Have you ever felt betrayed by God? Or wondered if God was mad at you? The hardships of life can make us feel abandoned and left alone to deal with unexpected circumstances, painful realities, and deepening heartache. God, I didn’t sign up for this!
In this episode of Living the Grace Life Podcast, host Jennifer Sakata engages in a profound conversation with Sarah Frazer, author of ‘I Didn’t Sign Up for This: How to Rest in God’s Goodness When Your Story Shifts.’
Sarah shares her journey, filled with challenging ‘story shifts,’ including adopting an unexpectedly special needs child in a foreign country and a vastly different life plan than she and her husband had envisioned.
Questions you will hear addressed:
- What do you do when God writes a plot twist into your story?
- Can a sovereign God also be good?
- What do you do when life’s hard bruises and hurts your heart?
- Is it okay to “feel all the feels” with God?
- What does it look like for God to become our dwelling place, even in the hard?
They discuss grappling with anger towards God, finding solace in His sovereignty, and the transformative power of Jesus amidst suffering.
Sarah provides practical advice on enduring hardship with faith, incorporating prayer into daily life, and the importance of scripture in understanding God’s unwavering presence. The episode offers rich insights into how heartache can lead to a deeper relationship with God, intertwining personal stories with theological truth.
Listen in on any podcasting platform for when your story shifts and you declare: I didn’t sign up for this!
Grace Quotes from Sarah Frazer:
“It was as if the Holy Spirit said to me: ‘I can handle you being angry with me. Now we can start the work.’ I had to admit to God I was angry before moving further.”
“Heartache is what sometimes brings healing.”
“I didn’t sign up for this. I needed to wrestle with how God could be in control and also good. Those two things seemed in contradiction, but they work perfectly together.”
Key Scripture from our conversation:
“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.” Psalm 90:1
Resources mentioned:
- Sarah Frazer’s website
- I Didn’t Sign Up for This book
- Let’s Read the Bible Discipleship Program affiliate link here
- Sarah Frazer on Instagram
Read Psalm 90 here.