- Speaker #0
Welcome back to Promise Hill, where we renew our minds to change our story. Hello, I'm Kimberlee Herman, your host. Season one is an unfolding story. So if you're interested, you may want to start with chapter one, just to see how all of this unfolds. And you this is our last episode for season one. Don't forget to subscribe, share, and receive my gift for you, the Paz Sacred Reset, down below. In our last chapter, we heard the story about the blind man receiving sight performed from a new character, Solomon Reed. Today, we learn a little bit more about Mira's past and wrap up season one. In season two, we will learn about Mira's early years and the mystery behind all of it. Why does it matter? It's my way of teaching soul care skills for real life through a story. Your story will not look like the ones here, but there will be similar routes we can all learn from. I'll meet you on the other side of the story with reflections, action step, and prayer. Let's listen in.
- Speaker #1
The bird's singing woke Mira early. She remembered her mom hanging up before finishing her thought. She also recalled Solomon the Storyteller's tale, which had sounded vaguely familiar.
- Speaker #2
Okay, I am going to apply for jobs, then work on the Glowing in the Dark Breakup Recovery Guide from Grandma Eden. Actually, I'm going to see if Grandma Eden can help me today, since I am stuck on Step 2.
- Speaker #1
After lunch, Mira walked under the warm sun, taking in the trees swaying in the wind, the birds singing, and watching the bees pollinating flowers. She reached the house full of peace by noticing the nature around her.
- Speaker #2
Hi there, Grandma Eden. Do you have time to meet with me today?
- Speaker #3
Of course, dear. Come in. I'm so happy to see you, dear.
- Speaker #2
Me too. I have a question about the Glowing in the Dark Breakup Recovery Guide. Love that name, by the way. But I also wanted to know if you learned anything about my birth dad.
- Speaker #3
I'm glad you stopped by, Mira. And glad you like it. Okay, let's start with Glowing in the Dark then, shall we? Which one has you stuck?
- Speaker #2
Number two, the Embrace Clarity step. I've been so focused on Jackson that I'm not sure how to start with me.
- Speaker #3
It starts with asking yourself questions and honestly answering them. For example, when you were married, did you feel you could be yourself or did you hold back? And if you did hold back, why? It's questions like that. How did you feel and react when you disagreed or when you just agreed to keep the peace? Where you would normally analyse his behaviour, look at yours. That. is where healing begins.
- Speaker #2
Thank you. That makes sense. I'm guessing it's helpful to write this out in the journal you gave me.
- Speaker #3
It sure is, dear.
- Speaker #2
Okay. Now tell me if you found out about my birth dad.
- Speaker #3
Mira, dear. I passed through Promise Hill 30 years ago, visiting the church from nearby River Oak. Pastor Enoch was a young staffer then. I heard the church helped a young mother escape an abusive boyfriend. Her three-year-old daughter's name was Amira. I confirmed this with Pastor Enoch, and we both think that Amira is probably you, based on the texts you are getting. The pastor is in Ireland for a few weeks visiting his family, but is happy to talk with you, but has one request before doing so.
- Speaker #2
What's that?
- Speaker #3
That you meet the person texting you first. He feels it's not his place to reveal the details, but is happy to fill in the gaps as needed.
- Speaker #1
Mira's heart was beating out of her chest.
- Speaker #2
I used to live here as a little girl, and my mother had to escape? The church helped us. Pastor Enoch was involved? Oh my, this is a lot to take in.
- Speaker #3
Yes, it is. Let the dust settle. You told the texter you would get back to them after the Promise Hill parade. That's next week. If you are ready then, your life story will unfold. But until then, dear, I want you to put down the glowing-in-the-dark guide. Learning self-care is about what you can handle at a time. Learning about your early years before your adoption is enough without also working through your divorce. It's too much to take on at once. Oh, as a former worrywart, I encourage you to practice ant catching.
- Speaker #2
What? Ants?
- Speaker #3
Yes, dear. It stands for automatic negative thoughts. We can tend to go there when overwhelmed. Catch, check, and change. Catch an ant and ask yourself this question. Is this 100% true? It usually isn't. Then replace or change it with a realistic thought.
- Speaker #2
Okay, so an aunt for me right now is my birth mother didn't like me when I was a child, and that's why I was adopted. I can't say it's 100% true without more information. From what I have heard, adoption is so hard on the parents, so I don't think that I wasn't liked, and I will learn the real circumstances soon. How's that for catching my first aunt?
- Speaker #3
Very good, dear. Keep catching them. What we think is how we feel. Until then... Would you join me at church this Sunday at 9 a.m.? You might find what you need there. I heard there's a guest performing, too.
- Speaker #2
Thank you, Eden. Yes, I will join you at church on Sunday. Meet you there.
- Speaker #1
Mira walked home with everything swirling in her mind. She practiced deep breathing and the ant exercise. When she got home, she decided to put away the breakup guide for now and pulled out the Bible her mother gave her instead. She held it. tightly against her chest.
- Speaker #2
Okay, God, if you are there, show me.
- Speaker #1
As she sat, she began to feel warm and calm. Her thoughts took her to some really happy childhood memories of she and her mom playing catch and serving her dad tea. She was reminded that she was loved and cared for as a child. Then she heard in her mind, I protected you. It was a soft yet strong voice.
- Speaker #2
I wonder where that came from.
- Speaker #1
In that moment, Mira felt like everything would work out as it should and fell asleep right there on the couch, still clutching her Bible, looking forward to attending church with Eden the day after the Festival of Joy, Promise Hill's yearly parade. On Saturday, Mira was getting ready for the Festival of Joy on Main Street. She grabbed a flyer and read out loud.
- Speaker #2
Welcome to the annual Promise Hill Parade to celebrate Benjamin Bright. With a bag of found seeds, he cried out to God to bless him with food from the seeds. He scattered them on a barren hilltop. The next morning, he awoke to the most beautiful flowers he had ever seen. He sold a bunch in the nearest town and was finally able to eat. Benjamin Bright praised God for the promise that he would be taken care of just like God takes care of the birds in the field. Promise Hill was born of that miracle, and we call this the Festival of Joy.
- Speaker #4
Pretty neat history, isn't it?
- Speaker #2
Oh, nice to see you, Nathaniel.
- Speaker #4
We saved a seat for you, Mira. Come on over.
- Speaker #1
Mira followed Nathaniel to some chairs outside Charity's Daily Bread Bakery, where Solomon the Storyteller and Gideon were sitting.
- Speaker #2
Thanks guys for saving me a spot.
- Speaker #1
Mira saw Grandma Eden and waved to her. Eden waved back and then looked at Solomon and her smile left her face and she quickly walked the other way. She looked to Solomon, who looked concerned. He said to himself, I have a lot of work to do with Eden. As laughter and music filled Promise Hill, a strange feeling settled over Mira. She couldn't shake what she had just seen, Mira thought to herself.
- Speaker #2
Why would Grandma Eden avoid Solomon? What history existed between them?
- Speaker #1
It was another mystery hidden beneath the surface of Promise Hill, and some mysteries take time to unfold. As we close Season 1, many questions remain unanswered, and Mira's journey continues. In Season 2, we'll meet a few new characters, as Mira uncovers secrets about her earliest years, pieces of a life she never knew existed. Until then, thank you for joining us on this adventure through Promise Hill. We'll see you in Season 2. Take it away, Kimberlee.
- Speaker #0
Another twist to keep you coming back. Let's look at... how this chapter relates to your story. Reflection number one, your story does not define your worth. When Mira learned more about her past, she immediately began wondering what it meant about her. Was she wanted? Why was she adopted? Why had these things happened? And who was her dad? And was he really abusive? Most of us do the same thing. We take painful events from our lives and use them to answer questions about our value. But our worth is not determined by what happened to us. It is determined by the God who created us and loves us. Mira didn't have all the answers yet, but she was reminded of something important. She was loved. Hear it and hold it. 1 John 3, verse 1. See what great love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God. Have you ever allowed a painful experience, rejection, or loss to define how you see yourself? What might change if you viewed yourself through God's love instead? Think about that. Reflection number two, your thoughts shape your feelings. When Mira imagined why she had been adopted, her mind immediately created a painful narrative. Maybe I wasn't wanted, but Grandma Eden and taught her to catch that. automatic negative thought and challenge it with truth. Many of us suffer not because of facts, but because of conclusions we've drawn without evidence. How many of you have done that? Raise your hand. Okay. I'm raising my hand because I've done that and still do that sometimes, but I've learned to take the thought captive. So hear it and hold it. Second Corinthians 10 verse five, Take captive everything. thought to make it obedient to Christ. So what does that mean, take captive? Well, it means to hold on to that thought and ask yourself, would Jesus approve of this thought? Is this something that comes from him? And if it's negative, it certainly doesn't. What thought have you been believing lately that may not be completely true? Reflection number three. God has been caring for you longer than you realize. As Mira held her Bible and reflected on her childhood, she remembered moments of love, protection, and care. In the middle of uncertainty, God reminded her that he had been watching over her all along. Now, she didn't know that was God's voice, but we do. When we look back over our own lives, we often discover God's fingerprints in places we never noticed before. Hear it and hold it. Deuteronomy 31 verse 8. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Can you identify a difficult season in your life where you can now see God's protection or provision? All right, let's step into our action step so that you can take to add to your transformation. And I think you know what I'm going to suggest. Catch ants, right? This week's action step comes straight from Grandma Eden. Ant stands for automatic negative thoughts. When you notice yourself feeling anxious, discouraged, fearful, or overwhelmed, stop and number one, catch it. What thought am I believing right now? Number two, check it. Is this thought 100% true? What evidence do I actually have? Number three, change it. Replace it with realistic, truthful thoughts. See how that lines up right with 2 Corinthians 10 5. Take every thought captive, which is catching the thought, and make it obedient to Christ. So we want to question it. What evidence do I have? And then you change it. Make it obedient to Christ. What would Jesus say about this? So let me give you an example. Here's an ant. So I probably have had this thought a handful of times over the years. Nothing is ever going to work out. That's also called black and white thinking, but we'll use it for the ant. So I'm going to check. Is that 100% true? No. A lot of things have worked out before and I don't know what the future holds. So who am I to say that nothing's ever going to work out. I don't have any evidence for that. So I'm going to change it. I don't know how the situation will turn out, but God has helped me through. difficult seasons before. I want to give you a scripture to hold on to. Romans 12 verse 2. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So that goes right with what we have just been talking about with ants and 2 Corinthians 10 5. Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Partners right there with it. All right, Cool. Let's jump into prayer. Let me pray for you, my friend. Father God, you are the creator of all. You remind us all the time of your creation through the senses you have built in us. We see your fingerprints through your flowers, through the scent they release, through the soft touch of a kitten, the taste of fruit, and the soft song of a bird. You created our mind and have given us directions on how to make it work well for us. You tell us to renew our mind to focus on what is good because you know how our mind affects our emotions. Thank you for giving us the tools on how to switch our focus and how you meet us when we change direction. For the listener that struggles with ants and catching them, I lift them up to you for your help and guidance. I pray they feel your presence of peace as they choose to renew their minds to your truth. In Jesus's holy name. Amen. Friends, thank you so much for listening. I hope this episode was helpful to you. Will you do me a favor? Will you email me with some any questions you have about relationships? I would like to use some of some real questions in a new segment for next season. Also, leaving this podcast a great review is a helpful way to let other people know that it might be worth listening to. Friends, as we wrap up season one, may you find peace in the presence and hope on the hilltop. This is Kimberlee Herman cheering you on from Promise Hill.
