Sacred Scars with Dr. Michelle B

Sacred Scars. We all have them. Dr. Michelle Bengtson, Neuropsychologist with a biblical perspective has created an incredible resource to help you and I discover purpose in our pain.

Join us for this HOPE filled, encouraging, uplifting, and inspiring conversation to help you discover God's purpose in past pain, present suffering, loss and shame.

We all endure trials, pain and hardships in this life. Too often we believe these experiences disqualify us from being useful to God. But the truth is, your past pain and brokenness serves as preparation for what God wants to do in and through you if you will surrender to and trust him.

In this episode, neuropsychologist and fellow sufferer, Dr. Michelle Bengtson helps you:
-understand Suffering from a biblical perspective
-discover how trials of life serve a purpose
-reflect on healing that God has accomplished
-comfort others with the comfort God has given you

BIO:
Dr. Michelle Bengtson is an international speaker, a national and

international media resource on mental health, and the bestselling,

award-winning author of Hope Prevails, the Hope Prevails Bible

Study, Today Is Going to Be a Good Day, Breaking Anxiety's Grip, and The

Hem of His Garment. She is also the host of the award-winning

podcast Your Hope-Filled Perspective. A board-certified clinical

neuropsychologist in private practice for more than twenty years, Dr.

Bengtson blogs regularly and offers a wide variety of resources on her

website, DrMichelleB.com.

Your Hope Filled Perspective Podcast

Books Mentioned:
Sacred Scars
The Hem of His Garment

More Books By Dr. Michelle B

Invite Dr. Michelle to Speak

Connect with Dr Michell at DrMichelleB.com
FREE RESOURCE: THE HOPE VAULT

WATCH this Interview on Rhonda's YouTube Channel Here

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"This podcast is for the purpose of mentoring only and is not a replacement for therapy. We suggest you seek out the help of a trained biblical counselor for help with your specific situation.”

Transcript

Rhonda Stoppe [00:00:01]:
Hi, friends. I am live here today with my friend, doctor Michelle Bengtsson. And I wanna tell you before III wanna jump right in to give you her bio. Doctor Michelle Bengtsson is an international speaker, a national and international media resource on mental health, and the best selling affair winning author of Hope Prevails, the House Prevails Bible stuff. Today is going to be a good day, breaking anxiety's christian, and the hem of his garment. She is also the host of the award winning podcast, your hope filled perspective. I've been on that show, and I love when she and I get to visit. She's a board certified clinical neuropsychologist in private practice for more than 20 years.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:00:52]:
Doctor men excuse me, Bengston Bengston blogs regularly and offers a wide variety of resources on her website, drmichelleb.com. And I'm gonna give them that website right today. And let's start at the very beginning of telling them about this Real free resource on your website. Remind me. Oh, the House Vault. Yes. Yes.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:01:17]:
I'm so excited about the Hope Vault because it's over 14 years worth of free resources to just encourage people through the hard times in life where, you know, where you're just struggling to hold on and you need a piece of hope. So I hope they will avail themselves of this because this is lots of resources that coming from a neuropsychologist, you would end up having to spend a lot of money to sit in someone's office to get these resources told no take advantage of them.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:01:48]:
Yes. And if you are ministering to others, I'm a pastor's life, these are great resources to have right in your arsenal to come alongside of people, when they need house. And I just love I wanna make sure we offer that. We'll offer it again at the the. If I forget, please remind me. But I'm gonna also put up here your website so that they can keep that in mind. So with all of that, let's jump right into this incredible book that I absolutely life, and I got to write an endorsement for this book. I was reading it through it again yesterday.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:02:25]:
It came in the mail. I had had the digital version, but it it came walked through my door. My husband said, this is for you. And I'm like, perfect timing. But the very beginning, I said, don't suffer alone, my friend. This book is the companion you need to heal your battle wounds and embrace your holy sacred scars. When I'm tearing up guest reading that, I have been in ministry for over 30 years, and there are women that have battle wounds, and there are women whose scars they don't even know they can be sacred. So thank you so much for being with us.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:03:02]:
Tell us about yourself. Tell us what you to, and just Stoppe, what's a scar and what type of scars do you write about in this precious book?

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:03:10]:
Well, by day, I'm a board certified clinical neuropsychologist turned author, speaker, and podcaster. But, honestly, my greatest and most precious titles are that of wife to my husband, Scott, for 35 years and mom to 2 young adult boys who are living their best life. Yeah. I wrote this book because so many people suffer from wounds. And when they look at their past, they think that those wounds guest discredit them from God's love, how mercy, his forgiveness, or even service to him. But there is a fine distinction, Rhonda, between wounds and scars. Wounds are that injury, either physical, emotional, relational, or spiritual injury physically to our body or to our hearts and our minds that bring about so much pain. Mhmm.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:04:08]:
But scars are actually a testimony of that wound being healed. We don't ever get a scar until the wound has Real. And I just love how God created our physical bodies so that when we get a scratch or a burn or a cut or an incision, our body naturally starts producing collagen cells to rush to that point of injury to cover it up, to protect it from further injury or infection. And so it's a natural part of the healing process. But when it comes to wounds, all of our wounds aren't visible. Those physical wounds are often visible. But the emotional and relational and spiritual wounds that we sustain are not visible to the naked eye, but they're no less important. And they require intentional healing just like our body does.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:05:06]:
Yeah. And it's interesting because sometimes they're not even, we don't even see them. Right. I had a I had a meltdown this morning. I was crying. My, sister passed away almost 3 years ago. In July, it'll be 3 years from an overdose. And I got some some news about her passing, some details I didn't know before.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:05:26]:
And, man, I just have been crying all marriage. And I I it's that you think I've I'm the wound is there, but now I'm working with scars, but the wound is just so so deep. And it is, you know, the things that come up come up in life that remind us that that wound is still there. And we need people that are not involved in our pain to help us see the value of our pain. And that's what you do with this wonderful resource. I am so grateful for that. So some in in the the, you share some personal stories of events that scarred you when you were a child. Do you on talk about some of those scars and the impacts that they're even having on your life currently?

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:06:08]:
Yeah. Yeah. When I was 3 years old, I sustained a life threatening illness and had a fever of 107. And so the doctor's sole focus was to try to get that fever down or I would life. Or if I didn't die, I would end up mentally incapacitated. So my parents did everything that the doctors told them to do, alcohol rubs and ice baths, and nothing was helping. So the doctors told my parents to give me aspirin, not knowing that I am deathly allergic to aspirin. So I immediately went into anaphylactic shock, was raised to the hospital where they tried to pump out as much of the aspirin as they could.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:06:48]:
And I'm grateful that they got as much out as they did, but the trace amounts that were left left me with a significant physical deformity. My right leg is 2 inches shorter than my left leg and it looks like a peg leg, like an artificial leg. And my right foot is half the size of my left woman. And it looks like a foot of the Asian women whose feet have been bound to keep them small as though it's very disfigured. And, you know, I didn't really know early on that I was any different from my peers until I started school. And that's when the real wounds came because peers are on. Yeah. Often in an unkind way.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:07:34]:
And I was frequently bullied because I was so different. You know, I started school with a leg brace because I couldn't walk without it. And so that moved into adulthood with me. I didn't realize that there were those wounds there for the longest time. I thought, well, you know, I've dealt with the, and that was childhood. But I found myself when I would speaker, always covering my legs. I would wear boots so that you couldn't see my feet. I even did that in my private practice because I didn't wanna draw attention to those wounds because they are ugly.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:08:10]:
Yeah. And over time, God showed me that this is a wound from childhood that I still need to deal with. And so over time, he helped me process the. But that's the greatest physical wound. But I've also been diagnosed with cancer and had multiple surgeries for that. And I'll never forget 1 particular surgery. The doctor took off the bandages and was removing the sutures. And I looked at that wound, and I just wept because that wound represented to me being part of this club that nobody ever wants to be part of.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:08:50]:
And to me, that was a bull's eye saying, you're always gonna be different. You're always gonna struggle with your health. And frequently, our wounds are those really, really vulnerable ladies, and the enemy knows that. So the enemy swoops in and whispers his lies. And if we're not alert to how he functions, those life can slip in and we don't even realize they're there. But, you know, those are the physical wounds, but I've dealt with emotional wounds and relational wounds and spiritual wounds. And a big 1 was when I was in private practice. I had been in private practice for at least a decade at that point, but I became very medically ill and was put on medically induced bed guest.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:09:34]:
And while I was on that bed rest, I went into the pit of depression. And just being honest, Rhonda, I thought that being a doctor and being a Christian would insulate me from depression. I had grown up my entire childhood with a depressed mother. I just didn't realize that's what it was at the time. I didn't have that label, but I thought somehow that those to things would prevent depression from ever touching my life. And boy, was I wrong. But when the Lord allowed me to slowly return to private practice, as in 1 patient a day, 3 days a week, that first day I cried all the way to work because I thought, lord, I'm not ready. I'm not strong enough.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:10:18]:
And the first patient that I saw upon returning to work 5 months later walked on. And when I asked how, why are you here and how can I help you? She just started to sob. She told me she had just been through a very complex medical condition the she showed me her arms, which were bruised and battered from her wrist to her old. And she told me she was so depressed. She wasn't sure that she wanted to go on living. Well, in that moment, I heard a whisper in my heart. I've never heard the audible voice of God, but it was just life this impression, and it said, show her. Well, I don't know if you've ever argued with God.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:10:59]:
Yes. I

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:11:00]:
didn't have on it. I argued with God. I'm like, you have forgot to be kidding. And I heard again and are sensed again know her. And I'm like, Lord, you no, in the mental health sphere, we're not supposed to reveal much about ourselves. We're supposed to be a blank slate for our patients. And then I felt like you said, well, you don't have to, but if you don't, I'll find someone else. And in that nanosecond, I was like, yes, sir.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:11:24]:
Yes. Yes, sir. Yes. So I rolled up my long sleeves, which is where I had detached my home IV that had been keeping me alive for 5 mentor. And I showed her my bruised and battered arms from my wrist to my shoulder. And I looked at her and I said, it is no coincidence that you are here in my office today. I said, I want you to know you are seen, you are loved, you are cared for. There is a purpose and a plan for your life and your life is not over.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:12:00]:
And this tear just started to come down her face affair. And she finally looked up at me and she said, thank you for sharing out of your pain because that helps me get through mine. And if you could get through that situation, I can get through this. And that is the most beautiful picture of a sacred scar. I didn't on no through that depression. I didn't wanna go through that life threatening illness, but I had prayed to God and been very honest and said, I don't want to go through the. But if I have to, don't let this time be todays wasn't. It gave a woman hope.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:12:38]:
Yeah. That's I love that Stoppe. And I love your heart. And I love the books that you crank out. I'm gonna pull up another 1, the hem of his garment. I love the story. I tell I often tell the story of the woman who reached out to touch the hem of Jesus harvest when I'm speaking. I know in the middle of this false teaching in the world, and I'm going off I'm going off script of your questions, but it's so important.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:13:06]:
There's a belief that if we're doing what God's called us to do, he'll make us healthy, wealthy, and christian. And when that house of card comes crumbling down, people question God's goodness. And then Satan has them stuck and they don't know the value of those those painful experiences, those scars. I know it's not on on what we had talked about talking about, but can you just speak to that?

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:13:30]:
Yes. Because I had ascribed to that faulty theology. There were numerous times when things were not going well with my health or with me emotionally or with my family. And I remember just praying to the Lord, like, I don't understand. Here I am serving you and I could be so much more effective for the kingdom if I wasn't dealing with x, y, or z. And I finally got to the place where the Lord showed me. That is faulty theology. That there's nowhere in the Bible that it says that.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:14:01]:
In fact, it says the opposite. Jesus said, in this world, you will experience pain, suffering, trials, tribulation. But take heart because I have overcome the world. And what I've come to realize is that if we are Christ followers, we are told we are going to participate in the sufferings of Christ. And I think about that and and I Real for myself, Rhonda, is that when life is going really well, I personally have a tendency to subconsciously think I got the, God. I'll let you know when I need you. Mhmm. Mhmm.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:14:45]:
It's in those times of woundedness, of pain, of brokenness, and in suffering, when I'm so flat on my back that I have no place else to look anymore but to look up, that the God reveals more of his character to the. And I grow so much greater in my faith. In fact, you know, that is scriptural where if we will persevere Yeah. In our obedience to Christ, we will become more like him. Yes. So there is beautiful fruit for our suffering, but that doesn't mean that we like the period of suffering we have to go through.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:15:26]:
And I have just seen in your life, the years that we have been friends, there is, there's joy all over you. There is hope. Your hope prevails resources. There is a hope that comes the is so much what people need to hear when they're going through a trial the even in depression, the joy of the Lord can be your strength even at I've been there, the darkest times, and then someone gets sent into your life like doctor Michelle with a book that says there's so much value in your suffering. And if if God's buddies, you know, Jesus fishing and hunting and and disciples, if they all died painful deaths and were, persecuted because they would not recant, what makes us think that God's not going to use our pain to validate our testimony, which is what happened. It validated their testimony. I no my my audience is a lot of them are moms. You know, the the the author something moms with their kids.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:16:29]:
And my question when you were talking about your childhood, stuff, I have a granddaughter who was born with old heart syndrome. She's beautiful, precious girl. But I know that there's mothers that would love to know from your perspective being raised with those things that you had to deal with. What are some things moms can do to pour courage into their children mentor to not minimize what their child is going through, but but also celebrate them so that they don't feel life, why me? You know?

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:17:01]:
I'm glad you're asking that question because I'll. And was struggling and was struggling to find her faith. And so she did not do for me what I would suggest to those moms. But what I would suggest is that you research the scripture and you find what God says about you and about your old. And you teach that in such a way that it just becomes intrinsic nature. Like, I've seen videos. You probably have too, Rhonda, where, you know, a parent is walking their child on the sidewalk to kindergarten. And it's like they have a daily mantra.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:17:46]:
I am God's child. I am loved. I am adored. He goes with me. He sings over me. He delights in me. I am the apple of God's eye. I am brave.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:17:57]:
I am strong. In Jesus, all things are possible. That kind of thing, when we will teach that to our children young, that will help them later to combat the lies of the enemy. Yeah. The biggest epidemic that I think that we experience is that too many people don't know who they are in Christ. They don't know what God says about them to be able to refute the lies of the enemy, that you're weak, you're imperfect, you're scarred for life. You know, all those bad things that he says we are. Yeah.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:18:38]:
If we truly knew who we were in Christ, we can say, oh, no. Right. Right. Jesus says that I am adored. I am his beloved. I am a joint heir in Christ. So if we could teach our children that when they are young and they are so absorbent of whatever it is that we put into their little hearts and minds, that's gonna help them for the rest of their lives. And then when they come home from school and say little Johnny said this to me, we can go, oh, but what does Jesus say? And show them how do we replace the lies with God's truth and then teach them to pray for their enemies.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:19:18]:
Yeah. You know, as a as adults, that's a hard 1. Yeah. You know, I I grew up in the faith, but that is a hard 1. But if we can teach our children that, the enemy loses any ground. He doesn't want us to do that. And if

Rhonda Stoppe [00:19:34]:
we can teach them forgiveness for those who persecute us. Right. So what a beautiful picture of God's love and grace. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. And I I have been, you know, my son had epilepsy. He had seizures and his biggest fear was to have a seizure at school.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:19:52]:
You know, 6 year old little boy, like, I don't want to have a seizure in front of my friends. Right. And there's just that burden for a mom because we wanna rescue and keep them life. And and yet God God raised, in my own son. He did such a work in him because of those trials. But in the middle of it, you don't see it. And that's where having someone like you and this amazing, amazing resource, Sacred Scars, buy it for someone who's going through or whose child is going through. Give them as a resource.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:20:24]:
Sometimes we don't know what to say, especially if we've not walked in any pain. We don't know what to say. And here's the thing you shouldn't to. Don't have all the answers. Don't quote scriptures that are,

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:20:37]:
well, God causes all things

Rhonda Stoppe [00:20:38]:
to work together for good, so you're gonna be fine. It's like, woah. You don't understand my grief right now. Just weep with me. Yes. But this book weeps with them, but it also comes alongside of them and says that there's there's power in the pain. There's value in your suffering. And I I just love love that.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:20:57]:
In chapter 4, you write, God doesn't take our cares without our consent. Why are we so reluctant to give God our worries and our pain?

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:21:08]:
Scripture tells us to cast all your cares on him because he cares for you. But I think that there are a couple main reasons why we hesitate to do that even though it's a commandment. And 1 is that very frequently, we view God through the same lens that we've viewed our earthly parents. And some of us were not fortunate enough to have parents who were healthy and who raised us with love and compassion and care. And my goodness. There's also so many who have unfortunately been mistreated and abused by their earthly parents then it the enemy uses that against us. And so then we ascribe those same characteristics to our heavenly father, Jesus, and the old spirit. Mhmm.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:22:07]:
We can come to the place where instead we will look at God as the perfect father. Mhmm. That can make it a lot easier for us to come to him with our pain, with our guilt, with our shame, with our regrets. You know, we as people are so quick to judge and criticize other people. We're very quick to say, well, you know, you must have unconfessed sin in your life or you're not praying enough or if only you had enough faith Mhmm. Would have been healed by now. Whereas I look at God who says, first of all, I will never put shame on you because scripture says there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. So we have to recognize where that shame filled voice is coming from.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:23:02]:
It is never coming from our heavenly father. It is always coming from the father of lies and the accuser of the brethren. Mhmm. He tempts us to do things that even cause us our wounds. No. And then he comes right back and shames us for it. Like, he doesn't play fair. So if you're feeling shame, embarrassment, guilt, regret, please know that's from the enemy.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:23:31]:
The enemy will shame us, but the Old Spirit will gently convict us of sin. Yeah. We restore a relationship with God. Mhmm. Mhmm.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:23:43]:
Well, I just spoke at a alternatives pregnancy center, fundraiser in Mentor, and it's right where you're talking about the scars of women that were there that have that secret of that abortion that they had. And some of them what I love about the event that I spoke at is they have post abortion, clinics for woman to support the. Because so mentor woman is in the, and she's been, I think, 45 years post abortive, and this is the first help she's gotten from anyone. And I know that that is a big scar that a lot of women carry, and and it does come with shame, and they don't feel they even have the right to get help because it was a choice they made. And so guest speak to those women life you don't mind.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:24:31]:
That's part of the reason I wrote Sacred Scars because so many patients would come into my office and they would be so ashamed of something that they didn't even wanna open up and tell me about it. Oh, yeah. But when they did, first of all, they realized I did not react the way they feared I would react. I reacted with grace and compassion. But the other thing about that is when they finally shared their deep, dark, shameful secret, it no longer carried the same weight because it was out in the light and that's just it. The enemy uses shame to cause us to go into isolation and life, to not share our Stoppe. But God wants us to bring those things into the light of how truth because he's already forgiven us. He already knows about it.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:25:22]:
Sometimes we have a tendency to think if I if I don't talk to To about it, you know, he's he's not gonna condemn me. Well, he's not gonna condemn me anyway. In fact, he's always imploring us. Will you just cast your cares on me because I care for you? But that's why Sacred Scars was so important because sometimes wounds come at the hands or words of others. Sometimes we do something that contributes to our wounds guest like you mentor. And sometimes there's no obvious cause life a devastating diagnosis. We can't blame it on any 1 thing. If we will lean into God for his perfect healing, he's a gentleman and he will he will only work on that part that we can handle at a time.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:26:14]:
It's like he heals a little bit, then he gives us a chance to live it out. Then he heals a little bit more, the it gives us a chance to live it out. He Real cuts straight to the core because he knows that would be overwhelming for us. Right. But he's such a gentleman. So if you have done something, whether it's an abortion, you've had an adulterous affair, you've gotten a divorce, the broken the law, whatever that is, know that God has grace and forgiveness for you. That doesn't mean that we don't live with the consequences of our behavior because God is a just God. But he has healing for us in that when we will bring that shame out into the light.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:27:00]:
Yes. And it offers so much hope and freedom to so many that Satan has just in bondage of fear. If someone finds out about this thing, I will never be, you know, valued or used by the Lord. And I God uses greatly those that have been hurt deeply. I think that is all through scripture, and I think we can see that lived out. So we're coming to the end of our time, and we talked about Job walking through significant pain. I just really would love to hear what you think we can learn from his encounters and his pleading with God through his pain.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:27:35]:
There's a couple pertinent lessons in Job's story. The first is that Job 1 verse 1 says that Job was blameless and upright before the Lord. Yeah. And yet how experienced physical, emotional, relational, financial, spiritual pain, grief, and loss, all of it at the hands of the enemy. Mhmm. And God doesn't always stop what the enemy is going to do, but God always has a greater plan. And what the enemy intended for harm, God can and will use for good. So sometimes we wonder and we get mad at God because we think how either caused our pain or he didn't stop it.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:28:21]:
But 1 of the biggest lessons in that book of Job is the, first of all, Job didn't cause us pain. But God had such a valuable lesson because we get to the end of the book of Job and it's like how says to God, wow. I thought I knew you before, but now I've really seen you because what Matt did was reveal more of himself and more of his character to Jim. And that doesn't mean that it didn't hurt when he went through all of that suffering, but it means that God can use it for our good. Amen.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:28:56]:
I love that. I, I think any of us who have gone through trials know that that the times that we are at the at the end of ourselves, that's when God shows up. And that is the value of this book. You have earned with your own sacred scars. You have earned the right to have these conversations with people from your own, you know, your husband was diagnosed with cancer. He shouldn't have lived. Right? Right. And the you have had so many things that have happened, and you've walked in joy.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:29:28]:
You've walked in hope, and you've held out that hope for others. I love that about you. And on, those those scars, they validate you as a counselor to say, I know I love that story where you showed your scars to someone else. I I know that you speak at women's events and you I would love for people to know where they can contact you to invite you to speaker. Where let's see. What else can I ask them? Where can they go to connect with you and where can they purchase a copy of Sacred Scars? The easiest answer for all

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:30:02]:
of the questions is to go to my website, life, drmichelleb.com. There is at the top, there's a tab to contact me. There's a tab for all of my books, and we'll have links to all the different providers that sell that. There's a tab for the podcast. So the best way to even find me on social media, because nobody can spell my name correctly, is you can go to my website and click on the social media buttons, and that'll take you right to my account. And I hope that you will because we all need to hold on hope. And more importantly, we need to link arms with each other to remind each other of the hope filled truth that God offers.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:30:40]:
Guest. And her podcast is called Your Hope Filled Perspective. And don't forget the free resource that you can get at the Hope Vault. A lot of people say, I can't afford to go to a counselor. It's like she's giving you so much for free that you will be able to use for yourself and to encourage And I, I just appreciate your friendship, and I appreciate just watching you glorify the Lord. And, man, woman, you're writing books after books after books. The Lord's just using you with a sense of urgency, and I so enjoy watching you as you just pursue him. So thank you so much, friends, for joining us on the my Old Ladies Know Stuff.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:31:21]:
And we do. The old longer we live, the more we can tell you from our highs and our lows, from the good, from the bad, the faithfulness of God, and the peace that surpasses understanding, and really just living out stories that show his providential care in our lives. Is there anything else you'd like to say before we close, Michelle?

Dr. Michelle Bengtson [00:31:40]:
I just on say if you're struggling with a certain pain point right now, please know that there is nothing that you've done or nothing that's been done to you. No pain so great that it's out of the hands of our redemptive God who never waste your pain or your past.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:31:57]:
Amen. Father, I wanna pray for the women that have been listening. This has been a deep conversation, but there are so many with sacred scars. Lord, give them hope that the that the scars that they carry, the shame that the enemy is whispering in their ear, that as they lay it at your feet, father, you are going to take what was meant for evil and use it for good in ways exceedingly and abundantly above all they can thought, think or imagine. We praise you and thank you for Michelle. I pray that you would just send this book far and wide to bring truth to the pain that people are experiencing in this generation. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen.

Rhonda Stoppe [00:32:36]:
Amen. Thanks so much.