Are you feeling stuck, paralyzed by the challenges of the future or weighed down by the baggage of the past? When we look back at our history, we see things we can't change--hurt, grief, addictions, and shame. When we look forward, we see overwhelming responsibilities and relationships that seem impossible to handle. The result is that we often do nothing at all.

In this episode Amber dives into the book of Joshua to explore what it looks like to trust God and "get moving!" Just as god told Joshua after the death of Moses, He is telling us today: it is time to face the facts, recognize what we cannot change, and move forward into the future He has planned for us. Discover how to trade your fear for courage and embrace the abundance that comes from total surrender to God.

Welcome to There's More to the Story. Life rarely plays out exactly how we expect, but when we look closely, we find God is always working behind the scenes Hosted by author and speaker Amber Albee Swenson, this podcast is a space for women to find spiritual depth, practical truth and the encouragement needed to take the next step in their faith journey.

This isn't the end of our time together. Hopefully, it's the beginning of a friendship that continues. Keep in touch. Sending a hug, Amber

Do not waste a second of what you've been through. Once you've been through something hard (hell), you get to help the people who are still in the thick of it.

You don't think you want to go back? You'd rather stay far, far from the pain? Those people who came alongside you when you were in the madness were your lifeline. You get to be that for someone else who is trying to get through each day.

You get to kneel beside wounded warriors and help them to their feet so they can get back in the battle.

Now that we've been through the yuck, we want to learn to be stronger, so we don't easily break again. That means being teachable, and learning the lessons the hard times taught us. It also means choosing different paths the next time, so we don't get hurt again.

And while life in this sinful world guarantees we will get hurt, we can minimize the damage, and utilize the tools we have to heal quicker next time. We can also get smarter about recognizing the devil's schemes. He's out to hurt us and to steal our faith. But warriors use the weapons they have to defend against the attacks of the enemy. We can do the same.

It's hard to heal when we can't put a finger on what is wrong. All too often we are labeling everything depression, instead of what we're really feeling: worthless, overlooked, judged. Once we name what we're really feeling, and the way they made us feel, we can go to God's Word and replace the enemy's lie with truth.

Then, using the apostle Paul's words in Philippians 4:8, we'll come up with a new plan; to only let in what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.

Join me in Milwaukee, WI August 14-15 for the Get Moving Women's Event for a shot of inspiration to do all that God has called you to do. And if you're ready to go abroad, join me in Italy next spring and experience Tuscany while studying the book of Ecclesiastes. And/or consider joining me on a river cruise down the Danube to see Medieval fortresses, amazing cathedrals, and as we near the end of our tour, the Christmas markets of Europe. Sign up is open. Go to amberalbeeswenson.com for all the information.

A big part of healing is learning what to embrace and what needs to go. Maybe the hardest thing to do is to forgive yourself for being there, for not realizing how bad it was going to get, for trusting people who turned out to be far from trustworthy.

Although most of us would love to get rid of our scars, the truth is, they aren't going anywhere. Even Jesus had scars when he rose from the dead. The scars show where we've been, and that we've come out victorious.

And then, once we've worked through the wreckage, repented and forgiven, we need to learn to let a lot of stuff go. You probably won't ever get the apology or explanation. You won't get the friendship back. But you'll get peace, and at the end of the day, that's better.

God gave us survival mode for a reason. It is the place we need to be when everything is chaos, but we don't want to live there forever. Ideally, we get to a place of safety so our body can relax and function the way it is meant to. Triggers are the body's way of alerting us to something that hurt or scared us before, but we don't want to be triggered forever. The trick is to learn to cope, to give your body and mind what it needs to feel safe.