WEBVTT
00:00:29.980 --> 00:00:33.579
Have you ever felt like you didn't have a place to call home?
00:00:33.899 --> 00:00:39.820
Have you ever experienced the instability of not knowing where you'll sleep next week or next month?
00:00:39.980 --> 00:00:44.939
Have you ever watched your family fall apart and felt completely powerless to stop it?
00:00:45.179 --> 00:00:48.539
If you have, today's episode is for you.
00:00:48.939 --> 00:00:53.900
Last week, we talked about childhood trauma and the wounds we carry.
00:00:54.299 --> 00:01:00.140
Today, we're going deeper into what happened years later after my parents separated.
00:01:00.780 --> 00:01:08.620
Because the trauma didn't end there, in fact, things were about to get harder in ways I never expected.
00:01:08.859 --> 00:01:24.540
Today I'm sharing about homelessness, about instability, about watching my siblings struggle, about the constant moving, the constant uncertainty, the constant feeling of not having a solid ground beneath my feet.
00:01:24.939 --> 00:01:26.700
So grab your coffee, friend.
00:01:27.019 --> 00:01:28.780
This one's going to be real.
00:01:29.420 --> 00:01:32.620
But there's hope on the other side.
00:01:32.939 --> 00:01:33.820
Let's go.
00:01:34.060 --> 00:01:38.380
It was sometime in January or February in the early nineties.
00:01:38.620 --> 00:01:43.500
I can't remember exactly when, but that's when my family lost our home.
00:01:43.820 --> 00:01:48.219
Our landlord passed away and a rental company took over the property.
00:01:48.380 --> 00:01:54.140
They raised the rent so much that we couldn't afford to stay, so we had to leave.
00:01:54.540 --> 00:01:56.939
My family ended up separated.
00:01:57.180 --> 00:02:00.780
Thankfully, my Aunt Patty welcomed us into her home.
00:02:01.020 --> 00:02:05.260
I won't pretend there weren't any tensions, there definitely were.
00:02:05.820 --> 00:02:11.740
Just picture it, five adults and a teenager all living in a two bedroom apartment.
00:02:11.979 --> 00:02:14.539
It was crowded, to say the least.
00:02:14.780 --> 00:02:21.819
My parents slept on the living room floor, and my aunt and uncle thought it would be best for me to share a room with my cousin.
00:02:22.460 --> 00:02:27.259
At first, that worked, but my snoring kept my cousin awake.
00:02:27.659 --> 00:02:35.099
Everyone needs sleep, so the next day I moved into the living room with my parents and took a corner for myself.
00:02:35.659 --> 00:02:41.899
My snoring was still a problem, and people joked about putting a sock in my mouth if I didn't stop.
00:02:42.539 --> 00:02:46.859
It was tight quarters, and everyone was always on top of each other.
00:02:47.099 --> 00:02:50.699
But we were family and tried our best to make it work.
00:02:50.939 --> 00:02:56.780
Not everyone is lucky enough to find a safe and warm place with family or friends as we did.
00:02:57.419 --> 00:03:03.099
My sister and brother needed somewhere to go, and thankfully, friends took them in.
00:03:03.739 --> 00:03:06.859
But their living situation wasn't any better.
00:03:52.139 --> 00:03:54.459
But I believe prayer works.
00:03:54.699 --> 00:03:58.219
You have to let God step in to help those you love.
00:03:58.780 --> 00:04:06.219
It may not happen right away, and you need to be patient because God works in his own time, not ours.
00:04:06.939 --> 00:04:14.539
You might feel helpless, scared, angry, or guilty for not being able to fix things.
00:04:14.859 --> 00:04:19.579
But it's not your fault, and it's not your job to fix everything.
00:04:19.899 --> 00:04:27.259
Growing up, I faced many struggles, things like visual impairment, trauma, and homelessness.
00:04:27.579 --> 00:04:34.699
I've also dealt with losing loved ones, divorce, family health issues, and financial loss.
00:04:35.180 --> 00:04:43.180
I often struggle with depression, which makes me feel like I'm too much, a burden, or that something is wrong with me.
00:04:43.819 --> 00:04:51.900
After everything I went through as a kid, including trauma and feeling unwanted or rejected, it's no wonder I felt that way.
00:04:52.060 --> 00:04:56.220
If you've watched a family member battle addiction, I see you.
00:04:56.860 --> 00:05:02.379
If you felt helpless while someone you love destroyed themselves, I see you.
00:05:02.860 --> 00:05:07.740
If you've carried guilt for not being able to save someone, I see you.
00:05:07.980 --> 00:05:09.980
And I need you to hear this.
00:05:10.780 --> 00:05:14.300
You are not responsible for saving anyone.
00:05:14.939 --> 00:05:22.540
You can love them, you can pray for them, you can set boundaries, you can offer support when they're ready.
00:05:22.939 --> 00:05:25.660
But you cannot force someone to get help.
00:05:26.060 --> 00:05:28.860
You cannot love someone into sobriety.
00:05:29.819 --> 00:05:35.660
You cannot control another person's choices, and their addiction is not your fault.
00:05:35.900 --> 00:05:37.500
Let that sink in.
00:05:37.980 --> 00:05:40.860
Their addiction is not your fault.
00:05:41.100 --> 00:05:43.500
Eventually we found places to stay.
00:05:43.819 --> 00:05:48.620
My siblings moved out, trying to build their own lives, despite everything.
00:05:48.860 --> 00:05:51.900
But I remained there, living with my mom.
00:05:52.060 --> 00:05:54.460
Honestly, I'm not sure what I was thinking.
00:05:54.780 --> 00:05:56.460
Why did I stay?
00:05:56.939 --> 00:05:59.100
Maybe I felt like I had to.
00:05:59.500 --> 00:06:01.580
I didn't know where else to go.
00:06:02.300 --> 00:06:05.740
Maybe I was just trying to keep some sense of family together.
00:06:05.980 --> 00:06:11.020
Looking back, I can laugh a little and think what was I thinking?
00:06:11.740 --> 00:06:14.460
But at the time, it wasn't funny.
00:06:14.860 --> 00:06:16.620
It was about survival.
00:06:16.939 --> 00:06:19.500
You know what homelessness does to a person?
00:06:19.980 --> 00:06:23.180
Even when you have a roof over your head temporarily?
00:06:23.980 --> 00:06:26.860
It teaches you that stability is an illusion.
00:06:27.100 --> 00:06:30.780
It teaches you that safety can be taken away at any moment.
00:06:31.020 --> 00:06:40.140
It teaches you not to get too comfortable, not to fully unpack, and not to settle in, because you might have to leave at any moment.
00:06:40.860 --> 00:06:48.700
It creates constant anxiety, a constant readiness to move, and a feeling of being a guest in your own life.
00:06:48.939 --> 00:06:57.420
If you already have PTSD from childhood trauma, adding housing instability on top of that only makes everything harder.
00:06:57.900 --> 00:07:07.660
Your nervous system never gets to rest, you're always in fight or flight mode, always scanning for the next threat, always waiting for something else to go wrong.
00:07:07.900 --> 00:07:24.540
If you're experiencing homelessness right now, whether you're literally on the streets, couch surfing, or living in unstable housing, I want you to know you are not invisible, you are not forgotten, you are not worthless.
00:07:24.939 --> 00:07:27.660
Homelessness does not define your value.
00:07:27.819 --> 00:07:32.379
It's a circumstance you're walking through, not an identity you carry.
00:07:32.939 --> 00:07:40.620
God sees you, He knows where you are, He knows what you're facing, and He has not abandoned you.
00:07:40.860 --> 00:07:45.980
Matthew eight twenty says that Jesus Himself had no place to lay his head.
00:07:46.460 --> 00:07:48.780
He understands homelessness.
00:07:49.100 --> 00:07:51.500
He understands instability.
00:07:52.060 --> 00:07:55.660
He understands what it's like to not have a home.
00:07:55.900 --> 00:07:57.580
And he's with you in it.
00:07:57.900 --> 00:08:01.420
You might be wondering, where was God in all of this?
00:08:01.740 --> 00:08:03.420
When we were homeless?
00:08:03.740 --> 00:08:06.300
When my sister was nearly dying?
00:08:06.860 --> 00:08:09.660
When we were scattered and struggling.
00:08:10.300 --> 00:08:11.500
Where was he?
00:08:11.740 --> 00:08:13.259
I didn't see it then.
00:08:13.900 --> 00:08:15.420
But I see it now.
00:08:15.660 --> 00:08:20.460
It was my aunt Patty opening her door when we had nowhere to go.
00:08:21.740 --> 00:08:25.420
He was among the friends who gave my siblings a place to crash.
00:08:25.740 --> 00:08:31.500
He was among the people who showed up with food, with encouragement, with practical help.
00:08:31.740 --> 00:08:35.659
He was with my sister, surviving when she could have died.
00:08:35.899 --> 00:08:44.220
He was in me somehow, continuing to put one foot in front of the other even when everything felt impossible.
00:08:44.779 --> 00:08:47.899
God doesn't always remove us from hard situations.
00:08:48.379 --> 00:08:51.179
Sometimes he walks through them with us.
00:08:51.819 --> 00:09:01.500
Sometimes he provides just enough, just enough shelter, just enough strength, just enough hope to get us through one more day.
00:09:01.819 --> 00:09:06.379
And sometimes he's preparing us for something we can't see yet.
00:09:06.700 --> 00:09:11.500
Looking back now, I can see how those years of instability shaped me.
00:09:11.740 --> 00:09:15.019
Those years taught me resilience and gratitude.
00:09:15.340 --> 00:09:22.460
They showed me that home isn't just a building, it's a feeling, it's people, it's belonging.
00:09:22.700 --> 00:09:25.820
They also taught me empathy for people experiencing homelessness.
00:09:26.060 --> 00:09:27.740
Reflection point number two.
00:09:28.300 --> 00:09:31.259
I know what it's like not to have stability.
00:09:31.659 --> 00:09:39.500
I learned that God can provide in unexpected ways, using imperfect people and situations to help us keep going.
00:09:39.740 --> 00:09:46.460
They also taught me that even in chaos and uncertainty, God was still at work behind the scenes.
00:09:46.779 --> 00:09:58.139
He was building character and compassion in me, and creating a story that could one day help others who feel homeless, whether literally or in other ways.
00:09:58.620 --> 00:10:03.420
Maybe you're not physically homeless, but you feel homeless in other ways.
00:10:03.659 --> 00:10:05.659
Maybe you don't belong in your family.
00:10:05.899 --> 00:10:08.539
Maybe you don't feel at home in your own body.
00:10:08.779 --> 00:10:13.659
Maybe you don't feel settled in your life, your career, or your relationships.
00:10:13.899 --> 00:10:21.740
Maybe you know that feeling displaced, wandering, never having solid ground under your feet.
00:10:21.980 --> 00:10:24.220
That's a kind of homelessness too.
00:10:24.460 --> 00:10:26.300
And I want you to hear this.
00:10:26.860 --> 00:10:29.420
God is building you a home.
00:10:29.980 --> 00:10:43.259
It might not be a physical house, it might not look the way you expect it, but it's a place of belonging, a place of peace, a place where you are fully known and fully loved.
00:10:43.980 --> 00:10:46.379
He is building it even now.
00:10:46.779 --> 00:10:51.820
Psalm sixty eight six says God sets the lonely in families.
00:10:52.460 --> 00:10:58.139
He's placing you, He's connecting you, He's creating a community for you.
00:10:58.539 --> 00:11:00.139
Trust the process.
00:11:00.700 --> 00:11:02.300
Let me pray for us.
00:11:02.700 --> 00:11:10.539
Father God, for everyone listening who has experienced homelessness, Dor, we come to you.
00:11:11.259 --> 00:11:14.620
You know what it's like to not have a place to lay your head.
00:11:15.019 --> 00:11:19.500
You understand displacement, you understand instability.
00:11:20.220 --> 00:11:27.740
Lord, we pray for provision, for shelter, for safety, for stability.
00:11:28.460 --> 00:11:36.460
For those currently without housing, open doors, connect them with resources, provide for their needs.
00:11:37.100 --> 00:11:54.700
For those who feel homeless in other ways, disconnected, displaced, and not belonging, remind them that they belong to you, that you are building them a home, that you are their refuge and strength.
00:11:55.180 --> 00:12:00.379
Give us all the faith to believe that you're working even when we can't see it.
00:12:00.700 --> 00:12:02.620
In Jesus' name, Amen.
00:12:02.860 --> 00:12:16.379
Hebrews thirteen five says Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, because God has said, Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.
00:12:16.620 --> 00:12:20.460
Hey friend, God never left you during your homelessness.
00:12:20.779 --> 00:12:24.060
He never abandoned you in your unstable times.
00:12:24.700 --> 00:12:25.980
He was there.
00:12:26.539 --> 00:12:27.820
He is there.
00:12:28.620 --> 00:12:30.620
He will always be there.
00:12:32.620 --> 00:12:38.539
Where have you seen God provide in unexpected ways during unstable seasons of your life?
00:12:38.779 --> 00:12:40.379
Take time to journal.
00:12:40.700 --> 00:12:41.659
Look back.
00:12:42.300 --> 00:12:44.300
Where were the small miracles?
00:12:44.860 --> 00:12:47.100
Where were the people who showed up?
00:12:47.659 --> 00:12:50.060
Where were the moments of grace?
00:12:50.620 --> 00:12:54.300
Sometimes we can't see God's hand until we look back.
00:12:55.019 --> 00:12:59.259
But when we do, we realize He was there all along.
00:12:59.659 --> 00:13:10.060
Now you might think that after all that, the trauma, the homelessness, the family struggles, things would start to get better, and in some ways they did.
00:13:10.620 --> 00:13:16.539
But in episode four, I'm going to share something that nearly took me out for good.
00:13:16.940 --> 00:13:23.820
March ninth, twenty eighteen, the day I went into the hospital for what I thought was a routine procedure.
00:13:24.300 --> 00:13:29.980
The day the doctor told me you have three blocked arteries, you're not going anywhere.
00:13:30.220 --> 00:13:33.019
You're having your first surgery at six AM.
00:13:33.899 --> 00:13:40.779
The day that I almost died and how God used that moment to change everything.
00:13:41.019 --> 00:13:42.620
That's next week.
00:13:42.940 --> 00:13:48.779
Before we go, I want to speak directly to anyone experiencing homelessness right now.
00:13:49.019 --> 00:13:59.500
Resources available National Runaway Hotline one eight hundred two hundred three one six nine four six.
00:13:59.899 --> 00:14:07.580
Covenant House for Youth one eight hundred nine nine nine nine nine nine nine.
00:14:07.899 --> 00:14:13.980
Contact local churches, community centers, and nonprofits for emergency shelter.
00:14:14.300 --> 00:14:17.820
Many communities have two hundred one services.
00:14:18.139 --> 00:14:21.500
Dial two hundred one for local resources.
00:14:21.899 --> 00:14:23.340
You are not alone.
00:14:23.580 --> 00:14:25.500
There is help available.
00:14:26.060 --> 00:14:29.820
Father, provide shelter for everyone who needs it tonight.
00:14:30.139 --> 00:14:37.659
Open doors, send help, protect them, and remind all of us that our true home is in you.
00:14:37.980 --> 00:14:39.980
In Jesus' name, Amen.
00:14:40.139 --> 00:14:46.779
If today's episode moved you, share it with someone who's feeling displaced, unstable, or homeless.
00:14:47.019 --> 00:14:49.420
Subscribe so you don't miss episode four.
00:14:49.659 --> 00:14:51.580
It's going to be powerful.
00:14:51.820 --> 00:15:03.980
Connect with me on social media or join the email life beyond the sight of darkness at gmail dot com website life beyond the siteofdarkness dot com.
00:15:05.019 --> 00:15:11.019
Alright, so maybe you're sitting in the dark right now, wondering if that glimmer will ever reach you.
00:15:11.259 --> 00:15:18.539
Just hold on one more moment, with honesty, some company, or even the quietest prayer.
00:15:18.940 --> 00:15:21.740
The spark might come in ways you don't expect.
00:15:22.060 --> 00:15:27.180
Now, let's take that tiny bit of light and talk about what happens when it grows.
00:15:27.659 --> 00:15:32.940
There's a pattern I see in these stories, and honestly, in my own life too.
00:15:33.659 --> 00:15:36.300
The pain, what felt impossible?
00:15:36.620 --> 00:15:40.700
Turns out it can become the seed for something way bigger.
00:15:40.940 --> 00:15:43.500
I think about people like Johnny Erickson Tata.
00:15:44.300 --> 00:15:49.580
She had a diving accident as a teenager, ended up paralyzed from the neck down.
00:15:50.060 --> 00:15:53.019
You'd expect that to just end the story, right?
00:15:53.659 --> 00:16:02.620
Instead, she started a ministry, writing, painting with her mouth, leading outreach around the world for those with disabilities.
00:16:03.180 --> 00:16:05.100
That kind of purpose?
00:16:05.420 --> 00:16:08.620
It grew up right from the middle of her pain.
00:16:08.860 --> 00:16:16.220
I'm a step by step kind of thinker, especially when stress or information overload tries to mess with my comprehension.
00:16:16.539 --> 00:16:21.019
So here's a frame that's helped me, and maybe it'll help you.
00:16:22.060 --> 00:16:23.019
Step one.
00:16:23.500 --> 00:16:25.659
Actually name what hurts.
00:16:25.899 --> 00:16:28.220
Don't skip that, it matters.
00:16:29.420 --> 00:16:30.300
Step two.
00:16:31.019 --> 00:16:36.060
Listen in that pain for God's nudge, for the lesson or direction.
00:16:36.779 --> 00:16:43.580
Sometimes it comes through a verse, a person, or even just that quiet inner knowing, you know?
00:16:44.860 --> 00:16:46.139
Step three.
00:16:46.460 --> 00:16:51.259
Ask yourself, how could this experience serve someone else?
00:16:51.659 --> 00:16:53.340
That's the wild part.
00:16:53.659 --> 00:16:57.580
Suddenly you find connection, not just survival.
00:16:57.899 --> 00:17:00.620
Let me pull this into my own story for a sec.
00:17:01.420 --> 00:17:13.579
When my cardiac issues started to show up, and then learning disabilities made things ten times slower for me in school, even reading the Bible took work I didn't want to admit.
00:17:14.460 --> 00:17:19.339
For a long while I carried that as I don't know, shame.
00:17:20.299 --> 00:17:22.539
But you know what broke the weight?
00:17:23.099 --> 00:17:28.619
Seeing that my struggles allowed me to connect with people nobody else reached.
00:17:29.259 --> 00:17:35.259
Out of that, life beyond chains, my outreach and mentoring work was born.
00:17:35.980 --> 00:17:44.380
Turns out, the things I thought made me unqualified are actually the very reason people trust me to walk with them.
00:17:44.860 --> 00:17:48.700
Maybe your pain is supposed to point you toward purpose too.
00:17:49.339 --> 00:18:00.539
Not overnight, not with easy answers, but slowly, as you let it teach and shape you, step by step, piece by piece.
00:18:01.019 --> 00:18:07.500
God has a habit of chipping away at what feels unworkable until only the gold's left.
00:18:07.980 --> 00:18:14.059
So where does that leave us when pain feels overwhelming and we're not sure how to keep going?
00:18:14.940 --> 00:18:20.860
This is where faith and honestly community become lifelines.
00:18:21.259 --> 00:18:26.779
I've seen it and I keep seeing it in recovery groups and ministries everywhere.
00:18:27.019 --> 00:18:29.420
Celebrate recovery is a perfect example.
00:18:29.740 --> 00:18:39.980
People gather not because their lives are neat and tidy, but because they need each other to survive and grow and well, stay honest.
00:18:41.019 --> 00:18:44.380
Same thing happens in church ministries worth their salt.
00:18:44.620 --> 00:18:49.900
Not the ones that rush you past pain, but the ones that sit with you through it.
00:18:50.380 --> 00:18:54.460
Support, acceptance, real healing.
00:18:54.779 --> 00:18:58.380
It grows in messy places with real people.
00:18:58.940 --> 00:19:04.779
Look, if you're aching for deeper connection, it's not about joining every group you see.
00:19:05.500 --> 00:19:10.059
Seek out spots where vulnerability isn't just allowed, but welcomed.
00:19:10.620 --> 00:19:18.059
Try a prayer group where you can let your guard down, or reach out for an accountability partner who will ask the hard questions in love.
00:19:19.099 --> 00:19:23.980
Sometimes, the bravest step is just sending the first text.
00:19:24.940 --> 00:19:27.740
Hey, could I talk with you about something real?
00:19:27.980 --> 00:19:30.059
Want a story to wrap this up?
00:19:30.380 --> 00:19:44.860
I've had listeners send me messages, some so raw I had to sit and pray before I could even answer, telling me how hearing these conversations made them reach out, find a church, or just open up to a friend.
00:19:45.180 --> 00:19:46.460
And you know what?
00:19:46.779 --> 00:19:49.259
That's a chain reaction of hope.
00:19:49.500 --> 00:19:55.500
Every time we risk sharing our mess, someone else finds permission to do the same.
00:19:55.740 --> 00:19:59.660
That's what the Life Beyond the Side of Darkness community is all about.
00:19:59.900 --> 00:20:02.539
So as we close, let me say this.
00:20:02.940 --> 00:20:08.620
You're not a burden, you're not broken, and you don't have to walk through this alone.
00:20:09.099 --> 00:20:17.579
Hold on to faith, seek out your people, and remember, there's always room for another story of hope.
00:20:18.380 --> 00:20:19.900
See you next time, friend.