It's A Single Mom Thing
Welcome to “It's A Single Mom Thing”, the show for single moms by single moms.
Being a solo momma and present parent is hard work and it’s easy to lose your focus when you forget your faith. The good news is, that you are not alone, you were singled out in this season, and together we can work on what’s not working for you finding Christ in the crisis! Whether you are listening early in the morning or late at night, we are here for you!
Be encouraged. Get inspired. You can do this, momma.
Stay tuned as each Monday we will feature fresh and fun content and conversations as we join you on this journey from solo momma to solo momma. We promise not to take too much of your time and thank you for spending it with us. It may be a single mom thing, but it doesn’t have to be the single thing that stops you!
It's A Single Mom Thing
"Here in the Hard" Devotional Thought
In this episode of It's a Single Mom Thing, we’re diving into those tough seasons of life—the moments when everything feels overwhelming, and you're not sure how you’re going to make it through. As single moms, the hard moments can feel especially heavy, but hard doesn’t mean hopeless. Join me as she unpacks what it looks like to trust God even in the midst of life’s toughest challenges. Whether you’re walking through your own hard season right now or have been there before, this episode offers encouragement, faith, and a reminder that God is with you, even in the hardest of times.
PASS IT ON TO THE NEXT SINGLE MOM—If this podcast has blessed you, sign up today with a monthly gift of any amount. Click here.
SUBSCRIBE to this podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
https://shepherdsvillage.com/podcast
NEED PRAYER: Call 855-822-PRAY or click here.
INFORMATION & INSPIRATION: Shepherds Village University
It's a Single Mom Thing, Not the Single Thing That Stops You!
Welcome to it's a Single Mom Thing, the show for single moms by single moms. This is Sherri, your host, and I am happy you are here today. Remember it's a single mom thing and not the single thing that stops you. Welcome my solo peeps to another episode of it's a Single Mom Thing, where we find hope, faith and strength in our solo journey. Today we are diving headfirst deep into the deep end, to a place we all know too well the hard, the seasons where everything feels heavy, overwhelming and endless. But here's the thing about the hard Hard doesn't mean hopeless. It doesn't mean we're stuck either. Sometimes, in the hardest moments, I have found that that is where we find our greatest growth. Even though we may not see it right away In the heart, god is present in all of it, guiding us, shaping us and sustaining us. So whether you're in a hard place right now or you've been there before, this episode, my friend, is for you. Together, we're going to talk about what it looks like to be here in the hard and how we can not only survive it, but find purpose and even beauty in it.
Speaker 1:Take heart in the hard times. In last week's episode, we explored the verse found in John 16, 33. And I quote I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart. I have overcome the world. So how do you take heart when you find yourself on the corner of a rock and a hard place, when maybe it is your heart that has been taken advantage of, when you want to maybe turn from your faith, thinking maybe it has failed you? For me, if I'm honest, in some of those situations it is I that want to take heart and lock it away so it never finds itself in a hard time again. But I'm pretty sure that is not where Jesus wants us to be and possibly, if you like me, you might be a little unclear what this whole take heart actually means. So before we answer how we take heart, let's take a closer look at what exactly Jesus means when he says take heart. The phrase take heart is mentioned six times in the Bible and every time it is mentioned it is spoken by Jesus. So I'm pretty sure if it is in there six times, it is of significance. And to whom he says it? To the expression take heart, well, it means to be firm or resolute in the face of danger or adverse circumstances, be inheartened, be courageous.
Speaker 1:In going back to John 16, 33, before we dive into some of the other occurrences, I want us to take this verse to heart. What's so important about these profound words is that they were spoken. They were uttered at the Last Supper, the last time he, meaning Jesus, would be gathered in fellowship with his beloved disciples and the one who would betray him. I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world. Now, only someone who knew what the outcome was going to be, which is victorious, who knew what the outcome was going to be, which is victorious, could speak in the present tense I have overcome this world and making it clear in me, meaning in him, you will't control In him. In him, as he knew the father, he came from the father and he knew he was headed back to him. He also knew his disciples were soon going to witness the departing of their beloved master and leaving them in a world that hated him, meaning Jesus, and then would hate them for being his followers. They were going to experience unimaginable trouble and needed to be reminded that, even though he physically wasn't there with them, in him they would have peace.
Speaker 1:How many of you listening like me, when you are in the hard, have you hardened your heart? You hunker down and cast your eyes down instead of looking up to the in him as your ever present help in the hard. Perhaps you're there now, you know. I tend to wonder if Jesus too had to take heart in the way his father wanted to execute, pun intended, his plan to use his one and only son to free the world from their sins. Jesus had to take heart and be courageous in an adverse circumstance he soon was going to face. Do you find yourself in a season of hard where maybe you are persecuted for your faith? Have the circumstances in your life not changed, but rather it is you that has changed your heart? Instead of taking heart, do you feel maybe that in his silence, as you've not heard from him in a while, jesus has left you to drown in fear and worry? Take heart, as we're no stranger to storms, whether they are the storms we weather or the personal storms that weather us. The disciples were no different. In fact, jesus used the storms to develop his disciples' faith in him. Did you hear that Develop? And we find that in Matthew 14, 27, where Jesus tells his disciples take heart. It is, I Don't be afraid.
Speaker 1:Well, let me back that passage up with a little context. Just five verses earlier we find that Jesus made his disciples get into a boat that he was not going to join them in as he sent them on ahead of him. For hours they struggled a long way from land and with the waves crashing up against the boat as the winds were against them. Now, I'm guessing it must have been both exhausting and quite frightening, and that's precisely the point. But you know they were never alone. He knew exactly where they were at at all times and in fact he met them right where they were at, in the middle of the sea, actually walking on the sea. In fact, when they saw him, they were terrified, exclaiming it's a ghost. As they cried out in fear.
Speaker 1:Have you found yourself recently crying out in fear? Have you drifted away from him because maybe your hard season of waiting for your prayers to be answered or your wayward child to return, or possibly it is your boat taking on water as you drown in debt, forgetting you have everything in him, your greater debt that has been paid by him. Did you lose your home in a storm and lose your faith in him with it? Did you lose your home in a storm and lose your faith in him with it? Do you find yourself asking Jesus, where are you in this hard? Do you, like I do from time to time, if I'm being honest need to be reminded that his presence is always with us, no matter how big the storm, how loud the waves, how choppy the waters may be? Do you need to take heart? There's no hard he can't handle. You know what's really great about the hard. If you're a believer, you know that there is no hard that he can't handle, no hard that he didn't go through himself. Am I more than I want to count candles on a birthday cake? I have experienced the hard with him and without him On my own. Sure, I came out of the other side of it stronger and more resilient, but I think I also came out of that season with a hardened heart, closing myself off to people, places or situations that I perceived could take my heart Quite honestly, stunting the growth that I had just learned in that season. Now, having gone through several seasons in the hard with him, in him the hard well, it was hard, possibly even harder, if I'm being honest, but never once was he not there. And the place the hard got me to, oh girl, I never would have imagined I'd be there and I never would have if I hadn't gone through the hard In the hard. That is where you recognize your need for him.
Speaker 1:In Matthew 9, 20 through 22,. That is where we find one woman who had suffered in the hard for a very long time, 12 years to be exact. We're told in these verses that she suffered a discharge of blood. We find this woman in a large crowd that surrounded Jesus and she knew that if she just touched the fringe of his garment she would be healed. Ladies, that's all she thought she could do was just touch. If I could just touch the fringe of his garment, I would be healed. And Jesus ladies, listen. Jesus turned to her and, seeing her and said take heart, your faith has made you well. And instantly the woman was made well.
Speaker 1:This woman was desperate for an answer to her condition that, I'm guessing, since she had it for 12 years, there wasn't a physician that had the answer either. Only the great physician did Jesus, no matter what hard you're going through. He can handle it. He may not heal it immediately like he did in this case, but you can trust that he will use it and use it all and use it for good.
Speaker 1:You're not alone. We all deal with discouragement and despair time to time even the strongest Christians, I know. But he has the power to deal with it. Is there something so hard that you're going through that maybe you need to just reach out to him, knowing that he can handle it for you. Take heart, he is here in your heart. Maybe you are listening and you, like I was, feel like, yeah, but you don't know what I've done. I deserve to remain in the hard. Or maybe you're like there's no way he would even want to meet me here in the hard. Do you find yourself saying, well, I've lied, I've cheated, I've destroyed my family, had my children out of wedlock, I have been with many men, I have been married several times. Or maybe you're one of those that says I didn't choose life. I have, I have, I have, I have made a mess of things. Well, girl, you are in the right spot. I like to say sheep are messy.
Speaker 1:Take heart and behold, some people brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed, and when Jesus saw their faith, he said take heart, my son, your sins are forgiven. And we find that in Matthew 9, 2. Our Lord forgave the paralytic of sin and then, to prove he actually could forgive, he healed him of his paralysis. Prove he actually could forgive. He healed him of his paralysis. My friends, there are several accounts in the Bible where he has healed someone or someone who has come to him with some really tough stuff in their heart, turning it over to him, and he did it for them. What later he did on the cross for us? Forgave us all of our sins that hardened us, separating us from our Heavenly Father. Take heart, my sweet sister. No matter the sin, jesus can take your heart. If you turn it over to him, you can find hope in the heart.
Speaker 1:As we wrap up this a little abbreviated episode today, I want to remind you that even in the hard moments, you're not done. The challenges may feel relentless, but so is the strength within you, and more don't last forever, but they do shape us in ways that make us stronger, wiser and more resilient. If you're feeling overwhelmed today, take a deep breath and remember this God is here with you even in the hard. He sees you, he knows your pain and he's already making a way for you, even if you can't see it yet. Sometimes it's about trusting the process, holding on in faith and knowing there's purpose in every season, even in the hard. Thank you for joining me today and I hope you found a bit of hope and encouragement to carry with you as you face whatever challenges lie ahead.
Speaker 1:If this episode has resonated with you, listen, don't hesitate to share it with a fellow single mom who might need a little reminder that she is stronger than the storms she is facing. Until next time, keep showing up, keep leaning in and remember that even here in the heart, you are held by a God who never lets go. Do you have more questions about who Jesus is or even how you can turn your heart over to him? Call us at 855-822-PRAY. We are here for you day or night. Have a wonderful week and remember it's a single mom thing and not the single thing that stops you. Thanks for listening to it's a Single Mom Thing. I hope you enjoyed our time together. If you have more questions on how to have a relationship with Jesus or need prayer, visit us at wwwshepherdsvillagecom. Backslash prayer For more information and resources. Check out our show notes.