Why My Pain Wasn’t Punishment — It Was God Leading Me Home

06/03/25 • 18 min

Homesteading Skills for a Joyful Life: Joyfully Prepared

In this episode of Joyfully Prepared, Wendi continues the story she began in part one, opening up about how God helped her reframe her identity and healing journey after a season of deep heartbreak.

You’ll hear how she:

Discovered that her purpose was not just motherhood — but her identity as a daughter of God

Began to reframe her experiences, seeing them as things that happened for her, not to her

Learned to shift from guilt and comparison to gratitude and strength

Started weaving movement, meditation, and creation into her daily healing

Found the freedom to love herself and others better, without carrying the crushing weight of over-responsibility

If you’ve ever wondered how to reframe your pain or questioned your worth when motherhood feels overwhelming, this episode offers hope, perspective, and practical encouragement.

In this episode of Joyfully Prepared, Wendi continues the story she began in part one, opening up about how God helped her reframe her identity and healing journey after a season of deep heartbreak.

You’ll hear how she:

Discovered that her purpose was not just motherhood — but her identity as a daughter of God

Began to reframe her experiences, seeing them as things that happened for her, not to her

Learned to shift from guilt and comparison to gratitude and strength

Started weaving movement, meditation, and creation into her daily healing

Found the freedom to love herself and others better, without carrying the crushing weight of over-responsibility

If you’ve ever wondered how to reframe your pain or questioned your worth when motherhood feels overwhelming, this episode offers hope, perspective, and practical encouragement.

Previous Episode

Why Carrying It All Nearly Broke Me

In this episode of the Joyfully Prepared podcast, Wendi gets real about the weight of motherhood — and how carrying it all nearly broke her.

She shares how she slipped into unhealthy patterns:
Never letting her kids experience consequences
Neglecting her own physical and emotional needs
Skipping connection with her husband
Believing no one else could handle things “right”
Caring too much about what other moms thought — and silently judging in return

Wendi opens up about how a painful, life-shattering moment forced her to face what she was really worshipping — and how God began gently showing her that motherhood was never meant to be an idol.

If you’ve ever felt crushed under the weight of motherhood or struggled to put God first, this episode is here to remind you: you don’t have to carry it all.

Reflection Questions to Journal:

Where in your life are you carrying more than God asked you to?
Are there places you’ve taken on too much, thinking it’s all up to you?
Are you wearing a badge of martyrdom, like I did?
Where are you silently sacrificing, hoping it proves your love or worth?
Are you rescuing others at the cost of your own peace or well-being?
Where might you be stepping in to fix or save, when it’s not actually your responsibility?
Where have you been caring in unhealthy ways — hoping it will be “enough” to prove you’re a good mom, wife, or woman?
What small area of your life might God be inviting you to gently release back to Him?
Where can you start by loosening your grip, just a little?

Website: www.joyfullyprepared.com

FB Group: Joyfully Prepared

Podcast Episode: Your purpose is YOU!