Latest / The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast / *Bonus* What Story Are You Living? |Wholehearted Storywork Series Introduction

Transcript

*Bonus* What Story Are You Living? |Wholehearted Storywork Series Introduction · The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hey friend, I want to start this conversation with a question, and I want to invite you to answer it honestly, especially if there's no one else to hear you.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: And that is, what story are you living in right now?
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: Not the story you wish you were living, not the story you're working towards, and not the polished version that you post about.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: I mean the real one.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: The story where you feel stuck, where you're tired of trying so hard, where you keep circling back to the same patterns, the same hurt, and the same questions.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: And here's the deeper question underneath that one.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't like the story you're in, can it actually change?
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Because here's what I've noticed in my own life and the lives of the women that I walk with.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of us are exhausted.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: And not because we've stopped being faithful, not because we lack discipline, but because we've been trying to force transformation through willpower, responsibility, and spiritual intensity.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's just not working anymore.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: So today I want to introduce you to something different, a way of understanding your story that doesn't shame you where you are, it doesn't rush your healing, and it doesn't demand that you have it all figured out.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this is the beginning of a series I'm calling wholehearted story work, and it's about learning to recognize the roles you move through in your spiritual formation so you can respond with wisdom instead of pressure.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: In every meaningful story, there are movements, places where the character begins, places where they struggle, places where they choose, and places where they guide others.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: And your life, especially your faith journey, does follow a similar pattern.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: So in this series that I'm going to share over four episodes, I'm going to invite you to explore four key roles that show up in your story, often more than once.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: First will be about the victim, where pain is named honestly.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: The second episode will be about the villain, where protection hardens into control.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: The third one will be the hero, where agency awakens and you realize you have a choice.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: And the fourth episode will be about the guide, where wisdom sustains the journey over time.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Now, before you go any further, I want you to hear this clearly.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: These character roles are not about a label or putting yourself in a box.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: And they're definitely not about taking on a specific kind of identity outside your belovedness.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not a role.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: And in the naming, the desire isn't to shame or fix.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: They simply outline movements and roles in your story, places you find yourself again and again throughout your life.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: So you might find yourself in victim energy in one area.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: You're naming real pain, you're telling the truth about what happened to you, or you're having to be aware if you're sliding into a victim mentality role.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: But at the same time, you might also be living in your hero role in another area where you're stepping into agency, making brave choices, and you're showing up differently.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: You might even recognize villain energy or your villain role creeping in when self-protection that once kept you safe is now keeping you stuck.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: What I'm trying to say here is that your story is not linear and these roles aren't linear.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: You don't often graduate from one role and never come back again.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, I would argue that every guide that you admire has been a victim, a hero, and a guide, often more than once.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: And the goal is to not stay in one place forever.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: The goal is to recognize where you are and respond with wisdom, not shame.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: Here's what I hope this series will be for you.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: My desire is that it'll give you language for what you're already experiencing.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: It'll create spaciousness instead of pressure, and it will invite you into spiritual formation, not just more information.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, in the end, I want it to remind you that your starting point doesn't have to be your step point.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: In addition, here's what this series will not do.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: It is not going to fix you quickly, it won't shame your patterns, and I'm not going to be providing a formula or a three-step process, because again, wholehearted formation doesn't happen through big moments alone.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Together we can explore what each one teaches us, how scripture will meet you and me there, and what it looks like to move forward with compassion instead of condemnation.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: My prayer is that somewhere in this series, you'll find yourself, not to fix what's broken, but to notice where God is already at work.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, you can listen to the series in order as it comes out.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: I'll start with the victim and move through the guide.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: But if you already know where you are in the story and the episodes are already released, just start with the one that speaks to you most right now.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: There's really no wrong way to do this.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: I just want to invite you to bring a willing heart and permission to notice without fixing.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, if something stirs in you, a memory, a question, or a longing even, don't rush past it.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: Sit with it a little bit, bring it to God, and let that step be enough for today.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: Friend, wherever you find yourself in your story right now, whether you're naming pain, releasing control, stepping into courage, or learning to walk with wisdom, you are likely not doing it wrong.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I want you to know that you don't have to do it alone.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: God is in the business of restoring you, not by erasing what's happened, but inviting you into a better chapter.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: Now, next week, I'll start where every meaningful story begins, with loss, with pain that wasn't chosen, with something that happened to you.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to share a few details about the victim role, not as a failure of faith, but as a place where healing begins.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: Being in the victim role doesn't mean you stay there.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: It simply means you're telling the truth about where you are.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: And healing begins when the truth is told in the presence of God's unconditional love.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: Until then, you are God's beloved.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: And that doesn't change no matter which role you're in.