Episode 6 Season 4: Healing Unworthiness: Just a Reminder That You Matter and You Are Loved

[00:00:00] Hello, Beloveds, and welcome to Christian Emotional Recovery, a podcast for those who are survivors

[00:00:11] of childhood trauma, emotional neglect, and narcissistic abuse.

[00:00:17] This podcast is hosted by Rachel Leroy, a college professor and trauma survivor.

[00:00:24] Many of us spend years trying to heal and don't get anywhere.

[00:00:29] We don't always target the trauma itself, which is so often what keeps us stuck.

[00:00:35] This podcast is where faith meets science.

[00:00:38] Rachel is an emotional healing expert with 20 years of experience applying healing modalities

[00:00:45] that helped her start making progress after nothing else worked.

[00:00:49] She'll show you how to do the same.

[00:00:52] Each week we'll cover a topic that will show you how to heal trauma for good.

[00:00:58] Please check out our website and show notes at ChristianEmotionalRecovery.com and join

[00:01:04] the Facebook community, Trauma Survivors Unite, Christian Emotional Recovery.

[00:01:21] Hello everyone and welcome to Christian Emotional Recovery.

[00:01:24] This is episode 6, season 4, Moving Right Along.

[00:01:29] I'm your host, Rachel Leroy, and I wanted to just do something a little different

[00:01:34] today because a lot of these podcast episodes are more structured and sometimes I like to

[00:01:41] just speak from my heart whatever God puts on my heart and I don't even know what I'm

[00:01:46] going to say.

[00:01:47] And so for this podcast episode, that's what I'm going to do.

[00:01:49] This is season 4, episode 6 and it's healing unworthiness, just a reminder that you matter

[00:01:56] and you are loved.

[00:01:57] And sometimes we just need a pep talk, don't we?

[00:02:00] And it's good to kind of step back and take a look back at everything kind of from a bird's

[00:02:05] eye view.

[00:02:06] And so that's what I wanted to do today.

[00:02:08] So I'm just going to say whatever God puts on my heart.

[00:02:14] As always, please remember to check out the Facebook group which is Trauma Survivors

[00:02:18] Unite Christian Emotional Recovery.

[00:02:21] You can check out the pages ChristianEmotionalRecovery.com which is more where the podcast

[00:02:29] is housed and you can also check out my website, rachalleroy.com, that's rachalleroy.com and

[00:02:36] that's where you can find more about the platform and you can also sign up for the newsletter

[00:02:42] and that comes out when I can get it out.

[00:02:45] And also you can check out other resources and freebies and sign up for the email list.

[00:02:51] Also check out the YouTube channel.

[00:02:52] I'm hoping that there will be new episodes coming soon, if not already.

[00:02:58] And also check out that's also called ChristianEmotionalRecovery.com.

[00:03:03] ChristianEmotionalRecovery.com and also if you'd like to support the work that I'm doing,

[00:03:08] like I said, I work about three quarters time, almost a full-time job.

[00:03:12] And so I do the podcast as a labor of love when I'm able to and when God allows my

[00:03:18] health to allow me to.

[00:03:20] So if you'd like to support the podcast, you're also supporting other people like you who are

[00:03:25] survivors of trauma.

[00:03:27] You can go to Patreon and there are several different tiers where you can contribute monthly

[00:03:33] or you can go to cofi.com, cofi.com and make a one-time contribution of any amount.

[00:03:39] All of those, everything that I just mentioned are linked in the show notes.

[00:03:44] So check that out.

[00:03:46] So healing unworthiness, a reminder that you matter and you are loved.

[00:03:51] So most of us that have survived trauma, especially childhood traumas and have most

[00:03:58] of us that have high aces scores like adverse childhood experiences.

[00:04:04] And most of us that have been survivors of narcissistic abuse and other forms of abuse,

[00:04:10] childhood emotional neglect, sexual abuse and so on, physical abuse, whether it's

[00:04:15] in a relationship or in our childhood upbringing or in other situations.

[00:04:21] We do have this feeling in our soul of core unworthiness and it's very sad because God

[00:04:28] never intended for us to feel that way.

[00:04:31] And I can't answer the question, why does God allow children to be abused?

[00:04:36] That is something I've asked myself many times and it's a very, very difficult question

[00:04:41] to wrestle with.

[00:04:42] And I'll be honest that I don't have an answer, but I also know that if we let

[00:04:47] bitterness and distance from God, because I know this from experience,

[00:04:50] I've struggled with this bad my life.

[00:04:53] And I'm going to be honest, I have and I still do struggle with it some that

[00:04:58] it's like, God, what the heck?

[00:05:00] You know, I understand that feeling, but it leaves you in a place of loneliness

[00:05:05] and despair and betrayal and anger and unresolved trauma that is very difficult to heal.

[00:05:12] And I'm not saying that there aren't people who are unbelievers that don't heal trauma,

[00:05:18] of course there are, but for us as Christians and as believers and as spiritual people,

[00:05:24] I believe that having a close relationship with God is what is part of our foundation

[00:05:30] for our healing.

[00:05:32] And it's part of what helps us to heal our unworthiness because we have an identity in Christ

[00:05:37] and our identity in God as joint heirs.

[00:05:41] And if we read the scriptures about our identity in Christ and about grace

[00:05:46] and about how radical Christ and God's grace are

[00:05:50] and how the Holy Spirit is always with us

[00:05:52] and how God loves us unconditionally

[00:05:55] and how God is our protector and our healer and our comforter and our friend.

[00:06:00] And I think about scriptures like Psalm 91

[00:06:03] and I think about other scriptures like the prodigal son

[00:06:07] and I think of ones about the hairs on our head,

[00:06:10] you know that God can count the hairs on our head

[00:06:13] and that God knows every sparrow.

[00:06:15] I don't know if that's the right word, but you get the idea.

[00:06:17] If God knows every sparrow, how much more will he know and value us?

[00:06:21] And there's just scripture after scripture

[00:06:23] about our joint heirs with Christ identity

[00:06:28] and about who we are at our core in terms of our worthiness.

[00:06:32] And you know, this gets a little bit into theology, I guess,

[00:06:37] and I'm not a theologian, but just from my experience

[00:06:41] and I could be wrong, you know, please show me some grace.

[00:06:45] I could be wrong here.

[00:06:46] But there are people that think that at our core

[00:06:50] and I know this is a very, what's the word?

[00:06:53] Calvinistic interpretation of scripture

[00:06:56] and I don't buy into that.

[00:06:57] That's just my opinion.

[00:07:00] Like I said, I could be wrong,

[00:07:01] but the Calvinistic more view of Christianity

[00:07:04] is I'm depraved.

[00:07:05] I am worthless.

[00:07:07] I am nothing.

[00:07:08] I am a worm.

[00:07:09] Some people call it worm theology

[00:07:11] and I just don't buy into that kind of theology.

[00:07:14] I do believe that we have all sinned

[00:07:16] and fallen short of the glory of God,

[00:07:18] but that doesn't mean we're depraved.

[00:07:20] I believe that Christ would not have died

[00:07:24] for something that was unworthy

[00:07:25] and something that was worthless.

[00:07:27] And some people say, well, Christ is what gives us our worth.

[00:07:30] Yes.

[00:07:32] And I also believe that this is again, just my opinion.

[00:07:36] Take it or leave it.

[00:07:38] I also believe that why would Christ give us our worth

[00:07:42] and die for us if we didn't have intrinsic worth

[00:07:44] to begin with?

[00:07:46] Christ would not have died for us

[00:07:47] if we didn't have intrinsic worth to begin with.

[00:07:49] If we're joint heirs with Christ

[00:07:51] and if we're the children of God,

[00:07:53] then we have inherent worth.

[00:07:55] If we're made in the image of God

[00:07:57] and we're fearfully and wonderfully made

[00:07:59] and if Christ knew us and God knew us

[00:08:01] when we were knitted in our mother's womb,

[00:08:03] then we are fearfully and wonderfully made

[00:08:06] and we do have intrinsic value.

[00:08:08] That's why on this channel,

[00:08:10] I always talk about

[00:08:14] the core worth that a human being has.

[00:08:16] I always talk about agency and autonomy.

[00:08:19] God did not give us free will if it wasn't free will.

[00:08:23] We have free will

[00:08:24] and that's why I believe in upholding the dignity,

[00:08:27] the agency and the value and worth and choice

[00:08:32] and free will of every human being.

[00:08:34] Now, when we start getting into children,

[00:08:36] of course, children need guidance

[00:08:38] and children need correction.

[00:08:40] But even with children,

[00:08:42] a lot of people with some of these

[00:08:44] more old fashioned interpretations of scripture,

[00:08:47] not even old fashioned sometimes,

[00:08:49] but just more,

[00:08:52] let's just say stringent interpretations of scripture

[00:08:55] believe that children are to be seen and not heard

[00:08:58] and that they should be beaten and whipped

[00:09:00] and that they're depraved

[00:09:02] and they need to have the rebellion

[00:09:05] basically drained out of them.

[00:09:07] And I think that kind of interpretation,

[00:09:09] though not always is more likely

[00:09:11] to be a narcissist running the family

[00:09:15] or a narcissist having a lot of influence in the family.

[00:09:17] There's more likely to be abuse.

[00:09:19] There's more likely to be

[00:09:22] this belief that children are depraved,

[00:09:25] that they're not autonomous human beings,

[00:09:28] which they are.

[00:09:29] And if you go back and look at some of my podcasts,

[00:09:33] I talk about Erickson's stages of development

[00:09:36] and the ASIS,

[00:09:38] which is Adverse Childhood Experiences.

[00:09:41] Children need structure and boundaries

[00:09:44] and children also need love and compassion.

[00:09:47] And there is this sort of balance there.

[00:09:50] There is in older generations,

[00:09:53] this is a pattern,

[00:09:54] it's not true for everybody obviously,

[00:09:56] but in older generations,

[00:09:58] children's upbringings were often too harsh

[00:10:00] and too disciplined if that makes sense,

[00:10:04] where children were, like I said, to be seen and not heard.

[00:10:07] Oh, you stop crying

[00:10:08] or I'll give you something to cry about.

[00:10:10] People were tougher and grittier, which is a good thing,

[00:10:13] but there was also that harshness in a lot of cases.

[00:10:16] And then a lot of times in the younger generation,

[00:10:18] again, not always,

[00:10:19] a lot of parents, well-meaning parents

[00:10:21] wanted their kids to have everything that they didn't.

[00:10:25] They wanted them to feel safe,

[00:10:27] they wanted them to have a good upbringing,

[00:10:28] especially if they were brought up that way,

[00:10:30] but they overcorrected in a lot of cases

[00:10:32] where there was no boundaries, no structure.

[00:10:34] The child was not allowed to learn from their mistakes

[00:10:38] and to learn some resilience

[00:10:40] and to learn to deal with the realities of life

[00:10:43] that sometimes things are disappointing

[00:10:45] and we need to learn to cope with that.

[00:10:47] And so validating a child's experience

[00:10:50] and setting boundaries and loving them all at the same time

[00:10:52] is a good combination and a lot of kids get that.

[00:10:55] But unfortunately, each generation

[00:10:57] has its own unique challenges.

[00:11:00] Whether you're from one of the older generations

[00:11:02] or one of the younger ones,

[00:11:03] you may be facing challenges from your upbringing

[00:11:06] that you're trying to heal from and correct.

[00:11:08] Maybe you're trying to learn some balance here,

[00:11:11] like I did.

[00:11:12] Maybe you're like I did where you had one parent

[00:11:15] that was way too far one way

[00:11:17] and the other one that was way too far the other

[00:11:19] so you got both ends of the spectrum.

[00:11:22] And in some cases that came together harmoniously

[00:11:24] and it worked, right?

[00:11:26] But if it was in an unhealthy and a toxic way,

[00:11:29] it didn't work and you kind of are confused

[00:11:32] because you don't have boundaries,

[00:11:33] but at the same time you have these self-hatred voices

[00:11:38] and tapes playing in your head where you feel unworthy

[00:11:41] and you feel like you don't matter

[00:11:43] and you feel like you're not loved

[00:11:45] and you feel like there's something wrong with you.

[00:11:48] Intrinsically, a lot of us growing up,

[00:11:51] our parents, our caretakers or the people around us,

[00:11:54] if there was any kind of mental illness,

[00:11:57] if there was any kind of narcissism

[00:11:58] or childhood emotional neglect

[00:12:00] or parents just didn't know how to parent properly.

[00:12:05] And I'm not a parent, I'm not judging,

[00:12:06] I'm just making a statement about cause and effect.

[00:12:10] Then a lot of times children came out

[00:12:13] with emotional problems

[00:12:14] and then the parent on top of that would say,

[00:12:16] wouldn't even be able to see the mistakes

[00:12:19] that they made or acknowledge them,

[00:12:21] whether it's because they had so much shame,

[00:12:23] they couldn't acknowledge it because they didn't care

[00:12:26] and didn't think that that was actually happening

[00:12:28] and invalidated their child

[00:12:30] or because they just didn't understand

[00:12:32] what was going on, whatever the case may be.

[00:12:34] A lot of times you might have even been told,

[00:12:36] well if you have anxiety or you have depression

[00:12:38] or you deal with all these mental health issues,

[00:12:42] whether it's an eating disorder

[00:12:43] or ADHD or whatever, well that's you.

[00:12:46] You were born that way, it's probably genetic.

[00:12:48] And so on top of having the shame of unworthiness

[00:12:52] of not feeling good enough from our upbringing,

[00:12:54] a lot of times we have that heaped on us

[00:12:57] of you were born that way, you're intrinsically deficient.

[00:13:00] Now those might not be the exact words you were taught

[00:13:03] but a lot of us that was the implicit message

[00:13:05] and in some cases the explicit message,

[00:13:07] well if there's something wrong with you,

[00:13:09] that's because it's you, you know?

[00:13:11] And even if you weren't blamed directly

[00:13:13] or maybe you were in some cases, that sticks with you.

[00:13:17] And so the whole point of this podcast

[00:13:20] and one of the reasons that I started this podcast

[00:13:22] is I found especially in Christian communities

[00:13:26] that people are taught, you can't go see a therapist.

[00:13:29] It's not scriptural.

[00:13:31] You can't go see a psychologist, it's not biblical.

[00:13:36] And but I believe that the agency

[00:13:39] and the dignity and the core worth

[00:13:41] of every human being is scriptural and is biblical.

[00:13:45] And sometimes for some people just praying

[00:13:48] and reading their Bible and being healed is enough

[00:13:52] but for most people they need to do that healing work

[00:13:55] with a professional, with a witness who can help them.

[00:13:58] And I believe that God gave us psychology

[00:14:01] and psychotherapy and meditation and body work.

[00:14:06] You know like I said, you don't have to do

[00:14:07] all of these forms, do what you feel like

[00:14:11] is right for you to do and give other people

[00:14:13] the freedom to do the same.

[00:14:15] Even if you don't necessarily understand

[00:14:17] or agree with everything everybody does.

[00:14:19] Now are there certain things we shouldn't do?

[00:14:20] Of course in my opinion I don't think

[00:14:23] we should be doing some of the really weird stuff

[00:14:28] but I'm not gonna get into that right now

[00:14:31] but the point is, is that if you feel unworthy

[00:14:34] at your core, if you have mental illness,

[00:14:37] notice I say have mental illness, not are mentally ill.

[00:14:41] It's something you have, it's not what you are.

[00:14:44] It's something you have, it's not who you are.

[00:14:48] Who you are is that observer inside of you

[00:14:51] that witnesses the inner child that might need nurturing

[00:14:56] or kindness or love or just kind words.

[00:15:01] That inner core inside of you that's always steady,

[00:15:05] that's always the same, that knows deep down

[00:15:08] that it has value and worth.

[00:15:10] That he or she has intrinsic worth,

[00:15:12] that part that can neutrally and objectively

[00:15:16] and with kind awareness observe the emotions

[00:15:19] that are happening in the body.

[00:15:21] That's you, that's your soul, that's your core identity

[00:15:25] and then all of those feelings and thoughts

[00:15:29] and storylines and narratives

[00:15:31] and all of that core unworthiness

[00:15:34] is stuff that's been programmed in us.

[00:15:37] And so at our core we're always the same.

[00:15:40] If God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow

[00:15:43] and we're made in His image, I would argue

[00:15:44] that we are at our core also

[00:15:48] but there's the other part of us that's not right,

[00:15:50] the part that is prone to mortality and sin

[00:15:54] and shortcomings and mistakes that we all have

[00:15:59] and that's okay.

[00:16:00] Part of this is to understand that your worth is intrinsic

[00:16:06] and that no matter what happens

[00:16:08] and how you've been programmed,

[00:16:09] you can keep that core identity intact.

[00:16:12] And as you do the reprogramming,

[00:16:14] you're able to come more to your true self

[00:16:17] and that comes more to the surface,

[00:16:19] the part that is safe, the part that's always the same,

[00:16:22] the part that has intrinsic worth,

[00:16:24] the part that's at peace,

[00:16:26] the part that's like a lake, that's like glass.

[00:16:30] It's just calm.

[00:16:32] It's always the same.

[00:16:33] So I want you to know that if you feel unworthy,

[00:16:36] you are worthy.

[00:16:38] If you feel worthless, you do have worth.

[00:16:41] If you feel like you don't matter, you do matter.

[00:16:44] If you feel like you're not loved, you are loved.

[00:16:47] God loves you.

[00:16:49] You matter to God and you matter

[00:16:52] to a lot of other people in this healing community.

[00:16:54] And if you feel unworthy, that is your programming.

[00:16:57] That is not who you are.

[00:16:59] That's not your core identity.

[00:17:01] Your core identity is your intrinsic worth

[00:17:03] and your worth in God and Christ.

[00:17:06] And knowing that and remembering that

[00:17:08] and meditating on scriptures about that

[00:17:11] and reading about that and listening to teachings

[00:17:13] about that and reconditioning yourself.

[00:17:16] Like I said, it's not just the therapy

[00:17:17] and the body work and the meditation and the journaling.

[00:17:20] It is about studying scripture and about praying.

[00:17:24] But it's a combination of all of it,

[00:17:26] a holistic approach.

[00:17:28] And I actually have a podcast episode

[00:17:31] from a couple of years ago that talks about

[00:17:33] why we need to take a more holistic approach

[00:17:36] and like a more integrated approach,

[00:17:39] holistic and integrated or kind of similar.

[00:17:41] That mean the whole person in our theology

[00:17:45] and when it comes to trauma

[00:17:47] because there are so few religious communities

[00:17:50] that are trauma informed.

[00:17:51] There are becoming more

[00:17:53] and there are some that just refuse

[00:17:56] to become trauma informed because their teachings

[00:17:59] and their, I guess theology is so Calvinistic

[00:18:05] and so about the depravity of the human being

[00:18:08] that it forgets to talk about the dignity

[00:18:11] of the human being and the beauty of the human being

[00:18:13] and the fact that God made us and that that is good.

[00:18:18] Didn't in Genesis, God's made everything

[00:18:20] and made creation and he said that is good.

[00:18:23] That is so basic that we were meant to be something

[00:18:27] that God treasures and values and that matters

[00:18:30] and that is good and positive overall

[00:18:32] even if there's a lot of things in the world

[00:18:33] we don't understand.

[00:18:35] So the whole point of this message is that,

[00:18:38] like I said, you matter, you're loved,

[00:18:41] you are worthy and sometimes it's good

[00:18:44] just to be reminded of that and to have a pep talk

[00:18:47] that your human worth is not in what you do,

[00:18:52] it's not in how much money you make.

[00:18:54] I know that it's difficult if you struggle financially,

[00:18:57] I do understand that and that sometimes you're like,

[00:18:59] God, why if you pray for decades,

[00:19:02] not years, decades for financial improvement

[00:19:05] and you look for jobs and you work hard

[00:19:07] and it just doesn't happen,

[00:19:08] that makes you feel like you're not worthy

[00:19:10] but let me tell you something,

[00:19:12] focusing more on your healing journey,

[00:19:16] not denying the reality of your situation

[00:19:18] but focusing more on your healing journey

[00:19:20] and remembering that your worth is there

[00:19:24] and it's intact and it's intrinsic

[00:19:26] no matter what your outside circumstances are

[00:19:28] even if you're in a situation

[00:19:30] where somebody is not valuing you

[00:19:32] or if you're trying to be a giving and loving person

[00:19:36] and it's difficult and you're struggling,

[00:19:39] know that you're not alone,

[00:19:41] know that you're not the only person

[00:19:43] who faces those challenges

[00:19:45] and I don't mean that in a way

[00:19:46] where it's like invalidating you

[00:19:48] but on the contrary,

[00:19:50] there's a community of people

[00:19:52] that feel the way you feel.

[00:19:53] They can understand what you're going through,

[00:19:56] they can understand the experiences that you have,

[00:20:00] you are not alone

[00:20:01] and there are so many wonderful communities,

[00:20:03] this one and other ones,

[00:20:05] Christian and other ones

[00:20:07] that help to empower and heal people

[00:20:10] and bring them together and connect them

[00:20:12] and make them feel like they're not alone

[00:20:14] and it's so important in this journey

[00:20:16] in whatever way you can connect with other people,

[00:20:19] connection with like-minded people is so important.

[00:20:23] Finding healing communities and healing spaces,

[00:20:26] finding kindly and loving Christian communities,

[00:20:30] finding general communities

[00:20:32] where you have things in common with people

[00:20:35] are ways that you can start to feel connection.

[00:20:37] If you don't have family and friends,

[00:20:39] there are other ways,

[00:20:40] there's social media,

[00:20:41] there's therapy, there's free support groups,

[00:20:44] there's other types of ways

[00:20:47] that you can connect with people.

[00:20:48] The internet is a mixed bag

[00:20:50] and social media is a mixed bag.

[00:20:51] I know that it's created a lot of,

[00:20:53] quite frankly, idiots

[00:20:55] and a lot of people making claims

[00:20:56] of being experts of things they don't know anything about

[00:20:59] and conspiracy theories

[00:21:00] and let's not go down that rabbit hole

[00:21:02] but the whole point is

[00:21:03] is that the positive side of social media

[00:21:05] is that you're not alone

[00:21:07] if you're going through a health issue.

[00:21:08] You're not alone if you have an interest in something.

[00:21:11] You're not alone if you're struggling with this

[00:21:13] because you know other people are going through it

[00:21:15] because they share their experiences

[00:21:17] and they share the strategies that have worked for them

[00:21:20] and they come to the community for prayer

[00:21:22] and for healing and for encouragement

[00:21:24] and just to share their experience.

[00:21:26] And so seeing other people's experiences,

[00:21:29] even if you don't share yours,

[00:21:30] helps you to know you are not alone

[00:21:33] and that God loves you

[00:21:34] and that other people care about you and love you

[00:21:37] and that they understand

[00:21:38] even if it's not exactly what they're going through,

[00:21:40] they do have an understanding of what you're going through

[00:21:44] and the point of connecting with other people

[00:21:46] isn't to commiserate as much as it is

[00:21:48] to find that healing and that empowerment

[00:21:50] because when you make that connection

[00:21:53] that sends the devil running, so to speak

[00:21:56] and that also is one of the greatest threats to shame

[00:22:01] and to anxiety.

[00:22:03] When you feel connection, you feel peace

[00:22:05] and you feel wholeness and you feel safety

[00:22:08] and you feel resourced

[00:22:10] and you feel engaged with other people and empower

[00:22:13] and that's what this community is all about

[00:22:15] and that's what your connection with God is all about.

[00:22:18] We have responsibilities to God

[00:22:20] but God also has things that he does for us,

[00:22:23] promises about being our friend, like I said,

[00:22:27] our comforter, our protector, our healer,

[00:22:30] our presence in times of trouble,

[00:22:33] that embodied presence that we can practice

[00:22:36] when we're feeling alone or feeling afraid

[00:22:38] that's also a connection if there's no human available

[00:22:42] online or in person.

[00:22:44] There's also animals.

[00:22:45] Don't underestimate the power of a therapy animal.

[00:22:49] I know some people tend to take that a little far

[00:22:51] when they take their animals places

[00:22:53] but I am all for having a cat or a dog

[00:22:55] or a lizard or a bird.

[00:22:57] If that helps you to have companionship,

[00:22:59] if you need physical touch

[00:23:01] and it's something or someone to hold, that's great.

[00:23:05] There's a lot of ways you can help yourself

[00:23:06] to feel safe like weighted blankets

[00:23:08] and pillows and covers and stuff like that

[00:23:12] that also help at certain times if you need it

[00:23:14] but just know that you're always resourced

[00:23:16] and the more resources that you can get

[00:23:18] and that you can find and that you can use

[00:23:20] and to remind yourself and be aware of those

[00:23:23] so that when you need them most, you do use them.

[00:23:26] You are going to help yourself

[00:23:28] to get through those difficult times

[00:23:29] even if there's not another human being there.

[00:23:32] You have God, you have your resources,

[00:23:33] you have the professionals you can reach out to

[00:23:36] even if it's free resources,

[00:23:37] you have your apps, you have social media

[00:23:40] and so forth and so on.

[00:23:41] The point is, know that you are not alone

[00:23:45] and know that you can heal

[00:23:48] and know that you have intrinsic worth

[00:23:51] and that if you are feeling like you were born

[00:23:55] at your core unworthy or something is wrong with you,

[00:23:57] you were not born unworthy.

[00:23:59] You were not born with something wrong with you.

[00:24:02] That doesn't mean some of us don't have illnesses

[00:24:05] or predispositions towards certain mental illnesses

[00:24:08] but at your core who you are,

[00:24:10] that's not who you are.

[00:24:12] Who you are is who you are in Christ.

[00:24:14] Who you are is who you are at your core

[00:24:18] in terms of your identity that cannot be changed

[00:24:21] from the moment you're born.

[00:24:22] So keep in mind that you are valuable,

[00:24:28] that you matter, that God cares about how you feel,

[00:24:32] God cares about what you're going through,

[00:24:34] God will listen if you pray, God loves you

[00:24:38] and so do the people in this community

[00:24:40] but I just wanted to put it out there

[00:24:43] and give you a pep talk and just remind you

[00:24:45] that you matter and that there's nothing wrong

[00:24:48] with you at your core and that you have intrinsic value

[00:24:51] and that your agency and your autonomy matter

[00:24:53] and that they matter to God.

[00:24:55] So I just wanted to put that out there.

[00:24:57] Thank you so much for listening.

[00:24:59] Remember to check out the YouTube channel,

[00:25:01] Christian Emotional Recovery.

[00:25:03] Please support the podcast at Patreon or Ko-Fi,

[00:25:06] those are all on the show notes.

[00:25:08] Check out the Facebook group, Christian Emotional Recovery

[00:25:11] and also check out the websites, Rachel Leroy, R-A-C-H-E-L-L-E-R-O-Y

[00:25:18] dot com and Christian Emotional Recovery,

[00:25:21] exactly how it seems like it's spelled dot com.

[00:25:24] Thank you so much for listening

[00:25:26] and I hope that this has been helpful to you.

[00:25:27] This has been season four episode six

[00:25:30] of Christian Emotional Recovery.

[00:25:32] Have a great day.

[00:25:34] Thank you so much for tuning in to this week's episode

[00:25:38] of Christian Emotional Recovery,

[00:25:40] hosted by Rachel Leroy.

[00:25:43] For links to this week's resources

[00:25:45] and to join the discussion,

[00:25:46] check out this episode's show notes

[00:25:49] at ChristianEmotionalRecovery.com

[00:25:52] where you can also find links

[00:25:53] to our YouTube channel and Facebook group.

[00:25:56] Join our email list and get other episodes and resources.

[00:26:00] If you enjoyed the podcast,

[00:26:02] please rate and review the podcast

[00:26:04] and tell a friend who may benefit from this message.

[00:26:08] See you next time and remember, beloveds, God loves you

[00:26:12] and you are fearfully and wonderfully made.