S10 E06: Daughter Part 3: Wounds of a Daughter

In this episode, we continue our four part series on the identity of daughter. This episode is now offered in video on youtube! We discuss wounds from our childhood - rejection, abandonment and a failure to feel safe - and the lasting effects these wounds can have in our adult relationships. We chat about loving our younger selves with compassion, so that we can receive God’s unconditional love today. We pray you would allow the Divine Healer to look on your wounds with compassion this week! Be sure to subscribe to the Abiding Together Podcast on YouTube to watch our video podcasts! 

Sister Miriam’s one thing - Mama Heidland’s Seafood Gumbo Recipe

Michelle’s one thing - Sacred Rest by by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith

Heather’s one thing - Change the Way You Think: A Conversation with Louie Giglio, Jennie Allen and Craig Groeschel 

Other Books Mentioned - 

Life Model: Living from the Heart Jesus Gave you - James Friesen

The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom - Henri Nouwen

Discussion questions:    

1. What stood out to you from this week’s episode?
2. Are your childhood wounds healed places of glory or are they bandaged up, still hiding, and in need of Christ’s light?  
3. How do you see core wounds from childhood - abandonment, rejection or a gap created because your heart did not feel safe  - affecting your relationships today? Do you recognize any of the effects listed by Sister Miriam in the episode? How can you receive God’s restoration for you in these places?
4. What does it look like to welcome home the little parts of yourself with compassion and gentleness?

Journal Questions:

1. Are there particular memories from your childhood that this series has brought to the surface? Where do you need to hear the truth that the woundedness caused by others was not your fault? 
2. Try to find a picture of your younger self. What would you like to share with her or him? Are there critical words and judgements you would like to take back or words of affirmation and compassion you need to speak over your younger self?
3. Pray with Jesus’ words ‘be not afraid.’  How does He desire for you to receive this message when acknowledging wounds from your childhood?

Quotes to Ponder: “You keep listening to those who seem to reject you. But they never speak about you. They speak about their own limitations. They confess their poverty in the face of your needs and desires. They simply ask for your compassion. They do not say that you are bad, ugly, or despicable. They say only that you are asking for something they cannot give and that they need to get some distance from you to survive emotionally. The sadness is that you perceive their necessary withdrawal as a rejection of you instead of as a call to return home and discover your true belovedness.”  - Henri Nouwen

“A part of you was left behind very early in your life: the part that never felt completely received. It is full of fears. Meanwhile, you grew up with many survival skills. But you want yourself to be one. So you have to bring home the part of you that was left behind. That is not easy, because you have become quite a formidable person, and your fearful part does not know if it can safely dwell with you. Your grown-up self has to become very childlike—hospitable, gentle, and caring—so your anxious self can return and feel safe.” - Henri Nouwen

Scripture for Lectio Divina -  “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” - Ephesians 3:14-21

This episode is sponsored by House of Joppa.

This week’s episode is sponsored by House of Joppa.  If you are looking for beautiful Catholic home décor, jewelry, art, rosaries or other Catholic gifts, look no farther than House of Joppa. Each product is curated from artisans throughout the world, and is designed to uplift your spirit and share the beauty of our Catholic faith. If you are looking for something for yourself or a special gift for a friend, head over to their website in the show notes. My favorite products are their Vintage Sacred Heart Medallion, Mini Mary Garden and Miraculous Medal rosary. Abiding Together listeners receive 15% off their purchase at checkout with discount code: ABIDE15.  Visit them online at https://www.houseofjoppa.com or on Instagram @houseofjoppa.