Latest / The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast / What To Do When Things Don't Go As Planned | a timely COVID-19 conversation with Tracy Steel

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What To Do When Things Don't Go As Planned | a timely COVID-19 conversation with Tracy Steel · The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Amy Wicks, and I love to talk about the gospel message your heart was created to hear.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: All things Enneagram and helping you be confident that you are the best mom for your kids.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a mountain mama who somehow ended up on a cul-de-sac in the Medwest.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: I was alone and without family or community.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: But the Lord, He didn't let me stay there.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: He helped me turn my broken-hearted moment into a wholehearted decision to get intentional with my faith, my marriage, and my kids.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: I share broken-hearted perspective with story, but with wholehearted purpose and plans so you can live a life full of confidence and abundance.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: Think of this podcast as your on-the-go mom pal, mixed with a little bit of Enneagram coaching.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: So get to that pile of laundry or hit the treadmill or load up the kids in the car for that grocery run.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: And be ready to be encouraged and challenged while you listen.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: This is the Simply Wholehearted Podcast.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: Friends, I'm so glad you're here today.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: This month we are focusing on wholehearted growth.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: Well, little did I know we would be facing a time that would challenge our spiritual growth more than any other.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: But I think this topic is perfect for us to dive into.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: Even it feels like the signs of growth and spring in our life have been doled by the current circumstances.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: I promise, God is still at work.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: And just this morning, as I was praying with my kids before we muddled through another school from home day, I was struck with the thought that someday we will remember these days and we'll laugh.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: We'll laugh about some of the memories, and we would maybe even long for the closeness that we found in these times.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: As much as I don't like hard things, I know for a fact that in these hard seasons I experience the most growth.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: And sure, I can grow grow in times of plenty, but it's usually in the seasons of want, the days that I desperately need the Lord.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I find my faith roots growing deeper.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: So just like my bar three instructor has told me every weekday of 2020 when my muscles are shaky and weak, well, the instructor reminds me that that's when my muscles are growing.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: It's helping me grow stronger.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: So some days or really some hours, I feel strong and I can sense the growth that's happening, right?
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: I I feel stronger.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: But honestly, most of the time I just feel weak and uncertain.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: So that's why I've decided to change some of my recordings around just a little bit.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Because I felt like it was important to share a few current and timely conversations with you during this challenging season to encourage us to keep going.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Plus, they're encouraging me along the way.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: So when I got Tracy's book last summer, I knew I would want to talk to her, but I didn't quite see how it was gonna fit in my lineup with the plug-in that I had for 2020.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: But after we met in person at a conference in February, well, I knew we needed to schedule a conversation.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: Two weeks ago we had an amazing chat.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: We went well over our scheduled time, but it was so good.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: But due to all the extra people in my home, I was recording things differently.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: You may have noticed the sound has changed a little bit.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: And well, wouldn't you know it?
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: I did something incorrectly and the conversation failed to save to my computer.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Ugh, you guys, you know I hate this so much.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: I was really disappointed.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: But I was at least grateful that Tracy was really fun to talk to and I figured she wouldn't mind chatting again.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted to make sure you got to meet Tracy and hear about her book because it's incredibly timely.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: The title is Redesigned Life: Uncovering God's Purpose When Life Doesn't Go as Planned.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: As you can tell, this is a great topic to help us navigate this unexpected moment that we are all facing.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: All of us, all of us are living in a season we did not plan or design.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: And Tracy is here to help give us wisdom, based on her experience and story, to reconnect with God during this not to welcome surprise.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: She is also sharing how her one of a kind book was designed with you and mine.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Really, it's very clever.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: I think you're gonna like it a lot.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: We also chat a little bit about her Enneagram type, and then we wrap up with three ways to remain steadfast in our faith while our circumstances are uncertain.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: And now, because we've been thrown into such a unique season, I want to highlight a few resources which I normally offer in the summer months, but I revamped for these quarantine weeks or months.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: I am using them myself for our daily routine.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: It really helps me connect with my kids' spirit, mind, and body.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: And you know I'm all about perspective and purpose, but to me, nothing beats a good plan, even when I have to keep adjusting the plan.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I wanted to share a few of my tips and tricks and resources with you.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: And really, it can be a fabulous time to strengthen the connection with those we have in our home.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: When we have stripped away all the activities and busyness, well, we're reminded about what matters most.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: But we need some help doing it in a way that's sustainable.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: So on my website, but really the easiest links to find are here in the show notes or at Simply Wholehearted on Instagram.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: And you can find links to the quarantine daily routine, the 50 device-free board investors, and the seven days around the world.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: All of that, again, is in the show notes.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: I know you're gonna love this conversation with Tracy Steele.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: So let's jump right in.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I Tracy, here's the deal.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: So my friends are gonna know that this is now a second temp attempt to record this conversation.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I know, I love it.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I, you know, I said this in the email to you.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I think we're kindred spirits, so no problem.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: We'll enjoy connecting.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: We trust God in all things, even technological flip.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: Foops.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: I like it, flop totally.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, well, your book, Redesign Life, Uncovering God's Purpose When Life Doesn't Go as Planned.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe we need to both stop talking about this.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: We all are right now.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, totally.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: I think it just aptly says not only the current national worldwide crisis that we feel that we're in, but currently we've got a lot of that going on in our life of just things not going as planned.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: So um the other side of it too, and I, you know, I just want to hear kind of your perspective and what you're going through, because I think that perspective is so important.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: But but what we talk about at simply wholehearted is that oftentimes the brokenhearted moment is what helps us, well, it it it causes us to either go one of two ways.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: We we spiral downward and away from the Lord, or we make choices that lead us to a wholehearted decision to follow the Lord no matter what.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: So I think sometimes that brokenhearted moment leads to a whole-hearted decision.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: So we're we're facing a brokenhearted moment.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: So what are we gonna do with this?
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's not something that we designed, it's not something we planned for.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: I think you have a ton of wisdom to offer us.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: How do we take this broken-hearted moment, this unplanned event, and reconnect with God during our not so welcome surprise of March and April and potentially May?
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_01: And you know what's interesting is not only is COVID, I mean, yes, COVID-19 is a big thing right now, the coronavirus is everywhere.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: But as I've been talking with women, even since we recorded last week, Amy, you know, life is still going on.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: People are still getting sick from other things.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: Totally.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: Or, you know what, people's uh jobs are being lost, or broken dreams are still happening.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of these things that I talked about way back in August when the book first released, life outside, on top of the coronavirus, is still happening.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: And I've been in still all of these circumstances of broken dreams, of broken relationships, of having my mom die when I was only 37.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_01: You know, she's still supposed to be here helping me raise my babies, you know, and so for me has not gone planned.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: And like you said, even now, you know, we can't go to the grocery store.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: We're on lockdown until June 10th now out here in TC.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: I had no idea.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, yes, yes.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: So eight more weeks of this, and I'm an extrovert, y'all.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, I'm being tough.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but it's very, very painful, and so many are dying, and you know, new estimates are coming out, and it's like the whole world is not going the way we thought that it had planned for it to go.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that it is important for us, like you said, we can go either one of two ways.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: That choice is before us, whether we are in seasons of plenty or in seasons of complete pandemic and loss.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_01: Who are we going to serve?
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: Are we going to turn our backs on God, falsely accuse him or blame him, which is very human to do, by the way.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: Totally.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: I have felt anger towards God.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: I'll be honest with you, as much as I love Jesus, as much as I have followed him and sacrificed for him, there is a part of the grief that is in with all of us right now that we can be angry.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_01: And I would say, ladies, first thing we can do to reconnect with God right now, and we might not be really happy because of what is going on, is to own that, right?
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, is to say, and first we talked about this last time.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: 1 Peter 5, 7 says to cast all your anxiety.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: And let's just add anger and depression and despair and fear.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: And even if we're hopeful still right now, and finding some happy moments with our kiddos or our husbands or whatever, or our friends right now on Zoom, it says to cast all of that.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: So we can either keep that and be disconnected from God and go our own ways and try alcohol or try watching the Tiger King or try watching all these things that the world says will comfort us, which they will not, by the way.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's true.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: But here, God, here it is.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: Because if we are not real with God, we will feel that He is distant or that He has left and He has it.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: His word says and Psalm, I am with you wherever you go.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: Even if you're quarantined and not really going anywhere, God is still with you.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: But our feelings sometimes can block that, it can diminish that intimacy that we feel with God.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: And so the first thing to reconnect is just be real and get it out.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: Because once it is out, ladies, once you are just kind of again casting everything on God, he can then take it and start to show you things from his perspective, start to fill you up with his hope when you are despair, fill you up with his patience when you're trying to homeschool and you've never homeschooled a day in your life.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we have to allow God in so he can begin to feel us.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: And then the second thing I want to do real quick, reconnect with is once we've got it out, continue to seek him, continue to remain in him, continue to abide in him, whether that's again putting on worship music instead of Netflix, whether that's staying in his word instead of you know scrolling Facebook, um, surrounding yourself with, you know, godly community on Zoom now or whatever.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's beautiful.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: I think uh a friend was talking about lament recently.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: We had Aubrey Sam uh Samson, yeah, Aubrey Samson on the podcast last year, and it was a a louder song, I believe is the book name, but it was this whole idea of lament.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I think the word in itself gives us permission to be honest and real.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's a really good description for where most of us are at, even though there is silver lining.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: For for some people, there, you know, the goal is maybe not the goal, but um I think as believers, we've been championed to, you know, what are the good things that are coming out of this and you know, where is the goodness to be found?
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: There's still things to be grieved.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: And when we just pretend like, oh, it's fine, you know, I'm good, and we're not honest about maybe the anger, the grief, the lament that we feel, then I think that is the disconnecting piece for sure.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: At least it is for me.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, though it has taken me a while.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: It took me a while.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: At first there was a lot of anger, and I'm like, I don't understand where's all this anger coming from.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: And then someone wisely reminded me of like, oh, that's the grieving process, remember?
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you all gotta go through the stages.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, oh, oh yeah, that's it.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I gotta tell you again when the governor announced last night, oh, you're gonna be now shut, you know, sheltering in place until June 10th.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: I had just gotten to, you know, used to and accepting, okay, April 1st or April 10th, or you know, whatever.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_01: And now to hear eight more weeks, you know.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: I just can't even, I like this that boggles my mind right there.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: And it admittedly, you know, just because we're we're just in the 30 days and that was a a stretch compared to the rest of the nation.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: And we thought that was extreme, and that was April 26th.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: And um, so I, you know, those that's information and that stuff that, like, whoa, yeah, what do you do when you finally get used to this normal and then it's pushed along?
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: I definitely I think the prayer for all of us is Lord, do something quick.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_01: Help, you know, and and he's so faithful because I mean, and that's one of the things you know, we might talk about later is remembering all the times that God has already seen us through something because there's all been points in our life, whether we were in high school, whether we were in grade school, that we faced something, Amy, that seemed like it was gonna go on and on and on.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: But hey, we're all still here today.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, somehow, whether we knew God even then or not as savior, it didn't matter.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: He still was faithful in ways, whether whether a person acknowledges that God is sovereign or not, God is still God.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_01: That's right, and he is good to the evil and to the just.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, that's what his word says in the Psalms, and so he is still keeping Colossians one, all things moving.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_01: He's holding all things together, and so my prayer is he cannot stop being who he is, he is still gonna be that same faithful God that he was and has always been, even through this, and that doesn't mean the jobs are gonna come back, that might mean that people aren't still gonna die, but we can still keep the eyes of our heart on the focal point, which is God as He is redesigning us even in the midst of this pandemic.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_01: And that really, girls, that is the only thing that gives me peace right now.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: I've got to be honest.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like I've got to keep my eyes on that, on him and who he is instead of what I'm seeing and hearing right now.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you you brought up a keyword redesign.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, that's part of your title.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: I love how your book is designed.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's really unique.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: I wish that our my listeners could see it right now, and you can just click.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: There's a link on the show notes that could just take you right to it so you could see it.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: But give us a little bit of idea of how it's designed and you know, how it plays into your background, um, and even how you've customized the material specifically to help the reader to navigate um through the content that you've provided.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, sure.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: Well, before I went into women's ministry, um, I was actually a real interior designer.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: So that's what I went to college.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_01: So, yeah.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_01: And I thought, you know, I was gonna move to New York City, I grew up in Kansas, was gonna move to New York City, own my own design firm, make millions of dollars.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, totally.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_01: Guess what?
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_01: I fell in love with Jesus and he changed everything, and none of that really came into pass, right?
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_01: Nope, nope, it didn't.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_01: Never lived in New York still.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, he called me into a different kind of interior design that looked a whole lot like taking his word and prayer and all of these things that we've been talking about and redesigning the interior spaces that matter most to him, and that is the heart and mind of women and girls of all stages and all you know um ages, and and that's what I've been doing.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: And so this book then, when I started talking with women, and all of them were saying, way before COVID hit the scene, hey, my life is not going as planned, and where is God?
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_01: And does he see and does he care?
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: I thought, okay, how can I how can I help them grasp this?
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_01: And as I was praying one day, I thought, hey, as a real interior designer, I would come into a space and I would use a set of design principles to guide all the decisions and all of the drawings and everything that I was picking out for my clients to create this beautiful and functional space that would fulfill their needs.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_01: And and it was they were beautiful and everything.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: I thought, okay, does God, when he's looking at our lives and he's redesigning us, and and he's got a certain goal, a certain design for each and every one of us that's mature or one of a kind, does he possibly use the same set of principles as he is redesigning us?
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_01: Well, yes, he does.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_01: And so this book came into being, and so it's a fusion then of interior design and some good old Bible theology, Bible teaching.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_01: And so I'm looking at the design principles of movement, emphasis, balance, contrast, patterns, and space.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_01: And that's what this book is built around.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I've thrown in some real life testimonies of other women who different ages, you know, women of faith though, that have been redesigned using these same set of principles.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_01: And so those are real fun.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: And there's practical design tips too that can help you not only do some practical things around your home to redesign it, but to redesign your heart as well.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's how the book came to be, and it's real fun.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, it's so fun.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_00: I love how you take that because it's just sometimes when you're reading through stuff, it feels a little too abstract, right?
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: But now you've given a concrete textile texture to the words where we can do something physical along with what you're you're pulling out in the scripture and pulling out of your story.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's really, really cool.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: Super fun.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_01: You know, women are visual, you know.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, absolutely often, not to be stereotypical, but we are kind of we we have a thing for beautiful things.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_01: We like to beautify homes.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_01: And what and I'm not asking you to be Joanna Gaines, okay?
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_01: We're all just, but that's why I'm giving you a lot of visual reminders throughout the book, such as patterns, so that every time you see Paisley, you can remember that God is a God of forever.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: Or every time you see some black and white, and especially now with COVID, there is contrast, there's a principle of contrast all over the place right now.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_01: And God has a purpose for that.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: And so again, my hope is, and I've heard from readers now, because the book's been out for several months, that oh yes, every time I see this, or every time I see Paisley, or every time I do my pop of color, you know, this is what it's reminding me, not only about myself, but about God.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I think so many books are out there, and it's all about what we can do and you know, all of this.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_01: And so I've really tried to flip the table and say no.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_01: Really, this is all about who God is and what he is going to do through you in this shock, in this surprise, in this pandemic, because he is such a good God.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: Nothing can ever change that.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_01: And so let's look back onto him as the master designer because he already knows how all this is gonna go.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: And so I think it just is encouraging me.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I've needed this book, you know, I've had to pull it out, especially these last couple days, and go, oh, he still hasn't changed.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_01: There's still power and there's still contrast.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think that's a remarkable element for authors I speak to again and again, they have to live the message and then as they continue as as they write the message and then and then they continue to relive it as they share it and get it out into other people's hands.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: And um I I I just think even though we could have spoken last year and talked on this and it would have been really applicable, I think it the timing is really um impactful now just to have this opportunity to share this book and the conversation because we all need it.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_00: This is definitely a redesigned moment of going, God show us where we can find you and the reminders of that.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, well, one of the things that we love to talk about here is the Enneagram.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: And you and I we probably talked 30 minutes last week.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: Just about this.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it was kind of fun and it was the lighthearted moment that we needed.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: Uh because honestly, I have definitely seen how this is a really great time to be self-aware and to have some understanding about your personality and all that plays into it.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: For me personally, it's been very helpful as I'm navigating this with ministry, with how others are responding, how my kids are dealing with it.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's been really, really helpful.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: So, what Enneagram type do you lead as?
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_00: And you got anything new to share?
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: I know we talked about a little bit last week, but um there's been sort of a lot of time for self-reflection.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: Then also it's just kind of, you know, in the heat of the moment, right?
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_01: Well, as I am a Enneagram 7, wing eight, and I've looked a little bit more into it, and I think I'm still those things.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think I have changed.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I've not had time, excuse me, to sit down, you know, with my people in here and go through it.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, but I would definitely say as an Enneagram 7, it is hard right now, you know, because I want to be out and partying and adventuring and doing all these things and to feel that, you know.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I was even talking with one of my introverted friends yesterday.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_01: She's not aware of her numbers yet or anything, but she is saying, even though she's quieter than me and she recharges by quiet and calm, she's even starting to get a little crazy.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_01: So I think this is very interesting to see how no matter what number you may be, uh, I think this time is really a challenge for all of us.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_01: But yes, I'm a seven wing eight.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_01: So again, I like control and all of that.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm just really, this is a very hard season for me.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_01: But thank God for Zoom, you know, uh, because this is I'm just like, Lord, you just gotta fill me through the screen, even though I can't, you know, that's right.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_00: That's all right.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: You know, for for a seven, the limitations that have been placed on us, they're not our ideas.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's really, really tough.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I but I did spend a week of what it looks like for each type that is required to deal with isolation, you know, and and it really looks like stress for a person, no matter what your type.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: And so understanding where you go in stress and what you look like, you know, a lot of times involuntarily, those things that you do, you don't mean to do to your people.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and just being able to understand it and name it is really helpful to be like, oh, okay, this isn't me.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_00: This is the situation that's impacting me.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: What do I need to do to get on a path to growth?
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I we definitely, as I unpacked it, and just, you know, it's hard to do an Instagram meme, but it was calling it what it is.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: And then let's look at the practicals and then what does the word of God have to say about it?
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: What do we do?
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: How do we run to the word of God?
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: And what is what are some of those messages that can speak to us uniquely to help the pain point that we're feeling based on who God designed us to be, which, you know, is a challenge for all of us.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, exactly.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_01: And that's the beautiful thing about the body is you know, every number is gonna have its design or its emphasis, you know, that I talk about and all of that.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, even Paul talks about that, I think, in Romans 12, you know, how the different parts of the body, some are the eye and some are the hand, and some are the feet, and it takes all of it and it reminds us that if we're all in the image of God, then our God is all of those numbers too, you know, and that he can relate to all of the weaknesses or all of the strengths, you know, like not that he is weak, but he will still work through our human weaknesses for his glory and for the good of the kingdom.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so that's just what is so beautiful is that not one number is better than the next.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_01: They're all needed to give us more of a complete picture of the kingdom and of who our God is.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: Totally.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_01: And he's just undescribable, isn't he?
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I know, I love it.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_00: I love thinking that he holds all nine types and he also knew what our weakness was going to be and how he could strengthen us and our weakness, and that when we lean and hit into him, he can help us overcome that and and we can then reflect him in such a better way and reflect his character.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_00: And and I think that's, you know, like you said, we all are parts of the body, unique parts of the body that help minister to to others uh, you know, accordingly when we use those gifts and those those talents.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: So um yeah, I just I think the Enneagram is so fun, and you'll definitely you'll have to keep me posted when you take it to your people and have some conversations about it.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_00: So it's so good.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_00: Well, while we wait for your book, because now my friends are going to want to get their hands on it and get all this not only, you know, redesign life for their spiritual life, but also for their home while they have some extra time on their hands, right?
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right, yes, really.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_00: They can order your book from Amazon.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_00: But what are three steps that we need to take today just to help us remain steadfast while things are so uncertain around us?
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, awesome.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: That's a great question.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and one of the things I mentioned at the beginning is key, and that is first of all, to keep a record of God's past movement in your life.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_01: In other words, again, think back through those seasons that were filled with rejection and fear and loss, maybe even death for some of you that have had to walk through that valley.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_01: Make a note of what you learned about God and yourself as you walked through them.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_01: And because looking back on these moments will help you then to find the strength and the assurance that you need to trust God now in the middle of whatever it is that you are going through.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_01: Because, like we said, we will have a choice every day.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_01: Will we go this way towards God or we will we go away from Him?
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_01: And one of the things is sometimes, even though we're not to stay stuck in the past, we can still go back to it real quick and say, okay, what did I learn there?
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_01: You know, how was I provided for?
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_01: Because we all made it through, else we wouldn't be sitting here listening today, right?
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_01: So that's the first thing.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_01: Second thing, this is the one I struggle with a lot here, being the wing eight, is to let go of the need to control.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, completely understand everything.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_01: And Deuteronomy 29, 29 is one of my most favorite verses to tell people to memorize because it talks about how there's a secret will of the Lord and that he is going to be the only one that will ever know why certain things have happened the way they have this side of heaven.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_01: Now we don't know what he's gonna reveal to us once we get there at home with him for eternity, but Deuteronomy 29, 29 very specifically says and is kind of our motivator to really let go of that need to understand because we have his revealed will in the Bible.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_01: So he will reveal some things to us, but not everything.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_01: And so we've got to again ask him, Holy Spirit, help me to let this go.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_01: And whether it's one time a day, or in my case, 97 billion times a day, I'm gonna let this go.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: You know, because um because you and I are not God.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, I know it's it's a child right from here to that, but we are divinely designed by him to be human.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't know why we think that's such a bad thing.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_01: A human is a good thing, design the image of God, but we are not God.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I think the more that we realize that and stop either thinking we need to be as women, to be everything to all people all the time, we just we can't be.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_01: So you know, have him, yes, he's given us the capacity to feel anger or to feel offense, but again, we need to leave the vengeance and all of that really it's in his hands because he will have purposes, and whether things are righted or wrong, uh they will be righted in eternity.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_01: That we do know.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um so anyway, I hope that encourages somebody.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, and last we've got to move forward.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_01: Now we may not be able to move physically a lot right now outside of our homes, but especially right now.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_01: I know, right?
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: Believe me, I would really like to go get some Mexican food right now.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_01: Can I just tell you?
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_01: I've never wanted, you know, queso and chips, rose and really bad.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: Right, so much, right?
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_01: Right, but move forward, especially right now, the best that you can, realizing again that each day is new and full of God's mercies, which is of course we all know Lamentations chapter three.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_01: Trust, my friends, that God knows what he is doing because he is eternal, he is righteous, he is unstoppable, and again, he is in control, he knows what is coming because he's already designed for it to come using these principles, or he's allowing even the evil stuff to happen for some purpose that we just cannot see or may see once we are home in heaven with him.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_01: And so if you're stuck in the past, you cannot remain steadfast in the present.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_01: And that's all he's asking you to do, is just to remain with him and to trust him.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_01: So make God, as I've said throughout this entire book, the focal point of your heart.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_01: And we will get through this because that really is what I am trying my best to do.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think we all are with you in that.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's beautiful to to kind of create our Ebenezer moments, right?
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_00: To or to go back and look at the Ebenezer moments and remember.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_00: I just wrote uh for a friend the other day who was who's doing like five days of encouragement for her followers.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_00: And in one of the posts um I did for her was just remembering a moment when I had little kids and it was it felt like you know, I had made a stupid mistake.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, could the Lord possibly cover my stupid mistake?
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_00: It was in insincere innocence and just you know absent-mindedness.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_00: And the Lord showed up and divinely covered that moment.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it's remembering things like that and even telling stories about that of like, oh yeah, he took care of this.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_00: And even when it was my fault, you know, quote unquote, um, he still took care of the details and met all our needs and was, you know, was watching over his people and and meeting us exactly where we were.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_00: But I it's moments like that that I think, you know, we can tell one another to remind each other, to build our faith and to remember where, you know, even how far we've come and like, okay, he did that and he's done even more in those in the last 11 years.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_00: He's he's got more incredible ways that in 10 years from now we'll be telling stories of this time of how he met Hess and how he how he did supernatural things in the midst of what felt like completely out of our control.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_01: Won't it be interesting to see what the history books write and then to be able to have through it?
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it'll be really interesting what history does tell of it at this time and what stories, what creativity, what unity, what hope, what births.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I'm kind of joking about like how many babies are gonna be right.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_01: Are gonna come from this time.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_01: Well, even in the military.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think we we believe that, but you know, we're a military family.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_01: And so you can always tell, you know, when all the guys come home because about nine months later, y'all, babies everywhere in the military.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, in about 2034, we'll be talking about those quarantines.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_00: That's all right.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_00: That's gonna be good.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I love this conversation.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_00: Once again, it's a joy and honor to get to talk to you and just praying that your message continues to go forth far and wide.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_00: I know it's really gonna bless all my friends who want to hop onto Amazon right now and get a copy and um just navigate through this as we have a little extra time.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_01: I know.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and again, if any of you do read a redesign live, please don't hesitate to look me up.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_01: You can find me at tracmsteel.com or a lot of my social media handles are just at tracy msteel.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_01: And I love to hear from readers and encourage you.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_01: Again, I'm an extroverted writer, so that's right, bring it on.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we'll pray together, we'll laugh together, zoom me in to your book club or whatever, and just know that I really am here uh to minister to you.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_01: That's what I've you know given my life to do is to talk about Jesus and and to love on people and pray with you.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_01: So it'd be my honor and thanks for having me, Amy.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, Tracy.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's been a joy, and I love that.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_00: I love that your heart is it just shines forth in all you do.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_00: Are you ready to face the uncertainty with these great practices of faith?
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: I am so grateful for Tracy and her ideas to remain steadfast.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_00: And I do believe, I agree with her, that we will see the goodness of God even in the midst of so much uncertainty.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_00: You can get Tracy's book, Redesign Life, on Amazon now, and I would love it if you would give her a follow on Instagram and even send her a direct message to let her know what you have learned from this conversation.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_00: And if you know a mom who could use some encouragement during these crazy times, well, share this conversation with her and let her know that you are praying for her.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_00: Next week we'll be back again with another new and timely conversation.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_00: Be sure you're subscribed so you don't miss an episode.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_00: So, until next week, let's pursue perspective, purpose, and plans for a simply wholehearted life.