Sips from the Fountain
Learning to drink from Jesus, the Fountain of Living Water, isn’t as hard as I thought, especially when you just start with sips, and those will change everything.
Sips from the Fountain
Don't Waste Your Pain: Life Wasn't Supposed to be Like This
Martha's mother shares her profound spiritual journey through chronic illness, revealing how suffering can refine rather than destroy us when approached with trust and purpose. Her experiences with multiple autoimmune diseases have shaped her into someone who helps others navigate their own challenges with the comfort she's received.
• Like a silversmith refining silver, God allows heat in our lives to bring impurities to the surface
• Bitterness, jealousy and disappointment are captors that prevent us from experiencing kingdom living
• Even in hospital with sepsis and severe pain, she viewed each person she met as her spiritual "assignment"
• Joseph's biblical story demonstrates how evil intended against us can be transformed for good
• The goal isn't to be pain-free but to walk free, positioning ourselves to experience God's presence in suffering
• Meditation on scripture, particularly Psalm 23, provides a practical way to maintain perspective during pain
• Walking in the Spirit requires choosing gratitude and trust rather than fear and victimhood
Lord, we thank you that you're withholding nothing from us but holding all things for us. We speak release over everyone from fear of the next thing or tomorrow, release from speculations of what might happen or could happen, and we speak trust from the Lord for each person in their environment, for their next thing.
Hey you guys. So this episode and the last episode come with a personal word from me beforehand. In these two episodes we hear from what I consider and many people in our community consider to be one of the saints of the faith, my sweet mom. She discusses her profound journey with illness and pain which, just as a note, she totally minimizes during these two episodes. She's actually been diagnosed with around seven autoimmune diseases by now, and what she shares in these episodes about how she's navigated this journey has shaped her into an absolutely incredible human being. She's helped thousands of people, one and a few at a time, overcome their own obstacles and challenges in their lives, living out 2 Corinthians 1, 4, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. And that's what she's doing in this episode and the one that comes just before it for us. I do want to say that in this episode we're entering a conversation halfway through as we begin here, and I highly recommend that you click out and go listen to the first episode on this topic published just before this one, episode 23. But if you've already listened to it, then you're ready to hear the rest of what she has to say let's do it.
Speaker 1:Do you ever feel like life can get too complicated and maybe even overwhelming? Yeah, me too, and it's okay. My name's Martha Gannot, and in this podcast we're going to talk about life, love, faith, family relationships, all kinds of things, and we're going to drink from what God wants to pour into us, one small sip at a time, because when it's the fountain of living water, small sips make all the difference. Sometimes it'll be just you and me. Sometimes we'll have a friend join us. If we could have lunch together today, this is what I'd want to talk about.
Speaker 2:There's a scripture in Zachariah and that scripture is talking about. And that scripture is talking about various things, but one of the things it brings up is about how the people were being refined. Like a silversmith refines silver, so this was another thing. Not only are we pots through whom God can pour, we're fine silver pots. And so when a silversmith is going to refine silver, he takes a crucible and he puts that ugly what looks like it's an ugly rock, the ore, silver ore in the crucible and he heats it and that heat causes all the dross, all the junk to bubble up to the surface and then the silversmith scrapes that off. Then he heats it a little higher, more bubbles up. He scrapes off that nastiness and then he continues this process until he can look down into that crucible, into the silver, and see a clear reflection of himself. Wow, he never heats the silver so hot that it destroys the silver, but enough to remove the impurities. So, the Lord, it's like I told the Lord one time our mother which, if you've heard our story, you know that she suffered profound emotional illness. She just really suffered. And I told the Lord at one point after my brother was healed. I said, lord, you could put your hands on her head at any time and she would be in her right mind. And he responded to me not in an audible voice, but it was close and he said, susan, she paid the price that you three children could be who you are, that you three children could be who you are. Well, in that moment I realized that what she went through made my life look like a picnic. What she suffered with the emotional illness way eclipsed anything that I suffered growing up as a child in that home. So she paid the price. What does that mean? Well, she was our opportunity to forgive. She was our privilege to serve, forgive she was our privilege to serve. And she was our place to experience long suffering, hanging in there with her in the long haul and not giving her what we felt like she deserved.
Speaker 2:So when she was about a little bit younger than I am now maybe 72, 73 or something of that sort she said to me Susan, you pray with all these other people. You've never prayed with me. And I really kind of thought God was playing a bad joke on me. But I said, sure, mom. And so we sat down for about three hours and she got in touch with the things that I just said about Luke 4, her own bitterness, her own jealousy and her own disappointment. Disappointment and how the enemy had taken her captive as she clamored for filling her hunger with all these other things and they never satiated. So she her hunger. So she was still hungry and still bitter.
Speaker 2:And then all the jealousy she went through of looking at all the other families and what she did not have, but that jealousy just made every day of her life a misery. And then the disappointment in being living a life and never realizing what she felt was her potential or her destiny of being famous. And so that day she faced all of it and my son-in-law said to me, joel, he said that was one of the most amazing things he had ever seen. Who she was from that day until she died. About six or so years later she changed and I saw it sitting here in my own home. Yeah, so it's not worth it. It's just not worth it.
Speaker 1:I just feel like there are people listening right now and they're realizing that they've been taken captive by disappointment, by bitterness, by disappointment, by bitterness, and because they've been longing for things that are never going to actually satisfy them and resenting the fact that they've never gotten them. So if that's what you're feeling right now, I would just say keep listening. You can go back and reference some of the other podcasts mom has recorded, because she talks about how to exit from those kinds of conditions. Mom, you know, I think when I hear you talk about how you know, your mom paid the price so that you three kids could become who you are. You all three are unbelievable human beings with incredible depth and wisdom and resilience, and you look at life in this manner. All three of you do, really. But is that actually scriptural? We were talking about this before we started the podcast today and referencing specifically the story of Joseph, do you mind?
Speaker 2:touching on that just for a minute. Yes, because Joseph, I love the book of Genesis. It is amazing, absolutely amazing. It's four main events and four major men of the Bible, and Joseph is the last one who is discussed, and his story is unpacked for us. And what I would say about Joseph is he was given a dream and a promise of power, position and wealth, and then his brothers were jealous of him and sold him into slavery in Egypt, and so they had put him in a pit. And then they decided, instead of killing him in that pit, they would sell him, and so he was purchased by Potiphar. So in Potiphar's house, potiphar's wife lied about him and he was put into prison. So he was in the pit in Potiphar's house in the prison.
Speaker 2:And when he was in prison he interpreted the dreams of two of Pharaoh's servants which came to pass, and then he was forgotten, until two years later, when Pharaoh had a dream. He interpreted the dream and he was put second in command to the Pharaoh. So meantime there's a famine in the land. The brothers who sold him came to Egypt, joseph recognized them and you'll have to read the story.
Speaker 2:It reads like a movie, but at the end, when there is near the end of the story, so to speak, the brothers came to Jesus, to Joseph, to Joseph, and bowed down before him I know his story is really a lot like Jesus but bowed down before him and said we are your servants. But Joseph said to them do not be afraid, for am I in God's place, like, am I where God put me? And as for you, you meant it evil against me, but God meant it for good, in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. So you meant it for evil against me, but God meant it for good. What I see with that is what that means to me. When I'm in the middle of an affliction which I had, one affliction in 2020 or 21, I believe where I actually thought I was going to die what basically happened was that I found myself in the hospital with sepsis and the nurse it was the middle of the night, nobody can be there because of COVID, so I'm by myself she comes in, takes my blood pressure and it's 70 over something lower, and I said, oh, that can't be right. And she said, no, of course that's not right. And so she took it again and she said oh, okay, that's right. And she left the room. That's right, and she left the room. Well, in that moment I was like, okay, I might be leaving by leaving you mean Dying, okay and so I said to God I said you are in this room and you see all of this. And I pointed to my body and I said and I trust you, you are in this room, father, you see all of this and I trust you. And when I said I trust you, I meant it, I trusted him, and I thought I'm either going to leave or I'm going to stay. But I'm not going to worry about it. I'm either going to leave or stay.
Speaker 2:So the girl comes back in, she's my assignment, and so I get into a conversation with her. Now, mind you, I am in terrific pain, but I still have my assignment, and so I ask her some questions. She says that she's disparaging about her life, that her baby daddy never comes anymore, that she's there, she just maybe comes a couple times a month, and she's just so sad and doesn't know what to do and I thought, well, how on earth am I going to do this? But at the end of the day, I was able to weave Jesus into it and I shared Jesus.
Speaker 2:Well, then the shift changed and I was still alive and the next girl came, and so I got in a conversation with her she's my assignment and she ends up telling me that she's from another country and in that country they suspected that their father was poisoning their mother and that once they got to the United States the mother died. And they were convinced the dad poisoned her. So she said, right at this moment, my sister went to the police and they are exhuming my mother's body.
Speaker 1:So I'm thinking okay, god, let's see what you're going to do with this.
Speaker 2:My sister went to the police and they are exhuming my mother's body. So I'm thinking, ok, god, let's see what you're going to do with this. How are we going to get to Jesus? And so I said, well, I've had some difficult things I've been through, but, wow, that was unbelievable, and somehow the Lord brought me around to that. I don't. I can't face any difficulty I've been through. Had it not been for Jesus, without Jesus I could not face it. And so we had that discussion. So that was my part of her story, those two ladies.
Speaker 2:So, the point being, I mean, they came in the next day and they said that it was cancer, and then, a month later, they said the cancer was worse. So it's always a challenge. It wasn't cancer, by the way, it was a perforated colon. But there's always a chance where you're going to have to trust again, trust again, trust again, trust again. The only way the enemy can get us is if we fear death, if we're not afraid and I mean that's not to say that we might not want to think about the manner in which we leave this earth, but I'm telling you, it doesn't take long, you go, and so there's nothing to be afraid of, and so the only thing the enemy can do is get us to fear, and once we fear, we're speaking his language. So all of that to say God's real clear about how we overcome, how we stand.
Speaker 2:He even says in the book of James, I believe, he says count it all joy when you encounter various trials. He said consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Hey, wait a minute. Did he say? The testing of my faith produces, produces something, wow, okay, endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. There is a place we're moving toward.
Speaker 2:He even says, in Philippians, do all things without grumbling and complaining. And that's one of the things I've seen as a big delusion. That is, that a person will think nobody has a story as bad as mine, and I've got to convince all the people everywhere I go how bad my story is and how pitiful my situation is. And so they walk around in victimization and martyrdom and it's very unattractive around in victimization and martyrdom and is very unattractive, yeah, it does not make people want to be with you when you're trying to convince them what a pitiful sad story you have. And so the truth is, everybody has a pitiful sad story. That's the advantage of being 77.
Speaker 1:Yeah, everybody has a story, I don't care who they are.
Speaker 2:So when you're trying to say how bad your story is, you might be saying it to somebody who could make you look like or had it happen to me Kindergarten, right, yeah, so so that that is a delusion.
Speaker 2:Another one is that my goal in life is to be pain free. The scripture doesn't say that. The scripture says Jesus suffered and we're going to suffer too. So then, who am I in the suffering? Jesus said you're going to suffer, but don't worry, I won't leave you and I will not forsake you. And he says in this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world. And then also, this is my go-to when I'm in a season of pretty rough discomfort. Let's put it that way it's profound y'all.
Speaker 1:That's how she's saying it, but she deals with profound pain. I've heard her mention publicly there's more than one wheelchair in the house and walkers and canes for when, well, things get really bad the girls are just trying to be prepared so I'll just have, I'll go to the garage and go.
Speaker 2:So I ordered a wheelchair. When did I order a wheelchair?
Speaker 1:you're getting a well you're getting a glimpse into my mom right.
Speaker 2:I guess that thing's gonna go in the basement so if I ever need it, it's in the basement, the wheelchair and the. I have two kinds of walkers now you do use those correct.
Speaker 1:Y'all hear that I'm gonna leave this. I was gonna cut this out of the podcast, but I'm gonna leave it because y'all got a glimpse I've got, you got a glimpse.
Speaker 2:I only use one kind. There's a weird kind, I don't know. So anyway, this is the scripture. So this is just a one way where a person can actually stay in the headspace that Jesus calls us to. And the headspace he calls us to, he enumerates in Corinthians.
Speaker 2:Paul does, and he says take every vain imagination and high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, the obedience of Christ. So what I do is I'll be lying there in the bed and I just begin To let the Lord walk me through the 23rd Psalm. So I'll just say, lord, you are my shepherd, so I don't want for anything. And you, lord, I'll just have my eyes, eyes closed, and I'll just be saying to him you make me lie down in these green pastures and you leave me beside the still waters. The waters are quiet, they're not roaring and splashing, they're not roaring and splashing, they're quiet. And then you restore my soul in the midst of all this and you guide me in the paths of righteousness. For your name's sake, lord, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, in this I don't fear any evil because you're with me, jesus, you're with me. You're with me right now. Your rod, your staff, they comfort me. So he takes that rod and he takes that staff and he gets me back on the path where I'm veering off to poor me or my sad story, or if I just where I'm tempted by bitterness, jealousy or disappointment, which is asking God, why am I afflicted? That's a waste. I mean, ask Job, what if Job? Oh, that's such a waste, isn't it? I mean, what are we going to get? Why? So thou art with me, I fear no evil, for thou art with me, fear no evil. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou dost prepare, you do prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, so in the presence of this enemy, of a voice that's clamoring to get me, like it did Jesus in Luke 4.
Speaker 2:Doubt fear, saying I'm abandoned or not cared for all that kind of junk. God wants me to feast, feasting on his word, feasting and glorying in his presence. Thou hast anointed my head with oil, which is a picture of the Holy Spirit, who is the comforter and the teacher. My cup overflows. So right now, lord, my cup is overflowing and surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I get to dwell in the house of the Lord forever is we're living our eternal life now, when we have received the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ for our sins. We have now stepped into eternity and we can inherit the things of the kingdom. But the things of the kingdom are not available when we are embracing jealousy, bitterness and disappointment. You just can't have both. You can't have both, and the things of the kingdom you'll find in Galatians, chapter 5. And that's the chapter that addresses bitterness.
Speaker 2:But in verse 1, paul says it was for freedom that Christ set us free, so don't be subject again to the yoke of slavery. And then in verse 11, he starts talking about it again and he basically says it was for freedom that Christ set you free again. And what he says there is that Was it Galatians 5? Yes, he says there, for you were called to freedom. Don't use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love, serve one another. And then it goes on into how he talks about if you bite and devour one another. Take care unless you be consumed by one another. Take care Unless you be consumed by one another.
Speaker 2:Well, he goes on into this, but when he finally gets down To Enumerating what the deeds of the flesh are, he says these are the things Of which I have forewarned you, that those who practice these things will not inherit the kingdom of God. And he's talking to Christians. So the king inheriting the kingdom I cannot be wallowing in my flesh and walking in kingdom things. He then goes on to say what we can walk in and it's the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control. That is freedom. So the goal is not to be pain-free, the goal is to walk free.
Speaker 2:Wow, in the midst of all the things. So I used to wonder what the secret was. I I would read things historically, like the fox's book of martyrs, and read about martyrdom and I would be like how, I mean? Nero impaled christians on a pole and lit them on fire to light up the city of rome and they would be singing wow, I'm like what? Or they would be like murdered in the gladiator games, but they were singing and praising God in the prisons. But this is it. It's not about the pain, it is about the glory and it's about a bigger picture that we might not know what it is. Wow, we might not know. So, martha, do you have any?
Speaker 1:questions.
Speaker 1:I feel like all I've done is say wow for this whole podcast. So I just it's a totally different way of thinking and living and coming from than most of us experience or engage in. And even as I've been listening to you, I've just been convicted over again that the things I've been talking to the Lord about are things on my personal happiness list, not my, not the things on hey, what do you want to do in the earth? Where do you want me to partner with you? What? Where do you want to do in the earth? Where do you want me to partner with you? What? Where do you want to go?
Speaker 1:I've been saying when are you going to give me the things I've decided I need for my personal happiness? So I've got to go spend some time and look for and relook at some things, because this is obviously not the first time I've heard this, but it just takes reminding yourself again and again, because there are new attacks, new assaults, new situations, and then there are the mercies that are new every morning too. So we get to decide which one to grab and to hang on to and to be clear.
Speaker 2:There is an advantage to choosing Whatever we choose gives whatever we choose life. It brings it to life. So I still have to choose. I have to choose every day. But it is the Lord who works in us to will and to do of his good pleasure. So it is him who accomplishes even the choosing. So we do this little choosing thing but really it's all him. It is all him and it's not feeling, it's positioning. So I think that's what makes us warriors we position and then we watch the salvation of the Lord.
Speaker 1:Well, and it's what you mentioned about, like Fox's book of martyrs, and just knowing people that endure profound challenges in their lives, but they come through as incredible people and what's the secret? And I feel like you shared that with us today. So thank you again. You really opened up the depths of your heart and your life experience and your personal walk with God, your personal struggles and pain, and just thank you for that. It was amazing.
Speaker 2:Yes, jesus name. Yeah, y'all get to take the shortcut now, yep.
Speaker 1:All right, you want to pray and pray us out. Bless everyone who's listening.
Speaker 2:So, lord, I thank you that you're more than enough. And, as this precious preacher has said, god is withholding. You are withholding nothing from us, you are holding all things for us. So I speak release over every person in the sound of my voice, release from fear of the next thing or tomorrow, release from speculations of what might happen or could happen, and I speak trust from the Lord for each person in their environment, for their next thing. So, lord, we all collectively say together Lord, we are so excited about the next thing in our lives and we give you glory and praise and thanksgiving ahead of time. We know that we enter your gates with thanksgiving and we move on into your courts with praise and that in everything we're to give thanks. So it doesn't say if we feel it or if we think it. It says do it. So right now we choose to do it, lord. We choose to walk in gratitude and a thankful heart for everything, in Jesus's name.
Speaker 1:Amen. Thanks, mom, and thanks you guys for joining us. Wow, I hope this blessed you. I'm going to be listening over and over again and we will see you next time from the fountain. If you're curious to hear more or if you like what you've heard, you can go ahead and subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen to yours, or follow our Instagram account, sips from the fountain, or our Facebook page by the same name. Special thanks for cover art photography to the Sarah D Harper, and I can't wait to hang out with you guys next time. Thanks so much. Love y'all. Thank you.