Don’t Gatekeep God — Open Eyes, Share Hope

New episode out now — spiritual warfare, prayer for eyes to open, and a reminder from Gia + Molly: don’t gatekeep the Lord. Share Him.

🎵 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/purpose-in-the-pain/id1866616325
🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cqi1YmIAdLJfc6asLaFQU
▶️ Full video: https://www.youtube.com/@purposepain

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:05

Said this a lot lately. There's a difference in stress and weight. Stress is saying I'm taking it away from God. I'm gonna try to figure it out. And then there's the weight of a matter. Weight of being that example can be heavy. Alright. Thanks for uh joining us on uh purpose and the pain, and we're back with uh Miss Gia and Miss Molly. And well, we've had some great conversation, and uh uh uh and these two girls, the wisdom in these two girls.

SPEAKER_02 0:42

It's like I should have brought a notepad. Like taking notes or something.

SPEAKER_03 0:46

That's the way I feel about it too. It's like, oh man, I'm just doing a horrible job managing my life, and then these two girls they're slaying it here, man.

SPEAKER_02 0:57

Am I gonna have jealousy issues later?

SPEAKER_03 1:01

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Miss uh Miss Gia was telling us when she first got here that that uh tell us you just got a new job.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

Yes. I work for the Department of Residence Life at Texas AM. So I'm a tour guide. So the first face that prospective students see at AM maybe could make or break if they want to study there.

SPEAKER_03 1:27

But it sure makes them want to study there.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

I hope so. I hope so. So I hold that with a lot of weight. I love being a friend-facing person, so I love getting to have those connections, even if it's just for an hour-long tour. And so I started that job in March of this year, and an opportunity opened to become the program ambassador. So it's the next roll-up, and you're not gonna be a tour guide anymore, you're just gonna be the ambassador representing our tours department. So we run the logistics, we um do all the staff scheduling, where our staff is, when they are, where they are. Um, I run all the staff development, so I work with all of our tour guides, make sure that they're up to date, you know, being good tour guides, the staff meetings, I get to work with our tours coordinator, just our boss, the head. And so I applied for that position with encouragement from other tour guides and then encouragement from our current program ambassadors. And so I was like, me, I mean, I'm a sophomore. We have juniors and seniors who are probably more eligible to apply, but they encouraged me to apply. I went through that process. I interviewed on Monday, we had prayers about it, Molly and I and Ashley, and then I heard back just at five o'clock today that I got the position.

SPEAKER_03 2:49

Thank you. Thank you. God's doing big things in your life.

SPEAKER_04 2:54

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_03 2:55

But it's pretty cool, you know. Like you like you did say, you you are a forward-facing person. No doubt. You love people and you love being interactive with people. But you know, I think he's building out this mechanism to utilize all the strengths that he's planted in you. You know, through this hospitality thing, he's giving you the ability to learn exactly how to interact in a one-on-one, but he's gonna give you the backside of it too, so you know how to how to organize and manage this stuff. And it's gosh, I think God's got big plans for you. Absolutely. It may or may not be in ministry. But wherever you go, there could be a hospital part of a ministry, like as a church or some other nonprofit, but it could be just at a large hotel chamber. Who knows? Right. But the fact of the matter is everybody that's that's in your direction and that hospitality, you get to impact their life.

SPEAKER_00 3:57

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 3:58

You know, it you never know what that person's going through in that smile right there that's infectious from you to the people that work with you and and and under your direction, I'm real careful not to say for you. If they work with your under your direction and your leadership, that you never know what they might be able to impact.

SPEAKER_02 4:23

When um when I'll I've been in my whole career life, I've always been in service of some sort. Okay. And um, so I was in customer service and customer service manager and things like that. And because I just love to be in with people, around people, helping people, you know, whatever that that looked like. And you may or may not be this way. I'm gonna say that you probably are, um, but if there was a difficult situation or a difficult customer, difficult anything different, uh I wanted them to bring it to me. I wanted to, it was a it was a challenge to me. I wanted to have the opportunity to take that difficult situation and turn it around. And nine times out of ten, if not ten times out of ten, just through um loving people and caring and listening and all that, if you come, you came in and you're so mad, and through our conversation, you finally just let everything out, and it had nothing to do with anything that we're talking about right now. You you came in with that, and just because someone gave you the opportunity to stop and tell your story for a minute, you were able to turn that situation around. And to me, that was always the highlight of my day. If someone was angry, if there was whatever it was, if there was a situation that most people would be like, oh, you don't want to deal with this one, you know. I'm like, oh no, bring them to me. You know, it was a challenge to me to to turn that around. And whenever they left, they generally like, sorry, I came in here like that. I'm like, no, I'm glad you did, glad we could, you know, whatever it may be. And we're not even talking about why, I mean, why you even came into this place of business anyway, but it was just always a challenge. So that's probably something that you will probably you will encounter in hospitality. No, but you'll have the opportunity to take that situation and turn it around. And by the time they leave, they're like, Man, I don't know why I came in. I'm so glad that I did that. You know, and it has such an amazing feeling. And it's not you, it's Christ in you that gives you those opportunities to take those situations and and you know, just make someone's day, you know. We we forget just simple kindness. It goes such a long way, you know, and what people are just always in such a hurry, and you know, gotta get to where I'm going, gotta check my phone, gotta check my email, this, that, and the other. To just simple kindness, we forget about that a lot. Right. And so I'm just excited to see all the things that they're both gonna be able to do, and big changes in the world they're gonna be able to make, and it's gonna be exciting.

SPEAKER_03 7:14

What do you have planned, Miss Molly?

SPEAKER_00 7:17

What do I have planned? Um, whatever the Lord has planned. I am working at Still Creek, like we talked about, so who knows where that might lead. Right now, it's kind of on an internship basis, but honestly, you never know. And with sociology, it's really fun because it's really all about working with people and interacting with people and kind of analyzing that. And honestly, I didn't set out to do sociology, but I think that was the Lord also. And honestly, I'm not completely sure yet, but I'm excited to see where it takes me. And I'm sure I'll end up if I had to make my wildest guess, it would probably be nonprofit work or some sort of organization where I just get to interact with people and just get to work with them. Yeah, I could definitely see that.

SPEAKER_01 8:08

I pray that wherever we end up, we'll still have our friendship.

SPEAKER_02 8:12

Oh, it's not gonna go with it. Yeah, it's not gonna go with it. I mean, it may take you down different paths. Right. And it may be, you know, miles and miles apart, but it's never ever gonna, it's never gonna change. There are just some friendships that no matter what, it is always, always going to be there. And that's one that I don't it's always going to be there. No matter, you know, when you get married and have children and you know, life in those different directions or whatever, you're still you're gonna just pick up right where you left off, and you're always gonna hold each other accountable. You're always gonna be there for each other, and you're always gonna have a special love and bond, and it's gonna be one that other people are gonna be like, I want my friendships to look like that.

SPEAKER_03 8:59

Yeah, yeah. You know, there's one other thing too that I would just impress upon you too, young women, you know, and you had kind of hinted about um the just being the the example. And uh I've said this a lot lately. Uh there's a difference in stress and weight.

SPEAKER_04 9:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 9:29

Stress is saying I'm taking it away from God and I'm gonna try to figure it out. And it's in a way, it's it's almost uh an idol in and of itself. Because there's a there's some mechanism in there that you actually have control, right? And then there's a the weight of a matter, which you know, your dad and I both struggle with that in different ways, but the weight of being that example can be heavy. And it's not that you know the stress of it, it's the weight of it, because the decisions that you make or an action that you do can have such far-reaching deep implications for people, right? Especially when God sets you apart in a in the manner that he sets y'all apart, right? One thing I would encourage y'all is you're still human.

SPEAKER_02 10:26

Right, Christ.

SPEAKER_03 10:28

You're still growing, you're you're going to make mistakes, and you can't be so concerned and focused on trying to be perfect. You know, you've got to be able to allow yourself to have some grace, but if you do make a mistake, just be courageous enough and humble enough to own it and say to whoever, hey, I made this mistake, I apologize for it, recognize it, and move on. Because there's just as much power in that as there is that you never made one. Right. Because people are able to see, wow, yeah, she fell or she did that, but yeah, she apologized and she fixed it, you know. And and there's just as much testimony in that. But I feel the same weight in a lot of ways that you know, being that example, being that that person that's kind of set over here. And it it and it gets it can be lonely sometimes too. So I just would caution you against that. Don't let that separate you out. You got a sister here, but you got God's gonna give you a lot more sisters, right? And a lot more brothers.

SPEAKER_04 11:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:50

For sure. For sure. And the other thing that I was gonna say too, like, you know, about your your parents, your mom, and your Is your mom still alive?

SPEAKER_01 12:01

My birth mom is still alive, yes.

SPEAKER_03 12:04

Have you talked to her?

SPEAKER_01 12:05

Yes, so after I'm eight when I turn 18, I'm allowed to talk to her. And so I it actually took me maybe like four or five months to talk to her when I was given, like when I turned 18. Um, I could have immediately like called her, but I I took some time. Right. And I opened back that relationship. So it's been about a year and a half now, and it's been hard because my mom is still not entirely healthy, and so we're still learning how to have a relationship. There's some times where I've needed to set boundaries, be like, I can't talk about this or talk with you when you're like this. Right. Um, but the Lord has given that um relationship to me, and she's also initiating, and that's some that's what she's what my stepmom isn't initiating. And so, I mean, as much as she played a part in just the root of my my life, I I always love her. I I don't think I can ever hate her. Like that's my mom, my mother. There's always there always gonna be a yearning for her and to have a mother figure, and she may not look like what others are, but she's trying. And I'm trying because I'm still learning how to submit to a mother authority now, and so um, but yes, that relationship is open. She's still alive, and I'm actually gonna go see her in two weeks. Oh wow, yeah, yes, where's she at? In Chicago. So I'm going to Chicago for a quick weekend and come back for school the next day.

SPEAKER_03 13:40

So you're gonna fly up there and fly back?

SPEAKER_01 13:43

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday. Yeah, so I'm gonna see her and I have two half siblings with her, so she has two other girls, and so I just tell her like, don't do what you did to me to them, be there for them. And she is. Yeah, she is, and so exactly.

SPEAKER_03 14:03

Oh my god, keep restoring.

SPEAKER_01 14:05

Yes, I will. I will show you after, yes.

SPEAKER_03 14:07

I think he's gonna keep restoring that.

SPEAKER_01 14:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:10

You know, as we were talking about all this, the other thing that that really got it pressed upon me, especially like the conversation about your your dad and your stepmom being in California and some of the the things there that you don't necessarily agree with. Uh, and I don't know why this specifically came up for me, but it was just burning in the back of my mind, and that is that you know, there a lot of people give a lot of power to the to the devil. And he's not always there. He's very seldom. A lot of it's just human nature, just the sin, just the the we brought us into this world. And it just is what it is. But one of the things where he does specifically maybe not on a on a daily basis, but a clear and present attack is an attack against the Holy Eucharist.

SPEAKER_01 15:08

The what?

SPEAKER_03 15:09

The Holy Eucharist. So where Jesus gave his body and said, Here is my body. Broken for you to forgive your sin. Here is my body. To forgive your, you know, to cover your sin. So where he gave his body and said, Here is my body, the enemy has perverted that in the other way. And you hear so many people say, Well, this is my body, and I will do what I want. I'll put drugs in if I want, I'll drink if I want, I'll have promiscuous sex if I want, I'll have abortions if I want. This is my body. And I think that's one of the most egregious attacks that we've had. And so I think if you're aware that I don't believe that that people are just for the most part, people are just hateful to be hateful and want to live that way, there's a perception because there is a a demonic attack, there's a strong there. I think if you're aware of it, cognizant of that, and you pray in a manner that you are trying to release those people that are under the influence to s to have the scales removed from their eyes so that they can see. That Jesus gave his body to cover yours. And all he's asking is for you to do the same, to give up yours. It goes back to those that do not love themselves unto death, you know, they're willing to give it up. So, you know, I know that those can be some hardships, you see things a different way, but try to separate that from the person. You know, that person, you want to love that person and be there for that person and have relationship with them to work them through it. But pray against that, you know. That that that God would open your eyes for it. I don't know if that means anything to you, but I just could not get it out of my mind as we were talking about it. You got anything else to add?

SPEAKER_04 17:30

I don't think so.

SPEAKER_03 17:31

I want to hear what two young women would have to say to people out there in the world to encourage them or to give them that, you know, what's your words of wisdom? Do you?

SPEAKER_01 17:46

Yes. Now I can be speaking to a believer, or I can I can be speaking to a non-believer, but know that you are loved by a great Lord, and I pray that you meet the Lord and you recognize just how much he loves you, and in turn, add in that love, dedicate your life to him and to um the mission, the global mission of letting others know about him, and so that they can know. So this is kind of like a Gen Z term, but what I say is we we can't keep the Lord. It's like we don't know what Okay, okay, okay. You know, you know, I didn't want to offend or anything. So I know him, and because of that, I want everybody to know of him in turn, and I'll never do anything to keep him just to myself because like kind of like what Molly was saying with her dad, like it's a gift to share. So our Heavenly Father is a gift to share. That's right.

SPEAKER_03 18:44

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 18:45

Those are that's damn proud profound words with the the use of gatekeeping, with the use of a Gen Z slaying.

SPEAKER_03 18:55

How about you, Molly?

SPEAKER_00 18:57

Um I would say, you know, kind of bouncing off of Gia is just the concept of don't be afraid to go all in for the Lord, because I think so many people are okay with being complacent. And I would say challenge yourself to be on fire for the Lord. Don't let your heart grow cold or mundane to just how amazing he is, and don't be afraid to dive into scripture, don't be afraid to dive into prayer, even if you don't haven't done it in a long time or you aren't completely knowledgeable about it. I just encourage you, we have so many resources nowadays that we don't have any excuse for not having a relationship with him. So I would just say don't be afraid of going all in because it's the most beautiful thing whenever you're on fire for the Lord, absolutely, and you just have that ongoing relationship with him where no matter what you're doing throughout the day, he's a part of it. And yeah, I think that's what I would say. Just go all in.

SPEAKER_01 19:55

Yes, yes, yes. And can I say something about so the name of your podcast, Purpose of the Pain or From the Pain? Purpose in the pain, yes, purpose in the pain. Now, you've had many guests over, and I'm and Molly and I are just one example of just our story, as it could have it was a unfortunate in the beginning, but the Lord highlighted that. So I'm more of a blunt and confrontational person. I like to say you're not unique in having um trauma and having hurt, everybody does. So do not victimize yourself for that, but in turn, just relate to other people, sympathize with one another, have compassion, and then bring each other out of that together. Absolutely, yes, absolutely, yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:46

I love it, I love it. You two are so inspiring, and this was everything that I thought it was gonna be. Absolutely, absolutely. Well, thank y'all for joining. Um, again, another another plug. I'm not gonna say shameless, I'm proud to see. This is the product. I mean, this is the product of what's and it's it's not just GIA, there's Prince, and there's there's so many uh success stories. Um y'all go to still creek uh, find a way to get plugged in and support it, do some research on the Whole Child Initiative. Um if there's any interest, you can reach out to the school and maybe get some information there. Um look up on Rivertime, support that organization, great organization. Um, and if you haven't had any dealings or understanding about children and childhood trauma, look up the term ACES, adverse childhood experiences. And so you kind of get to learn what those triggers are. It and I can't remember, maybe one of y'all two know how many um ACEs. It takes for that uh 10. There's 10, but like how many of it really qualifies as a as a child that's at risk? Is it three or more or something like that?

SPEAKER_00 22:10

I think it's three. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:12

Just look them up, um, do some research, get to know, because I guarantee you there's kids that are affected in your life. There's people that are affected in your life adults, and it'll help you understand how to interact with them. But thank y'all again for being on the show. Enjoy this. This was up there.

SPEAKER_02 22:31

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 22:34

So we're gonna go grab something to eat, and we'll look forward to seeing y'all on the next show.

SPEAKER_04 22:38

Yay! Thank you.