Well friends, we’ve made it to our Number One episode in our countdown! This episode is one of our earliest that we recorded, and since the moment it released it has consistently topped the charts as the most-listened-to episode of the Heal Podcast. If you’ve already heard it, I encourage you to go re-listen to this episode. If you haven’t heard it yet, I could not be happier to introduce you to my good friend Kaylene Baker.
It fills my heart that so many people can relate to Kaylene, because I love this girl as a person, friend, and sister in Christ. She has championed both Jacob (my husband and CEO of Heal) and me since we started the Heal Ministry, and when I asked her if she’d share her story on the podcast, she readily agreed.
What she didn’t know at the time was that when the day of the interview arrived, she was having a really sucky day. Things were just hard. She called me, not sure if she was up for an interview or if she would be able to speak anything encouraging into anyone when she was feeling so rough herself. I encouraged her that maybe her thoughts about God on one of her worst days is exactly what people needed to hear. Based on how many people continue to listen to this episode, I’d say the results agree. It’s powerful to hear someone in the trenches with you.
So that’s what this episode is about: God in the suck, the one who went to hell and back (literally) for you and will always be there in the trenches with you. Kaylene knows what it is to have sucky days, as she has faced two years (at the time of the recording) as a double amputee. When she went on a rock-climbing excursion, a boulder became knocked loose, crushing the left side of her body. Miraculously, she held onto the rope that was belaying Josh, saving his life. That’s a good thing, because he ended up becoming her husband! (And they have the rope framed in their living room.)
The accident was horrendous and nearly fatal, the boulder swiping Kaylene’s leg off as it came, and crushing her hand, which also ended up being amputated. She had head injuries, too, from which she still suffers side effects. And to top it all off, Kaylene was a Type 1 diabetic before the accident (and still is), so she already knew what it was like to have a life-changing condition.
When something as simple as putting your hair up or doing the dishes becomes a fight for sanity with your new body, how do you turn to God in that moment? Well in this episode Kaylene tells us: God comes to you. Join Kaylene and me as we give you a true glimpse into what life can really be like for those who live in chronic pain or limitation. While Kaylene has both good and bad days, I think her vulnerability on a bad day might be exactly what God wants you to listen to today.
And while you listen, I want you to celebrate with me! Even in this episode, Kaylene mentions the fear she had around becoming a mom with her physical limitations. Just a few months ago, Kaylene gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, and she is already an incredible mother! I am praying that through Kaylene’s perseverance, dependence on God, and authenticity in this episode, you are brought closer to the God whom Kaylene knows. Enjoy my incredible friend and the testimony God continues to write in her life; I sure did!
Listen to learn more about:
· How you can reconcile God performing multiple miracles in a near-death accident, but not preventing the accident in the first place.
· What God’s nearness can look like in the grime of your suckiest days.
· How to surrender the blame game when we’re looking for someone on which to pin our pain.
Listen now:
Click here to listen on iTunes.
Click here to listen on Google Podcasts.
Click here to listen on Spotify.
Click here to listen on Stitcher.
Click here to listen on Amazon Music.
Favorite Quote from the episode:
· “I just started bawling. And I felt like God, he just surrounded me with his love. And what I had said was, ‘This f**ing sucks.’ And I felt like God came in close, and he was like, ‘Kaylene, this does suck, and I’m here.’ And it wasn’t a ‘but I am here;’ it was like, ‘This really sucks, and I am here.’ I felt like that was so comforting, to not excuse my pain, to not push it away, like ‘oh, but God is good.’ He just said, ‘Yeah it does suck. And I’m here.’ So that’s how I see every day when it’s hard – knowing that God is close. There are some days that I feel his presence and there are some days that I don’t feel his presence as much, but I always know he’s there.”
Links from our conversation:
Hope you loved this episode! Make sure you subscribe on iTunes and leave us a star rating so others can find us, too!
For freedom,
Tera
Comments