\u00a0I sleep the sleep of death,<br>lest my enemy say, \u201cI have prevailed over him,\u201d<br>lest my foes rejoice because I am\u00a0shaken.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd then, the last two; it\u2019s like two, two, two.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: The last one turns:\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut I have\u00a0trusted in Your steadfast love;<br>\u00a0my heart shall\u00a0rejoice in Your salvation.<br>I will sing to the\u00a0Lord, because\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe has dealt bountifully with me.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Well, when you think about kind of what David lays out there, he begins his worship of God with honesty; he begins it with this grief. It\u2019s not that we have to check it at the door and put on smiley faces when we come into church; you know? He\u2019s honest with God about the sorrow that he feels, but he doesn\u2019t stay there. You know, the Bible talks about us grieving, but not as those without hope. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI love even just the progression there of: \u201cOkay, so what\u2019s our role in this?\u201d We\u2019re honest before God, and then we trust. He said, \u201cI\u2019ve trusted Your lovingkindness; my heart will rejoice in Your salvation.\u201d Then, I think this is especially\u2014special for me!\u2014because it says, \u201cI will sing\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: I thought of that for you too.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes!\u2014\u201cbecause You have dealt bountifully with me.\u201d It\u2019s like he\u2019s turning around and looking at his life\u2014and God\u2019s track record of faithfulness\u2014and he says, \u201cThat is worth singing about.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: I think, sometimes, when we read a Psalm like that, we tend to think it\u2019s quick.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: It\u2019s six verses: verse 1, he\u2019s \u201cHow long?\u201d; verse 6, he\u2019s trusting and singing. You\u2019re like, \u201cThat took two minutes\/three minutes.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: But it often can take days, months\u2014or for you, it took years\u2014it takes years for all of us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes, but I think it\u2019s also\u2014I appreciate the progression in the Psalm\u2014but I don\u2019t\/it\u2019s not necessarily like he moved from a place of grieving to a place of rejoicing. I think what I\u2019ve learned is\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: It was amidst it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes; these things can happen simultaneously. Your praise can begin prior to you understanding why the things that are happening to you are happening. Your praise is kind of your response in the waiting. Worship isn\u2019t this thing you do after God has explained it all; you know? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tEspecially, I think about the life of Job. It\u2019s not at the end that he says, \u201cThough He slay me, yet I will worship.\u201d It\u2019s not when he begins to see God\u2019s hand more clearly. It\u2019s, in the midst of it, he says, \u201cThe only way I\u2019m going to get through this is to continue to sing.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFor me, as I\u2019ve just\u2014five years, I talked about, you know, us kind of hitting a really hard season for each of us personally and for us in our marriage\u2014I wrote\/I\u2019ll say a journal entry that ended up being a song. It was probably the most honest and the most vulnerable I\u2019ve ever been in songwriting, but it was a song called Blessings. I began by talking about my fears and my doubts, and then asking these questions of: \u201cGod, is it possible that You could use all of this pain for Your glory? Is it possible that it\u2019s the sleepless nights that are actually providing me that closeness that I\u2019ve so long prayed to have with You?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt was that song\u2014again, not writing about some truths that I\u2019ve mastered\u2014but I feel like it\u2019s what God knew that I needed to sing, night after night for the next ten years; because it\u2019s not about: \u201cEverything\u2019s resolved, and my soul can be okay,\u201d\u2014it\u2019s, \u201cNo, no. As long as I have the Lord, as long as He is with me, as long as I am clinging to His promises, things don\u2019t have to be okay in order for me to be okay.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: The first time I heard that song, Laura, I can remember where I was. Isn\u2019t it funny how songs\/you kind of connect. I remember I was driving on the highway. I turned\u2014because I had never heard it; it was new out\u2014I turned it up, and I just wept; because I was thinking, \u201cWhoa! Someone\u2019s being incredibly honest of what this feels like when you\u2019re in pain.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: I mean, there\u2019s so much truth. Even the line, \u201cWhat if a thousand sleepless nights\u2026\u201d I mean, I hear that, and I\u2019m like, \u201cNo, no, no! I don\u2019t want a thousand sleepless nights.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: But the presence of God in that is even worth it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tTell us the story about your kids.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Well, it\u2019s not even really about my kids. It\u2019s more about me and how, you know, you find out more about what you believe when you have kids.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: [Laughing] That\u2019s so true! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Because you see what you\u2019re modeling, because they\u2019ll really show you how you\u2019re\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: They call it out!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes; oh, they will definitely call it out. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd one of the verses that I\u2019ve been thinking about more now, being a parent, is in Romans 5, where Paul talks about: \u201cRejoice in your suffering, because suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.\u201d It\u2019s so often, as a parent, I want to see my kids grow in those virtues like endurance and character. \u201cCan\u2019t I just put them in a Sunday school class to teach them these things?!\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: As a mom, you don\u2019t want them to go through pain.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: No, and that\u2019s the thing. It\u2019s been hard, thinking about with my kids, that my job isn\u2019t necessarily to protect them from suffering or to teach them to wiggle out of situations that are hard;\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: \u2014because I truly want to see that in their lives. But I\u2019m just as guilty\/I\u2019m just as guilty of wanting to learn things like endurance, and character, and hope, you know, through the latest Bible study; you know? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: [Laughing] Yes!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: If I could just learn these things some other way, but Scriptures so clear\u2014and not just there\u2014but throughout Scripture, talking about that deep work of the Spirit that comes only through how we meet with God in our suffering.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: Are you different, based on the suffering that you\u2019ve been through?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Oh, absolutely!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: Who would you be if you hadn\u2019t gone through it?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: I\u2019m certainly not as different as I wish I was. I\u2019m certainly not as much like Jesus as I wish I was, but there has been somewhat of a freedom\u2014you know, like the Proverbs 31 woman, who laughs at the days to come\u2014there\u2019s been somewhat of a freedom: \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<ul><li>\n\t\t\t\t\tWhen your life gets knocked so far off the tracks that you, you know, you think of this idea of, as a family, trying to \u201ckeep up with the Joneses\u201d\u2014the Joneses are like on a different planet; [Laughter] it\u2019s not even\u2014our life looks so different than most people\u2019s lives that that\u2019s not even an option for us. And there\u2019s something that\u2019s freeing about that. \n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/ul><ul><li>\n\t\t\t\t\tThere\u2019s something that\u2019s freeing about how we have to function, because of my husband\u2019s disability; okay? We have one driver in the family. Martin is unable to drive because of his vision, so we do less activities. I don\u2019t think we\u2019re going to get to heaven and go, \u201cOh, I just wish I had been busier!\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/ul><p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: And God\u2019s not saying, \u201cWow! Too bad, guys. I planned for you to do a lot of activities.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: That is exactly right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<ul><li>\n\t\t\t\t\tOr with Martin\u2019s disability, sometimes, we just can\u2019t move at as quick of a pace. It\u2019s just how we are; so we find ourselves just going at a slower pace sometimes, and that\u2019s always a blessing. \n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/ul><ul><li>\n\t\t\t\t\tWe\u2019ve learned so much about how our greatest fear, having kids, was how Martin\u2019s disability would negatively affect our children; okay?\u2014that was Martin\u2019s greatest fear. I knew God would take care of it; but I think, when I\u2019m really being honest, that was a big fear of mine as well.\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/ul><p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd what we\u2019re seeing and learning is, yes, things look different for our kids. Yes, there are limitations that we can\u2019t\u2014or we\u2019re not going to sugarcoat\u2014but Martin\u2019s disability has been one of the clearest ways we have seen God work in our family; it\u2019s been one of the clearest ways we\u2019ve seen God work in the lives of our children. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI was picking up Josie from preschool; this was a few years ago. I take my kids on the road with me; so we\u2019ll be on the road until late at night or early in the morning, however you want to see it. [Laughter] We had had one of those, where I brought Josie to preschool on probably five hours of sleep! You know, terrible mom!\u2014I get it. But I was picking her up; and the teacher said, \u201cHey, can I speak to you a second?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave: Oh, boy.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: Oh, no!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: I was like, \u201cNo, no!\u201d She pulled me aside, and she said, \u201cI want to brag on Josie for a second.\u201d I\u2019m thinking, \u201cOkay, this is not at all what I was expecting here.\u201d [Laughter] And she tells me about a boy, who has joined their class, who had some pretty severe learning disabilities; and how Josie had been so attuned to making sure he was getting in the line when he needed to, make sure he was keeping up with everything. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe question she asked me\/the question she asked me\/she said, \u201cSo what have you done, as a mom, to teach Josie to be so compassionate towards people with disabilities?\u201d [Choking up] I wanted to laugh! That week, I had just had such a tough week. I think I had been driving around so much, and I\u2019d been working so hard. Sometimes, it\u2019s like, \u201cGod, I know You\u2019re working it all together for good somehow! [Laughter] I\u2019m just not seeing it!\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe asked me this, and I had an opportunity to say to her, \u201cI don\u2019t know if you know, but my husband has a brain injury and pretty severe learning disability,\u00a0 and that is what God has used to develop that character, that endurance, and that hope in our children; because He promises He\u2019s not going to waste our suffering. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: \u201cHe\u2019s going to use it.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: I remember Chuck Swindoll, years ago\/I heard him say, \u201cYour pain will never be in vain.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: I\u2019ve heard so many pastors\u2014and Dave, you\u2019ve said this\u2014is: \u201cOur pain, when we give it to God, can become our platform in some ways.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI\u2019m thinking about your daughter: \u201cWho knows what God will do with that?\u201d\u2014and your kids\u2014their heart and compassion; you know? God is shaping them and their character in these beautiful ways that you would have never chosen for your\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Absolutely not.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: \u2014you would have never chosen that for you guys; and yet God, in His goodness and His mercy, will use that for good.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura: Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnn: I\u2019m so thankful that He does.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Shelby:<\/strong> As I look back on my life, the areas that have been the most difficult and most uncomfortable are <em>the<\/em> prime areas that God has worked in my life to bring me, not only closer to Him, but closer to my spouse\/closer to my kids. The fact is you lean on God more when you\u2019re in places of discomfort. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDave and Ann Wilson have been talking today with Laura Story, and she has pointed out that principle to us. What we want to be normal is often not what God wants for our lives; because we want normal to be easy, and God wants to use the circumstances and people in our lives to draw us closer to Him, to go deeper and become more godly people.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLaura has written a book called <em>So Long, Normal: Living and Loving the Freefall of Faith. <\/em>This is a book that talks about things like finding true community and encouragement in our struggles with uncertainty; discovering comforts and gifts to steady us on our journey, as opposed to releasing us from our difficult circumstances. When you head over to FamilyLifeToday.com, and make a donation of any amount, we are going to send you a copy of Laura Story\u2019s book, <em>So Long, Normal, <\/em>as a way of saying, \u201cThank you for contributing to the ministry effort of <em>FamilyLife Today.\u201d<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>\u00a0<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe care about getting resources like this into your hands, and into the hands of anyone, so that God will be glorified\u2014not only in our personal lives\u2014but in our marriages, as we parent, and as we are neighbors as well. Again, you can head over to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com, make a donation of any amount, and we will send you a copy of Laura Story\u2019s book. Or you can call at 1-800-358-6329; that\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd while you\u2019re at FamilyLifeToday.com, if you wanted to see Laura Story perform her song, <em>Hello Unknown, <\/em>she did that in the FamilyLife studios. You can find that link at FamilyLifeToday.com and watch that video of her performance.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, tomorrow, Dave and Ann Wilson are going to be talking with Elyse Fitzpatrick and Eric Schumacher about Jesus and gender: rethinking our identities, and roles, and relationships around Christ instead of what the culture communicates. That\u2019s coming up tomorrow. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOn behalf of Dave and Ann Wilson, I\u2019m Shelby Abbott. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife, a Cru<sup>\u00ae <\/sup>Ministry. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelping you pursue the relationships that matter most.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<sup>\u00a9<\/sup>Song:<em>Hello Unknown<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tArtist:\u00a0 Laura Story\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAlbum: Single<em>,<\/em> (p) 2021, Fair Trade--Columbia\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2022 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/307460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=307460"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=307460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=307460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=307460"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=307460"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=307460"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=307460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}