July 6, 2021
Secrets for Holding on to Rest, Hope and Relationship: Interview with Gem and Alan Fadling (episode 21)
How do you keep your sanity when your prodigal drives you crazy? How do you find time for your family, your job, yourself when a loved one takes all your attention? How do you hold on to a relationship with a rebellious one who has run the other way? Gem and Alan Fadling, founders of Unhurried Living, have some very practical suggestions. This conversation introduces four weeks on Rest.
Resources:
- Join the Prayer for Prodigals community here.
- Sign up for Judy’s monthly newsletter here.
- Purchase a copy of the When You Love a Prodigal book for you or a loved one here.
- Check out What I Learned on Our Prodigal Journey blog post: https://judydouglass.com/blog/what-i-learned-on-our-prodigal-journey
Stay connected:
- Website: judydouglass.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/JudyDouglass417/
- Instagram: instagram.com/judydouglass417/
- Twitter: twitter.com/judydouglass417
Alan and Gem Fadling
- Podcast: https://www.unhurriedliving.com/blog?tag=podcast
- Books: The Unhurried Life, What Does Your Soul Love?, Inhaling Grace
- Connect: https://www.unhurriedliving.com/
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,920
Do you love a prodigal? Do you feel like you are lost in a scary and endless wilderness?
2
00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:17,320
Welcome to the When You Love a Prodigal podcast. I am Judy Douglass and I spent more than 15
3
00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:25,480
years in that wilderness. I believe together we will discover help and hope for your journey.
4
00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:33,960
Welcome, welcome to the When You Love a Prodigal podcast. Alan and Gem, that's spelled G-E-M
5
00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:41,280
because she's such a treasure. Alan and Gem Fadling. And I am so excited to have them here.
6
00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:48,720
They, I met them, I don't know, was it four years ago or something that you came and did a seminar,
7
00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:57,240
a seminar for my team and they still talk about it because you bless them so and they learn so
8
00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:03,080
much from it. And so as I thought, who could bless the people who listened to my podcast? Well,
9
00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:12,160
I think that Alan and Gem could do that. So why don't you start off just giving us a little
10
00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:20,800
picture of how you got started on the topic of unhurried living. Just before you do that,
11
00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:28,200
I was noticing that at the beginning of the lockdown, I was ready. I said, good,
12
00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:33,720
I'll get all those rooms cleaned out. My kids are all gone. I'll get all that done and I'll
13
00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:41,320
read all the stack of books. It didn't happen. In fact, the mess got worse because we were doing
14
00:01:41,320 --> 00:01:48,360
everything at home and the books, well, a few I got done, but not very many. And so I found myself
15
00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:56,040
saying, all right, how do I get a little better control of my life and not always feel so pressured?
16
00:01:56,040 --> 00:02:05,400
And then I said, I know Alan and Gem talk about this. And so your main, your ministry is unhurried
17
00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:13,000
living. And you have two books, Alan, Unhurried Life and Unhurried Leader. Is there another one
18
00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:18,760
coming? That's correct. Actually, I am working right now on a book that will eventually be titled
19
00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:24,360
Unhurried Daily Reflections. It'll be a one-year reader, but that's a little ways down the road.
20
00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:30,840
Yeah. Okay. And Gem, tell us about your book that's out and your book that's coming.
21
00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:38,360
Well, yeah, we wrote a book together called What Does Your Soul Love? And it's eight questions
22
00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:43,720
that reveal God's work in you. So, we're both spiritual directors and we believe in the power
23
00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:48,440
of a good question. And so we've already… I agree with that.
24
00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:56,600
We've tackled some light subjects like resistance and fear and control and vulnerability,
25
00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:01,480
but really it's an invitation to ask a good question and then sink down into that into your
26
00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:08,200
own life. And then my second book, I just turned in my first draft. It's going to be for women
27
00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:11,400
and it's about managing your thoughts and narratives.
28
00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:18,920
Well, let me ask you a question. Lots of other people are just where I've been, especially after
29
00:03:18,920 --> 00:03:25,320
this lockdown and all of a sudden it's opening up, at least in Florida where I live it is, maybe not
30
00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:32,360
in California as much where you live, but people are getting out and they're doing things and going
31
00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:39,640
places and they look back and said, I didn't get anything done. And like I've said, but they're
32
00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:47,400
still thinking, wait, wait, it was nice having some downtime, some peaceful time. How do I get that?
33
00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:56,360
Because in our nation and our world today with technology, especially everything is so fast and
34
00:03:56,360 --> 00:04:04,600
all over the place. And I know that you've heard and I'm sure that many of my listeners have heard
35
00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:14,760
that there's a great saying by Dallas Willard that has been out. And he says, what's the most
36
00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:22,920
important thing you can do for your life? You can eliminate, ruthlessly eliminate all hurry.
37
00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:33,160
And so we're not doing so well at that. So how did we get to this place of hurriedness, of rush,
38
00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:40,840
of so much going on in our life? And then begin to tell us a little about how you got into this topic.
39
00:04:40,840 --> 00:04:48,120
Yeah, I love that piece of spiritual council that Dallas offers ruthlessly. You must ruthlessly
40
00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:52,680
eliminate hurry from your life. I remember the first time I heard it, I thought that sounds
41
00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:59,800
impossible. That sounds really, really hard. But the longer I've lived with that sentence,
42
00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:07,480
the more I've thought that really is an absolutely strategic invitation that I think actually Jesus
43
00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:14,920
is extending to us. I think Jesus is the most beautifully unhurried person in the universe.
44
00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:24,840
And I think he invites us to follow his unhurried way. So how do we get here? Golly, that could be
45
00:05:24,840 --> 00:05:33,960
a podcast or two all by itself. Technology in part has accelerated our lives. The promise was
46
00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:41,320
it would save us time. You can get a big job done in a little time. But what happens though is
47
00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:46,200
the one job that you get done in a little time becomes six jobs that you do in the same amount
48
00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:53,800
of time. And so there's this gradual acceleration of our experience. So that's one way we got there.
49
00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:58,760
A second thing I want to say is that this is more general. This is just human, not necessarily
50
00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:05,320
modern times. But one of the reasons we get so hurried is how we define our lives. We think that
51
00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:11,800
we are the stuff we do. We think we are the things we possess. We think we are all the stuff people
52
00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:18,680
say about us. And if we believe that, then do more, get more, impress more people becomes our mode of
53
00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:26,520
operation. And that is a recipe for hurry. That's really true. That's really true. Well, as you think
54
00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:35,240
about my audience, people who have a prodigal, somebody in their life who's making destructive
55
00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:43,320
choices, maybe rebellion, maybe just so wounded that they are acting out trying to handle their
56
00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:50,200
pain. Maybe it's mental illness. And certainly all of that has been increased with the pandemic
57
00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:58,600
that the people don't know how to handle themselves. And families don't know how to care for their
58
00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:07,320
families. So how do you see that this becomes an important topic then for the lovers of prodigals,
59
00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:13,560
which is what I like to call them? That's beautiful. So I think the first thing that might be useful to
60
00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:19,800
say is when we talk about an unturried life, we're not talking about some idyllic oasis life.
61
00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:26,040
Trouble free experience where we sit around on Lazy Boys and read our favorite book all day.
62
00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:34,200
Sounds good. It wouldn't be a terrible thing for a vacation. But when we talk about
63
00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:39,160
unhurried, we're not so much talking about the stuff going on around us. We're not even really
64
00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:45,240
talking about the things on our calendar or the things on our to do list. What we're talking about
65
00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:53,800
is the quality of our soul. Like that is where unhurry takes shape in us. And the good news
66
00:07:53,800 --> 00:08:03,160
about that is our souls can learn to be unhurried in hard situations, in difficult relationships,
67
00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:09,960
like relationship with a beloved prodigal. We can learn that the Lord is our shepherd and can
68
00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:16,680
shepherd us through hard places and in difficult relationships. And so when we talk about unhurried,
69
00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:23,880
we're talking about learning from Jesus how to live his restful and unhurried way in the midst of
70
00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:29,800
our actual life as we find it right now with all of its challenges, with all of its pains,
71
00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:36,040
with all of its losses. That to me is a realistic vision of what unhurried could be. It's maybe
72
00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:41,000
another way of just saying what Jesus said when he said, are you burdened? Is your life heavy? Come
73
00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:47,880
to me. Come to me and you will find rest for your soul. That's the spirit of what we mean to say by
74
00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:55,240
unhurried. So Gem, were you just dragged along into this or did you come willingly?
75
00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:59,320
I was not. She's better at unhurried than I am, I'll tell you that much.
76
00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:02,600
I don't know about that. Well, that's, I don't know if it, is it a coincidence?
77
00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:06,360
I was going to, I thought I would ask it the way I did then.
78
00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:14,840
Yeah, no, actually this was, fortunately for us, it was an invitation that was extended to both of
79
00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:23,000
us at the exact same time. We mark, I know we mark a point, we call about 1990, is the year
80
00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:28,200
where we met these people and they introduced us to this way of thinking, this sort of,
81
00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:31,880
well, we were introduced to solitude and silence actually. That was a big part of it.
82
00:09:32,680 --> 00:09:41,080
And we were both at the same workshop with the same invitations and we both just grabbed on at
83
00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:47,320
the same time. So even though Alan wrote the book, this is really a journey we've both been on
84
00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:52,360
together and in our own personal lives. Yeah, it may be my book, but it's our story.
85
00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:55,560
Yeah, that's, oh, that's a good way to say it. It's our lives.
86
00:09:55,560 --> 00:10:01,960
It's our lives. Yeah. So how, yeah. So how would you say to listeners,
87
00:10:02,680 --> 00:10:09,240
how do you begin to do this? What are the first steps? How do you cultivate a different perspective
88
00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:17,800
on life that lets it not feel so out of control? Yeah, I think one thing that people can check in
89
00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:25,800
with themselves is sort of the classic question is, do you want this? Do you want to change? Do
90
00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:32,200
you want, even though everything might be spinning around out here, do you welcome a change inside?
91
00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:40,920
So if the answer to that is yes, then you can begin to make progress on some relatively easy
92
00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:49,640
steps. If you're open, you could just start then noticing when you are triggered or when something
93
00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:55,480
is going on, sort of taking one step back as soon as you catch yourself. Cause we both understand
94
00:10:55,480 --> 00:11:00,520
that life is hard and when something's going on that's traumatic or triggering, we're not in,
95
00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:05,160
we're not in our best frame of mind. So of course there's the initial reactions and responses and
96
00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:12,040
angers or whatever there is, but at some point in that process, you can catch yourself and go,
97
00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:22,600
okay, this is going on and yet I have a good shepherd and yet I have been told that there is
98
00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:30,600
this light and easy yoke, right? I have been told that there is rest for the weary. So at some point
99
00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:37,160
in there, if you could grab yourself and bring in those beautiful invitations and then sink into it,
100
00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:45,480
even for 30 seconds, even for 30 seconds, we'll make a difference. Well, it's better than doing
101
00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:51,880
it zero seconds. That's true. So you're sure if you have a five minutes or if you have an hour,
102
00:11:51,880 --> 00:12:00,120
but I'm trying to say if you can just notice, catch yourself, breathe a prayer that comes from
103
00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:07,400
scripture and let yourself believe it. It's a good first step. A very good first step.
104
00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:16,440
How many first steps before you began to recognize, I know this is, you can't really say,
105
00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:24,280
but you began to realize this makes a difference in my life and then I could maybe even do something
106
00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:30,680
to make it more so. Yeah. So as I was listening to Gem, one of the things that I had to come
107
00:12:30,680 --> 00:12:38,760
to grips with was I had a way of thinking of my inner hurry as a virtue. Like I am the guy who gets
108
00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:44,280
stuff done and I am the guy who rises the high standards and I am the guy who will not disappoint
109
00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:50,600
anybody and I am going to acquire every possible distinction that's available to me. And I had to
110
00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:56,520
decide whether that was working for me so well or not. And often it was a hard to decide.
111
00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:04,200
I decided that it got me to some places of accomplishment, but it wasn't working great for
112
00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:14,680
my soul. The kind of driven, anxious, frustrated, irritated sort of inner life wasn't looking much
113
00:13:14,680 --> 00:13:19,640
like Jesus. And in the end, I might've been getting a lot of things done, but I wasn't bearing
114
00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:25,160
great fruit. And actually that was the hope of, that was my great hope. I wanted to live a life
115
00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:32,520
that bore the kind of fruit that Jesus would invite me to. That felt like what I'd been invited to.
116
00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:40,120
And so I began, part of my, so what I'm saying this is I had to get a vision for an unhurried life
117
00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:46,120
as the best possible version of my life. And that hurry, instead of being an asset or a virtue,
118
00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:51,240
was tending to get in my way of the thing that I said that I most deeply wanted and discovered
119
00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:59,880
I actually did most deeply want. So first let's stop for just a second and talk about the soul.
120
00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:09,240
You've talked several times about the best, what's best for your soul. How are you defining that?
121
00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:16,120
How are you defining that? Soul is a hard thing for people to get a grasp of understanding.
122
00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:22,920
And so they might be able to apply it better if they have a little better understanding of what
123
00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:28,200
you're talking about when you say the soul. You know, there are probably any number of definitions
124
00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:33,480
that I could pull out of the catalog, but I'd rather just sort of talk about it. And so when
125
00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:40,440
I say soul, I'm kind of talking about the essential me, the whole of me on the inside of me,
126
00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:47,240
the me that has been made in the image of God, the me that has been redeemed by Jesus,
127
00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:54,520
the me that is being restored into God's original vision of who he saw I would be and the gifts I
128
00:14:54,520 --> 00:15:01,160
would bring to the world. So you could say the real me, the essential me, the inner person.
129
00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:06,120
When Paul prays, I pray that the spirit might strengthen you in the inner person
130
00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:11,880
so that Christ might dwell in your hearts by faith. That would be sort of the essence of what I mean
131
00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:20,280
by the language of soul. That's great. Anything else to add to that, Gem? I think that's probably
132
00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:26,520
what I would have said too. I love the word essence. That's good. I love the word essence.
133
00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:33,560
I love the idea of the root, the true, the real. I think Dallas Willard, maybe it's not him,
134
00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:40,040
but someone was talking about the soul being this sort of alive connector. It's connecting
135
00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:46,680
all the parts of us. It's sort of like a maybe like a membrane or a sinew or something, right?
136
00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:50,760
It's the, when you were talking about the inner person, it's that part. I don't think I have
137
00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:58,520
anything to add to what he said is what I'm saying. Okay. So say the parent of a young adult who's out
138
00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:06,120
of control and they don't even know where they are except that they're probably doing drugs,
139
00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:14,440
hanging out with wrong people, perhaps doing some crime kinds of things. Those would be fairly
140
00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:24,200
normal in the parents that I'm connecting with. So what would you say to them? How do I actually
141
00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:33,400
do this? You told me a very first step, take that breath, let your spirit loose and your soul get
142
00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:41,960
ministered to, but they're used to first steps and many, many more steps and things that don't work
143
00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:52,440
over time or they are used to a child or a person in their life that begins to go in a right direction
144
00:16:52,440 --> 00:17:00,120
and then relapses or turns back. And so these kinds of things are really hard for them to
145
00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:06,520
look beyond the fact that nothing's under control, nothing's going in a good direction.
146
00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:12,440
So what can they do to help themselves? They can't always help their loved one
147
00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:19,240
because they're not ready to be helped, but they can do some things to help themselves. And that's
148
00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:25,960
what I'd really like to be able to give them is some really specific things for this journey
149
00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:32,280
that they're on. It's not a quick thing very often, very rarely is it quick. So what are your thoughts?
150
00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:39,480
Well, so I haven't been on that journey particularly myself, but I have just been through a year that
151
00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:44,520
was maybe one of the hardest years of my adult life and I turned 60 this year. So I've had a few
152
00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:50,520
years to have bad experiences or hard experiences or challenging moments or seasons or eras.
153
00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:58,760
And I think what I would say is in the midst of the stressors of this last year, what I have needed
154
00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:05,400
is to acknowledge I'm not in control, even though I keep trying to be. It's been good for me
155
00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:11,240
to remind myself and I've had to do this often daily and sometimes more than daily.
156
00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:20,120
I have a shepherd and I think by extension the one I love, my beloved prodigal has a shepherd.
157
00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:24,120
Now that prodigal is resisting the shepherd, wandering from the shepherd,
158
00:18:24,120 --> 00:18:30,680
but that doesn't change the nature of the shepherd. The shepherd is still so good at what he does
159
00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:36,680
and I may not be able to see how in the world Jesus is being the good shepherd he says he is
160
00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:42,600
in the life of my beloved prodigal, but it's a good thing for me to keep remembering that
161
00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:49,080
what I don't have control of, Jesus fully understands and is very present to. And in
162
00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:57,640
mysterious ways is at work. That helps me find hope in my own challenging moments. It helps me
163
00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:03,320
remember what I do and don't have control of. I can pray for the one I love who's wayward.
164
00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:04,200
Absolutely.
165
00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:10,680
I can do that and that matters and it makes a difference and it reminds me of the one who cares.
166
00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:17,240
That has been at least one thing that's been really critical. It's a way of framing my vision
167
00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:23,960
of reality that right alongside the reality, in this case of a beloved prodigal, I also have
168
00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:32,040
the undergirding reality of a good shepherd and practicing that reality helps me then navigate
169
00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:38,680
the pain, the fear, the loss, the frustration, all of the feelings that I feel in a chronic,
170
00:19:38,680 --> 00:19:44,520
long-term, difficult situation. That's at least one thought that comes to my mind.
171
00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:47,800
Gem, anything else you'd like to add to that?
172
00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:53,640
Yeah, so in our book, What is Your Soul of, there's a practice there. It's actually in the
173
00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:59,800
fear chapter. It's called the practice of unpacking and it really takes that idea of
174
00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:05,880
cast all your cares on him because he cares for you. And one of the phrases, this is a total
175
00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:14,440
cliche, but it helps me, especially in relationship to other people, is that I'm a good shepherd.
176
00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:21,240
I can care for someone without carrying them. Right?
177
00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:26,840
Well, yes. And that is a tremendous issue with lovers of prodigals.
178
00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:27,160
Of course.
179
00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:28,440
Is they're trying to carry them?
180
00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:37,400
Yes. And so carrying is its own thing. It's loving. Carrying is a weight on you that can
181
00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:44,440
become unbearable. And I imagine in this situation, it is unbearable. So what does it look like to
182
00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:53,560
still care, but not carry someone on you like a bag or a weight? And so in the practice of unpacking,
183
00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:59,480
I just share, if you can get your imagination rolling, that you've got a backpack on your
184
00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:06,520
shoulders and it's quite heavy, but you imagine yourself taking it off, put it on a table or on
185
00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:11,800
the floor in front of you, and then you look inside and you see what's there.
186
00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:12,360
And what do you discover?
187
00:21:12,360 --> 00:21:17,800
And what do you see? So for the people listening here, I'm imagining you're seeing your prodigal.
188
00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:23,320
And you can do this with any number of people or issues, but if you're seeing your prodigal in
189
00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:27,720
there, what would it look like if you just imagine yourself reaching into the backpack,
190
00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:35,160
taking them out, and then Jesus said, cast all your cares on him because he cares for you.
191
00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:42,120
Paul said that about what would it look like for you to take your prodigal out and hand them to
192
00:21:42,120 --> 00:21:51,880
Jesus? So this is carrying, but it's not carrying. And it shows a great deal of trust.
193
00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:54,280
Absolutely.
194
00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:56,520
So because I think trust is involved here.
195
00:21:56,520 --> 00:21:56,920
Yes.
196
00:21:56,920 --> 00:22:05,080
When we're carrying, I don't know that we're fully embodying the idea of real trust in what God
197
00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:07,080
can and hopefully will do.
198
00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:14,120
We think we have to do it. We have to rescue them, make them make the right choices.
199
00:22:14,120 --> 00:22:19,160
I know by experience. So that's a great concept.
200
00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:25,720
And I think alongside that, to realize that, and you've really already said this, this is a journey.
201
00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:30,280
Wouldn't it be nice if you could just put your backpack on the table, pull out the prodigal,
202
00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:33,240
hand them to Jesus? Now we're all set. Good. Did that.
203
00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:33,800
Everything changed.
204
00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:39,800
What's the next thing I'm supposed to do instead of, okay, I think I just put them back in my
205
00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:45,640
backpack about 10 minutes later. So I'm going to do that again. And I'm just going to learn to make
206
00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:52,440
that a way of life for myself, that I will keep releasing my carrying into the care of Jesus.
207
00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:59,160
And I will learn little by little, maybe not to keep carrying. Maybe I can learn over time how
208
00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:00,840
to do that. And I think you can.
209
00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:09,320
Oh, I think you can too. But I think that's just wonderful practice. And that's what it's going to
210
00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:17,880
take is things that you practice and do over and over to be able. So you talked about that concept
211
00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:24,040
of dealing with fear. For example, you said that in your fear chapter, what's another one of the
212
00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:28,680
topics in your soul book that would be helpful?
213
00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:33,160
Yeah. Well, I think this is a word you already said earlier, which is control. We have a chapter
214
00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:39,000
on control. And in there, actually, I share a story of where I got a little too medley with
215
00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:45,240
a couple of friends. And I think that's the chapter I shared that in anyway. I just learned the hard
216
00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:50,360
way. And we all know this. And what I'm going to say, you're going to go, of course, I cannot
217
00:23:50,360 --> 00:23:59,640
control other people. We all know that, but we keep trying. And at some point in the process,
218
00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:06,440
it's all a process, as you said, of practicing. But at some point, it's got to soak in a little
219
00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:13,320
bit deeper to where we actually believe that. And when you can really believe that I cannot
220
00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:18,040
control the other person and you can take your hands off just for a bit.
221
00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:22,200
But that's so scary. What are they going to do?
222
00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:30,520
Yeah. So there's something here about, I think as well, kind of the inherent dignity of a human
223
00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:37,400
being. Absolutely. That they get to choose what they think, what they do, how they behave.
224
00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:47,720
And we may absolutely disagree. But there is a reality of they get to choose. And this one's
225
00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:52,120
the hardest because being out of control, I think no one likes that.
226
00:24:53,400 --> 00:25:02,520
So you're talking to your 14-year-old, which is when ours really got out of control. How do
227
00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:09,720
you help them at that age when you have responsibility for them still to not control,
228
00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:17,800
but help them learn to make better choices and learn to better choices for life in general,
229
00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:24,120
but for themselves and see what they're looking at. What do they want for their future? I know
230
00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:29,720
they don't at 14 think very much about that. Right. Probably not. Yeah. Well, this is muddier
231
00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:35,800
than kind of what I was sharing about because I was thinking more of like, you know, other adults.
232
00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:43,000
So if you've got a child, this is a different story. Under age, there is a responsibility here,
233
00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:48,360
of course, to help guide. But I'm wondering if we can bring in the idea of questions again.
234
00:25:48,360 --> 00:25:55,480
I think you could. That's good. And so I don't know how bad off this 14-year-old is, how rebellious
235
00:25:55,480 --> 00:26:01,240
they are, how much they listen or not. But what would it look like if you asked questions instead
236
00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:06,200
of giving directives so that they might be able to stumble upon the very thing you're hoping for,
237
00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:13,320
but maybe they can stumble on it themselves because they're thinking. I love that. What kind
238
00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:21,480
of questions? Oh, goodness. Help me out, Ellen. Well, so I still think the questions that we offer
239
00:26:21,480 --> 00:26:27,240
in this book are good for any age. And you get a different kind of answer probably from a 14-year-old,
240
00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:33,400
but you could ask, what is it you're looking for here? What do you want? That's excellent.
241
00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:38,120
You know, and if they say, you know, they want something and their first answer is probably not
242
00:26:38,120 --> 00:26:43,400
the real want. And probably their fifth answer isn't even the real one. But if you keep, well,
243
00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:49,640
tell me more about that. What else do you want? And if you can get down a few layers, you might
244
00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:54,760
start hearing what's actually happening in their heart. And then you'd have something to work with.
245
00:26:54,760 --> 00:27:02,520
You would know how to pray. You would know how to care. But all of that, this is where Unhurried
246
00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:06,680
comes in too, because you have to be patient enough to ask a question, wait for the answer,
247
00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:16,600
listen, and ask more questions. This is long and it takes time. But it's beautiful because the
248
00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:24,520
tendency in your frustration and fear when you're working with a prodigal is you come in with
249
00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:33,560
accusations or you come in with demands. Fix it. So it's either you're this bad in some way,
250
00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:41,960
or you have to be this. And you're talking about a way to engage them in conversation
251
00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:50,600
with a gentleness as opposed to a toughness and a fierceness in their attitudes. And yet, help them
252
00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:55,960
begin to think as opposed to you're telling them how to think. I love it.
253
00:27:55,960 --> 00:28:04,200
Yeah. And I think the challenge that we have to lean into is nobody likes to be controlled.
254
00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:04,920
Right.
255
00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:10,280
And we don't have to think very far to think, I don't like being controlled. I don't like being
256
00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:16,280
controlled. I don't like when other people use their words in a way to try and manipulate me in
257
00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:21,240
the direction they want me to go. I don't like it when someone else tried to force my hand.
258
00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:27,400
The challenge, of course, is in the end, the control doesn't bear really good fruit because
259
00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:33,720
what you're dealing with is a young person here with a will who's going to make choices.
260
00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:35,960
If you force them into choices, don't take them...
261
00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:37,400
Now that starts at around two.
262
00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:43,720
Yeah, it starts a lot earlier than 14. And so always...
263
00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:46,600
Go ahead. If you force them to make choices.
264
00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:55,720
Yeah. They may do it because they have to, but eventually they won't. What you're trying to do
265
00:28:55,720 --> 00:29:00,680
is shape their will in the direction of good. You can't force that. You can't manipulate that
266
00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:07,320
because goodness doesn't come out of those sorts of initiatives. But like Gem said, asking questions
267
00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:14,440
loving questions, being genuinely curious, wanting to know what's happening inside of your
268
00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:18,680
son or your daughter, that's a loving response.
269
00:29:19,560 --> 00:29:26,680
One that can make a huge difference because you do help them to think. And if you don't assume
270
00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:33,560
that their first or second or third answer is still the reality, but you don't tell them you're
271
00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:39,560
wrong, you just say, well, just like you said, tell me more. Let's go a little further with that. Or
272
00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:48,520
Josh McDowell loved to set up situations and ask his kids, what would you do in this? Or what would
273
00:29:48,520 --> 00:29:57,560
you think about this? And that helped them to think about it. And so asking questions is a great way
274
00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:07,160
to do this. What are any more things you would say in depth or briefly that would be really helpful?
275
00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:16,040
I just want to help these prodigal lovers have a clue how they can find a little more peace for
276
00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:23,640
themselves while finding, helping their loved ones find peace. And again, some of them are young and
277
00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:30,120
you have some authority in their life. Control doesn't usually work very well though. But some
278
00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:42,600
of them are adults. So a funny story, yesterday, my assistant for 21 years, his daughter is young
279
00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:48,760
and trying to be a photographer. So I needed some more headshots for my podcast promos and stuff.
280
00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:54,120
And so I asked her to take them. Well, her mom came with her because we're all very close. And
281
00:30:54,120 --> 00:31:01,080
so everything that Crystal wanted to do, her mom had a thought on it and how to do it. And don't
282
00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:05,640
you think you want to do this? And I said, it's really nice your mom comes as your assistant.
283
00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:13,800
But that's the way we do it. We aren't as outward in our control a lot of times. Manipulative, yes,
284
00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:20,440
as you said. But we still are trying to, but yet that doesn't work. I've learned not to do that
285
00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:28,600
with my adult children. I had to learn not to do it with my sons-in-law. It's like, no, Judy,
286
00:31:28,600 --> 00:31:33,800
you really don't get to say anything. You just tell them how wonderful they are and you love them.
287
00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:42,200
So any other thoughts on how you would deal with people that are older, that are adults that are
288
00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:48,600
on their own, and yet you still would like to help them be encouraged toward a better choice,
289
00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:56,600
better choices in their life. So I have a couple of things here that I wanted to share. One was,
290
00:31:56,600 --> 00:32:00,920
I wanted to share just a small handful of other questions to circle back a little bit.
291
00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:06,440
Please do. Other questions you can ask. So the one question we threw out was, what do you want here?
292
00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:15,480
What are you looking for? You can also ask them, what are you afraid of? And what are you hiding
293
00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:25,000
from? Or what are you clinging to? I mean, these are the questions from the book. They're very
294
00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:31,880
potent, but again, you'll get a surface question. But here's the question that you ask after you've
295
00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:39,960
asked the question that gets you deeper in. And it's the acronym AWE, AW. You can ask this as
296
00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:48,280
many times as you need, and it's just, and what else? And what else? What are you afraid of? And
297
00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:55,640
you listen. Well, and what else? And let them talk and let them unpack. So I just wanted to go back
298
00:32:55,640 --> 00:33:03,400
to that idea of asking questions again and offer a few more. The other thing about the prodigal
299
00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:11,240
lovers is, I think some of the deep work is actually working with your own fears.
300
00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:17,880
And you've probably talked with them about this already, but maybe I'm just underscoring it.
301
00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:27,640
Please do. I think it's very important for us to be as self-aware as we possibly can be. And so,
302
00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:33,960
and control and fear are usually at the base of most of the things that are happening up here on
303
00:33:33,960 --> 00:33:39,960
the surface, anything we're saying or doing. If it's not helpful to us or to other people,
304
00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:48,920
if you track it down, down here you'll find some issue of probably fear. I'm afraid of this. So if
305
00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:57,400
we can become aware of those things and bring them to prayer, take them to a counselor, a trusted
306
00:33:57,400 --> 00:34:05,800
friend, a pastor, and work through your own fears. Some of the control can then be released,
307
00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:09,480
because I think control happens because we want to manage this fear that we have,
308
00:34:09,480 --> 00:34:11,480
and we think we're going to do it by managing the person.
309
00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:15,000
Really true. So does that make sense?
310
00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:20,440
Oh, absolutely makes sense. It does. I love it. And it seems to me also that
311
00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:28,200
this, well, it's not coming out right. So go ahead. I'll let you talk.
312
00:34:29,240 --> 00:34:33,560
Well, so the other thought maybe just to piggyback on what Gem has said is,
313
00:34:33,560 --> 00:34:38,840
and this is sort of maybe essential, and that is we often operate on the assumption
314
00:34:39,240 --> 00:34:45,800
that someone else must change for my life to get better. Whether it's my spouse needs to change,
315
00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:52,200
my child needs to change, my coworker needs to change, only then will my life get better.
316
00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:59,080
That's a very precarious place to live, because suddenly now they have complete control
317
00:34:59,720 --> 00:35:01,880
of your well-being. That's really true.
318
00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:06,840
That's really true. And what I love about the genius of Jesus
319
00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:14,040
and the genius of the Scriptures is all of it is designed to help us find well-being and rest
320
00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:22,200
and security not out there somewhere in a solved problem or a repentant prodigal.
321
00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:30,120
But the well-being is something I find in relationship with God with me. And that
322
00:35:30,120 --> 00:35:37,400
well-being, that restfulness can be mine regardless of my surroundings, my circumstances,
323
00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:45,320
or the painful relationships in my life. That is just a sort of a, it's a vision that I think
324
00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:50,920
Jesus is inviting us to, that the kingdom of God is something that's at work within you,
325
00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:57,800
that peaceable, good, joyful place is a place of relationship with God. That's not just
326
00:35:57,800 --> 00:36:03,800
nice religious language. That's actually the life to which Jesus has invited us.
327
00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:10,520
Now from that place of robust life, I can navigate a painful relationship with a beloved prodigal.
328
00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:17,960
I have resources in me to navigate their poor choices, painful choices, destructive choices.
329
00:36:18,600 --> 00:36:25,160
But if I think my well-being is completely hooked into their finally changing, I'm in for a long,
330
00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:35,480
bumpy, painful ride. Wow. I just think that sums up what we all need to hear. That when we think we
331
00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:42,840
can control or that if something happens and we'll be okay, we won't ever get there. We won't get
332
00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:50,360
there. And yet it's in that relationship with God. It's in the work he's doing in our souls,
333
00:36:50,360 --> 00:37:00,520
the taking the burdens and giving us instead the peace and the joy and the patience, all the things
334
00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:07,480
that the fruit of the spirit offer us, then those things will make the difference. And one of the
335
00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:13,720
main things I say to our prodigal lovers is, you know, this is as much about you as about your
336
00:37:13,720 --> 00:37:22,840
prodigal, which is exactly what you've been saying. And so I say, look at what God's teaching you,
337
00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:29,240
because he's working on your prodigal. Don't worry. He is working, but he's also, every bit of this is
338
00:37:29,240 --> 00:37:36,120
for you and we'll do something for you. And you have just given us some really practical things
339
00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:46,680
to let our soul be free in a sense, to be cared for, to rest in Jesus and not in thinking we have
340
00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:53,640
to control. And that will improve our lives dramatically as we do that. And as we especially,
341
00:37:53,640 --> 00:37:59,080
well, the questions apply, we ask them for ourselves as well as we ask our loved ones.
342
00:37:59,080 --> 00:38:05,720
These are wonderful truths. And if you want to know more about those truths and the questions,
343
00:38:05,720 --> 00:38:10,760
especially, tell us again, the name of your book on soul.
344
00:38:11,400 --> 00:38:15,320
It's called, what does your soul love? And you can get it anywhere,
345
00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:23,560
anywhere. And we will mention that in the show notes. So it'll be there for people. And, but
346
00:38:23,560 --> 00:38:31,720
you have unhurried life, life and unhurried leader as well. And any of us need unhurried life.
347
00:38:31,720 --> 00:38:34,760
Probably most leaders need unhurried leader.
348
00:38:35,480 --> 00:38:40,760
Well, I'll just say briefly about that. Really unhurried leader is not for the person who's in
349
00:38:40,760 --> 00:38:46,920
charge of something as much as it is, how do I navigate my relationships? How do I navigate my
350
00:38:46,920 --> 00:38:53,480
life out there as I'm trying to live on hurried in here? So that's the question. And I think
351
00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:59,480
many ways that book intersects with the conversation we've had because it gets to how it gets.
352
00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:00,680
Absolutely. It does. Yeah.
353
00:39:02,120 --> 00:39:08,360
Oh, that's great. So you're offering us these words of wisdom. And again, the questions are
354
00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:16,680
really, I think, so key to get us and our loved ones in a better place. But then you've got books
355
00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:22,360
to back it up and to give us a lot more to work with. And you do some seminars, is that right?
356
00:39:22,360 --> 00:39:28,760
Yeah. So we do all the things we have. We have a website, unhurriedliving.com. And if you go
357
00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:33,960
there, you can actually find the links to all the books if that helps. And then we have a podcast
358
00:39:33,960 --> 00:39:38,200
as well. It's called Unhurried Living Podcast. So anywhere you just type in the words unhurried
359
00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:44,840
living, you'll find us on Facebook and Instagram and podcasting. And we do group coaching, we do
360
00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:51,560
individual coaching, speaking, all the things. And does this fill up your life and make it
361
00:39:51,560 --> 00:40:00,920
feel hurried, all these things you're doing? We are continually learning how to be busy and unhurried.
362
00:40:00,920 --> 00:40:06,600
Yeah. Which is possible. And we're finding that's really a nice thing to learn how to do.
363
00:40:07,160 --> 00:40:14,440
Oh, thank you so much. I'm so grateful that you would come and love on these people who need a
364
00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:21,720
lot of loving help. So God bless you. Thank you for joining me today on the When You Love
365
00:40:21,720 --> 00:40:30,040
a Prodigal podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe, rate, and review the show on
366
00:40:30,040 --> 00:40:37,400
Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. Your review helps the show reach more people with the hope
367
00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:44,200
and encouragement of Jesus. Don't forget, take a look at the show notes. And for more helpful
368
00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:52,600
information, resources and books, check out judydouglass.com. That's Douglass with two S's.
369
00:40:52,600 --> 00:41:13,960
You can find me on Facebook and on Twitter and Instagram at JudyDouglass417. Until next week.
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,920
Do you love a prodigal? Do you feel like you are lost in a scary and endless wilderness?
2
00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:17,320
Welcome to the When You Love a Prodigal podcast. I am Judy Douglass and I spent more than 15
3
00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:25,480
years in that wilderness. I believe together we will discover help and hope for your journey.
4
00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:33,960
Welcome, welcome to the When You Love a Prodigal podcast. Alan and Gem, that's spelled G-E-M
5
00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:41,280
because she's such a treasure. Alan and Gem Fadling. And I am so excited to have them here.
6
00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:48,720
They, I met them, I don't know, was it four years ago or something that you came and did a seminar,
7
00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:57,240
a seminar for my team and they still talk about it because you bless them so and they learn so
8
00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:03,080
much from it. And so as I thought, who could bless the people who listened to my podcast? Well,
9
00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:12,160
I think that Alan and Gem could do that. So why don't you start off just giving us a little
10
00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:20,800
picture of how you got started on the topic of unhurried living. Just before you do that,
11
00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:28,200
I was noticing that at the beginning of the lockdown, I was ready. I said, good,
12
00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:33,720
I'll get all those rooms cleaned out. My kids are all gone. I'll get all that done and I'll
13
00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:41,320
read all the stack of books. It didn't happen. In fact, the mess got worse because we were doing
14
00:01:41,320 --> 00:01:48,360
everything at home and the books, well, a few I got done, but not very many. And so I found myself
15
00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:56,040
saying, all right, how do I get a little better control of my life and not always feel so pressured?
16
00:01:56,040 --> 00:02:05,400
And then I said, I know Alan and Gem talk about this. And so your main, your ministry is unhurried
17
00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:13,000
living. And you have two books, Alan, Unhurried Life and Unhurried Leader. Is there another one
18
00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:18,760
coming? That's correct. Actually, I am working right now on a book that will eventually be titled
19
00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:24,360
Unhurried Daily Reflections. It'll be a one-year reader, but that's a little ways down the road.
20
00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:30,840
Yeah. Okay. And Gem, tell us about your book that's out and your book that's coming.
21
00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:38,360
Well, yeah, we wrote a book together called What Does Your Soul Love? And it's eight questions
22
00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:43,720
that reveal God's work in you. So, we're both spiritual directors and we believe in the power
23
00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:48,440
of a good question. And so we've already… I agree with that.
24
00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:56,600
We've tackled some light subjects like resistance and fear and control and vulnerability,
25
00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:01,480
but really it's an invitation to ask a good question and then sink down into that into your
26
00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:08,200
own life. And then my second book, I just turned in my first draft. It's going to be for women
27
00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:11,400
and it's about managing your thoughts and narratives.
28
00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:18,920
Well, let me ask you a question. Lots of other people are just where I've been, especially after
29
00:03:18,920 --> 00:03:25,320
this lockdown and all of a sudden it's opening up, at least in Florida where I live it is, maybe not
30
00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:32,360
in California as much where you live, but people are getting out and they're doing things and going
31
00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:39,640
places and they look back and said, I didn't get anything done. And like I've said, but they're
32
00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:47,400
still thinking, wait, wait, it was nice having some downtime, some peaceful time. How do I get that?
33
00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:56,360
Because in our nation and our world today with technology, especially everything is so fast and
34
00:03:56,360 --> 00:04:04,600
all over the place. And I know that you've heard and I'm sure that many of my listeners have heard
35
00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:14,760
that there's a great saying by Dallas Willard that has been out. And he says, what's the most
36
00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:22,920
important thing you can do for your life? You can eliminate, ruthlessly eliminate all hurry.
37
00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:33,160
And so we're not doing so well at that. So how did we get to this place of hurriedness, of rush,
38
00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:40,840
of so much going on in our life? And then begin to tell us a little about how you got into this topic.
39
00:04:40,840 --> 00:04:48,120
Yeah, I love that piece of spiritual council that Dallas offers ruthlessly. You must ruthlessly
40
00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:52,680
eliminate hurry from your life. I remember the first time I heard it, I thought that sounds
41
00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:59,800
impossible. That sounds really, really hard. But the longer I've lived with that sentence,
42
00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:07,480
the more I've thought that really is an absolutely strategic invitation that I think actually Jesus
43
00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:14,920
is extending to us. I think Jesus is the most beautifully unhurried person in the universe.
44
00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:24,840
And I think he invites us to follow his unhurried way. So how do we get here? Golly, that could be
45
00:05:24,840 --> 00:05:33,960
a podcast or two all by itself. Technology in part has accelerated our lives. The promise was
46
00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:41,320
it would save us time. You can get a big job done in a little time. But what happens though is
47
00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:46,200
the one job that you get done in a little time becomes six jobs that you do in the same amount
48
00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:53,800
of time. And so there's this gradual acceleration of our experience. So that's one way we got there.
49
00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:58,760
A second thing I want to say is that this is more general. This is just human, not necessarily
50
00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:05,320
modern times. But one of the reasons we get so hurried is how we define our lives. We think that
51
00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:11,800
we are the stuff we do. We think we are the things we possess. We think we are all the stuff people
52
00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:18,680
say about us. And if we believe that, then do more, get more, impress more people becomes our mode of
53
00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:26,520
operation. And that is a recipe for hurry. That's really true. That's really true. Well, as you think
54
00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:35,240
about my audience, people who have a prodigal, somebody in their life who's making destructive
55
00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:43,320
choices, maybe rebellion, maybe just so wounded that they are acting out trying to handle their
56
00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:50,200
pain. Maybe it's mental illness. And certainly all of that has been increased with the pandemic
57
00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:58,600
that the people don't know how to handle themselves. And families don't know how to care for their
58
00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:07,320
families. So how do you see that this becomes an important topic then for the lovers of prodigals,
59
00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:13,560
which is what I like to call them? That's beautiful. So I think the first thing that might be useful to
60
00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:19,800
say is when we talk about an unturried life, we're not talking about some idyllic oasis life.
61
00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:26,040
Trouble free experience where we sit around on Lazy Boys and read our favorite book all day.
62
00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:34,200
Sounds good. It wouldn't be a terrible thing for a vacation. But when we talk about
63
00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:39,160
unhurried, we're not so much talking about the stuff going on around us. We're not even really
64
00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:45,240
talking about the things on our calendar or the things on our to do list. What we're talking about
65
00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:53,800
is the quality of our soul. Like that is where unhurry takes shape in us. And the good news
66
00:07:53,800 --> 00:08:03,160
about that is our souls can learn to be unhurried in hard situations, in difficult relationships,
67
00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:09,960
like relationship with a beloved prodigal. We can learn that the Lord is our shepherd and can
68
00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:16,680
shepherd us through hard places and in difficult relationships. And so when we talk about unhurried,
69
00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:23,880
we're talking about learning from Jesus how to live his restful and unhurried way in the midst of
70
00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:29,800
our actual life as we find it right now with all of its challenges, with all of its pains,
71
00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:36,040
with all of its losses. That to me is a realistic vision of what unhurried could be. It's maybe
72
00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:41,000
another way of just saying what Jesus said when he said, are you burdened? Is your life heavy? Come
73
00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:47,880
to me. Come to me and you will find rest for your soul. That's the spirit of what we mean to say by
74
00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:55,240
unhurried. So Gem, were you just dragged along into this or did you come willingly?
75
00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:59,320
I was not. She's better at unhurried than I am, I'll tell you that much.
76
00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:02,600
I don't know about that. Well, that's, I don't know if it, is it a coincidence?
77
00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:06,360
I was going to, I thought I would ask it the way I did then.
78
00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:14,840
Yeah, no, actually this was, fortunately for us, it was an invitation that was extended to both of
79
00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:23,000
us at the exact same time. We mark, I know we mark a point, we call about 1990, is the year
80
00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:28,200
where we met these people and they introduced us to this way of thinking, this sort of,
81
00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:31,880
well, we were introduced to solitude and silence actually. That was a big part of it.
82
00:09:32,680 --> 00:09:41,080
And we were both at the same workshop with the same invitations and we both just grabbed on at
83
00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:47,320
the same time. So even though Alan wrote the book, this is really a journey we've both been on
84
00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:52,360
together and in our own personal lives. Yeah, it may be my book, but it's our story.
85
00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:55,560
Yeah, that's, oh, that's a good way to say it. It's our lives.
86
00:09:55,560 --> 00:10:01,960
It's our lives. Yeah. So how, yeah. So how would you say to listeners,
87
00:10:02,680 --> 00:10:09,240
how do you begin to do this? What are the first steps? How do you cultivate a different perspective
88
00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:17,800
on life that lets it not feel so out of control? Yeah, I think one thing that people can check in
89
00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:25,800
with themselves is sort of the classic question is, do you want this? Do you want to change? Do
90
00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:32,200
you want, even though everything might be spinning around out here, do you welcome a change inside?
91
00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:40,920
So if the answer to that is yes, then you can begin to make progress on some relatively easy
92
00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:49,640
steps. If you're open, you could just start then noticing when you are triggered or when something
93
00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:55,480
is going on, sort of taking one step back as soon as you catch yourself. Cause we both understand
94
00:10:55,480 --> 00:11:00,520
that life is hard and when something's going on that's traumatic or triggering, we're not in,
95
00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:05,160
we're not in our best frame of mind. So of course there's the initial reactions and responses and
96
00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:12,040
angers or whatever there is, but at some point in that process, you can catch yourself and go,
97
00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:22,600
okay, this is going on and yet I have a good shepherd and yet I have been told that there is
98
00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:30,600
this light and easy yoke, right? I have been told that there is rest for the weary. So at some point
99
00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:37,160
in there, if you could grab yourself and bring in those beautiful invitations and then sink into it,
100
00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:45,480
even for 30 seconds, even for 30 seconds, we'll make a difference. Well, it's better than doing
101
00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:51,880
it zero seconds. That's true. So you're sure if you have a five minutes or if you have an hour,
102
00:11:51,880 --> 00:12:00,120
but I'm trying to say if you can just notice, catch yourself, breathe a prayer that comes from
103
00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:07,400
scripture and let yourself believe it. It's a good first step. A very good first step.
104
00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:16,440
How many first steps before you began to recognize, I know this is, you can't really say,
105
00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:24,280
but you began to realize this makes a difference in my life and then I could maybe even do something
106
00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:30,680
to make it more so. Yeah. So as I was listening to Gem, one of the things that I had to come
107
00:12:30,680 --> 00:12:38,760
to grips with was I had a way of thinking of my inner hurry as a virtue. Like I am the guy who gets
108
00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:44,280
stuff done and I am the guy who rises the high standards and I am the guy who will not disappoint
109
00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:50,600
anybody and I am going to acquire every possible distinction that's available to me. And I had to
110
00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:56,520
decide whether that was working for me so well or not. And often it was a hard to decide.
111
00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:04,200
I decided that it got me to some places of accomplishment, but it wasn't working great for
112
00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:14,680
my soul. The kind of driven, anxious, frustrated, irritated sort of inner life wasn't looking much
113
00:13:14,680 --> 00:13:19,640
like Jesus. And in the end, I might've been getting a lot of things done, but I wasn't bearing
114
00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:25,160
great fruit. And actually that was the hope of, that was my great hope. I wanted to live a life
115
00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:32,520
that bore the kind of fruit that Jesus would invite me to. That felt like what I'd been invited to.
116
00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:40,120
And so I began, part of my, so what I'm saying this is I had to get a vision for an unhurried life
117
00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:46,120
as the best possible version of my life. And that hurry, instead of being an asset or a virtue,
118
00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:51,240
was tending to get in my way of the thing that I said that I most deeply wanted and discovered
119
00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:59,880
I actually did most deeply want. So first let's stop for just a second and talk about the soul.
120
00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:09,240
You've talked several times about the best, what's best for your soul. How are you defining that?
121
00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:16,120
How are you defining that? Soul is a hard thing for people to get a grasp of understanding.
122
00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:22,920
And so they might be able to apply it better if they have a little better understanding of what
123
00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:28,200
you're talking about when you say the soul. You know, there are probably any number of definitions
124
00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:33,480
that I could pull out of the catalog, but I'd rather just sort of talk about it. And so when
125
00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:40,440
I say soul, I'm kind of talking about the essential me, the whole of me on the inside of me,
126
00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:47,240
the me that has been made in the image of God, the me that has been redeemed by Jesus,
127
00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:54,520
the me that is being restored into God's original vision of who he saw I would be and the gifts I
128
00:14:54,520 --> 00:15:01,160
would bring to the world. So you could say the real me, the essential me, the inner person.
129
00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:06,120
When Paul prays, I pray that the spirit might strengthen you in the inner person
130
00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:11,880
so that Christ might dwell in your hearts by faith. That would be sort of the essence of what I mean
131
00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:20,280
by the language of soul. That's great. Anything else to add to that, Gem? I think that's probably
132
00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:26,520
what I would have said too. I love the word essence. That's good. I love the word essence.
133
00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:33,560
I love the idea of the root, the true, the real. I think Dallas Willard, maybe it's not him,
134
00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:40,040
but someone was talking about the soul being this sort of alive connector. It's connecting
135
00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:46,680
all the parts of us. It's sort of like a maybe like a membrane or a sinew or something, right?
136
00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:50,760
It's the, when you were talking about the inner person, it's that part. I don't think I have
137
00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:58,520
anything to add to what he said is what I'm saying. Okay. So say the parent of a young adult who's out
138
00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:06,120
of control and they don't even know where they are except that they're probably doing drugs,
139
00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:14,440
hanging out with wrong people, perhaps doing some crime kinds of things. Those would be fairly
140
00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:24,200
normal in the parents that I'm connecting with. So what would you say to them? How do I actually
141
00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:33,400
do this? You told me a very first step, take that breath, let your spirit loose and your soul get
142
00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:41,960
ministered to, but they're used to first steps and many, many more steps and things that don't work
143
00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:52,440
over time or they are used to a child or a person in their life that begins to go in a right direction
144
00:16:52,440 --> 00:17:00,120
and then relapses or turns back. And so these kinds of things are really hard for them to
145
00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:06,520
look beyond the fact that nothing's under control, nothing's going in a good direction.
146
00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:12,440
So what can they do to help themselves? They can't always help their loved one
147
00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:19,240
because they're not ready to be helped, but they can do some things to help themselves. And that's
148
00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:25,960
what I'd really like to be able to give them is some really specific things for this journey
149
00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:32,280
that they're on. It's not a quick thing very often, very rarely is it quick. So what are your thoughts?
150
00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:39,480
Well, so I haven't been on that journey particularly myself, but I have just been through a year that
151
00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:44,520
was maybe one of the hardest years of my adult life and I turned 60 this year. So I've had a few
152
00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:50,520
years to have bad experiences or hard experiences or challenging moments or seasons or eras.
153
00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:58,760
And I think what I would say is in the midst of the stressors of this last year, what I have needed
154
00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:05,400
is to acknowledge I'm not in control, even though I keep trying to be. It's been good for me
155
00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:11,240
to remind myself and I've had to do this often daily and sometimes more than daily.
156
00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:20,120
I have a shepherd and I think by extension the one I love, my beloved prodigal has a shepherd.
157
00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:24,120
Now that prodigal is resisting the shepherd, wandering from the shepherd,
158
00:18:24,120 --> 00:18:30,680
but that doesn't change the nature of the shepherd. The shepherd is still so good at what he does
159
00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:36,680
and I may not be able to see how in the world Jesus is being the good shepherd he says he is
160
00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:42,600
in the life of my beloved prodigal, but it's a good thing for me to keep remembering that
161
00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:49,080
what I don't have control of, Jesus fully understands and is very present to. And in
162
00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:57,640
mysterious ways is at work. That helps me find hope in my own challenging moments. It helps me
163
00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:03,320
remember what I do and don't have control of. I can pray for the one I love who's wayward.
164
00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:04,200
Absolutely.
165
00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:10,680
I can do that and that matters and it makes a difference and it reminds me of the one who cares.
166
00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:17,240
That has been at least one thing that's been really critical. It's a way of framing my vision
167
00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:23,960
of reality that right alongside the reality, in this case of a beloved prodigal, I also have
168
00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:32,040
the undergirding reality of a good shepherd and practicing that reality helps me then navigate
169
00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:38,680
the pain, the fear, the loss, the frustration, all of the feelings that I feel in a chronic,
170
00:19:38,680 --> 00:19:44,520
long-term, difficult situation. That's at least one thought that comes to my mind.
171
00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:47,800
Gem, anything else you'd like to add to that?
172
00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:53,640
Yeah, so in our book, What is Your Soul of, there's a practice there. It's actually in the
173
00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:59,800
fear chapter. It's called the practice of unpacking and it really takes that idea of
174
00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:05,880
cast all your cares on him because he cares for you. And one of the phrases, this is a total
175
00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:14,440
cliche, but it helps me, especially in relationship to other people, is that I'm a good shepherd.
176
00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:21,240
I can care for someone without carrying them. Right?
177
00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:26,840
Well, yes. And that is a tremendous issue with lovers of prodigals.
178
00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:27,160
Of course.
179
00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:28,440
Is they're trying to carry them?
180
00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:37,400
Yes. And so carrying is its own thing. It's loving. Carrying is a weight on you that can
181
00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:44,440
become unbearable. And I imagine in this situation, it is unbearable. So what does it look like to
182
00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:53,560
still care, but not carry someone on you like a bag or a weight? And so in the practice of unpacking,
183
00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:59,480
I just share, if you can get your imagination rolling, that you've got a backpack on your
184
00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:06,520
shoulders and it's quite heavy, but you imagine yourself taking it off, put it on a table or on
185
00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:11,800
the floor in front of you, and then you look inside and you see what's there.
186
00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:12,360
And what do you discover?
187
00:21:12,360 --> 00:21:17,800
And what do you see? So for the people listening here, I'm imagining you're seeing your prodigal.
188
00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:23,320
And you can do this with any number of people or issues, but if you're seeing your prodigal in
189
00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:27,720
there, what would it look like if you just imagine yourself reaching into the backpack,
190
00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:35,160
taking them out, and then Jesus said, cast all your cares on him because he cares for you.
191
00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:42,120
Paul said that about what would it look like for you to take your prodigal out and hand them to
192
00:21:42,120 --> 00:21:51,880
Jesus? So this is carrying, but it's not carrying. And it shows a great deal of trust.
193
00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:54,280
Absolutely.
194
00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:56,520
So because I think trust is involved here.
195
00:21:56,520 --> 00:21:56,920
Yes.
196
00:21:56,920 --> 00:22:05,080
When we're carrying, I don't know that we're fully embodying the idea of real trust in what God
197
00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:07,080
can and hopefully will do.
198
00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:14,120
We think we have to do it. We have to rescue them, make them make the right choices.
199
00:22:14,120 --> 00:22:19,160
I know by experience. So that's a great concept.
200
00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:25,720
And I think alongside that, to realize that, and you've really already said this, this is a journey.
201
00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:30,280
Wouldn't it be nice if you could just put your backpack on the table, pull out the prodigal,
202
00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:33,240
hand them to Jesus? Now we're all set. Good. Did that.
203
00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:33,800
Everything changed.
204
00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:39,800
What's the next thing I'm supposed to do instead of, okay, I think I just put them back in my
205
00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:45,640
backpack about 10 minutes later. So I'm going to do that again. And I'm just going to learn to make
206
00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:52,440
that a way of life for myself, that I will keep releasing my carrying into the care of Jesus.
207
00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:59,160
And I will learn little by little, maybe not to keep carrying. Maybe I can learn over time how
208
00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:00,840
to do that. And I think you can.
209
00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:09,320
Oh, I think you can too. But I think that's just wonderful practice. And that's what it's going to
210
00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:17,880
take is things that you practice and do over and over to be able. So you talked about that concept
211
00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:24,040
of dealing with fear. For example, you said that in your fear chapter, what's another one of the
212
00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:28,680
topics in your soul book that would be helpful?
213
00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:33,160
Yeah. Well, I think this is a word you already said earlier, which is control. We have a chapter
214
00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:39,000
on control. And in there, actually, I share a story of where I got a little too medley with
215
00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:45,240
a couple of friends. And I think that's the chapter I shared that in anyway. I just learned the hard
216
00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:50,360
way. And we all know this. And what I'm going to say, you're going to go, of course, I cannot
217
00:23:50,360 --> 00:23:59,640
control other people. We all know that, but we keep trying. And at some point in the process,
218
00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:06,440
it's all a process, as you said, of practicing. But at some point, it's got to soak in a little
219
00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:13,320
bit deeper to where we actually believe that. And when you can really believe that I cannot
220
00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:18,040
control the other person and you can take your hands off just for a bit.
221
00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:22,200
But that's so scary. What are they going to do?
222
00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:30,520
Yeah. So there's something here about, I think as well, kind of the inherent dignity of a human
223
00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:37,400
being. Absolutely. That they get to choose what they think, what they do, how they behave.
224
00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:47,720
And we may absolutely disagree. But there is a reality of they get to choose. And this one's
225
00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:52,120
the hardest because being out of control, I think no one likes that.
226
00:24:53,400 --> 00:25:02,520
So you're talking to your 14-year-old, which is when ours really got out of control. How do
227
00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:09,720
you help them at that age when you have responsibility for them still to not control,
228
00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:17,800
but help them learn to make better choices and learn to better choices for life in general,
229
00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:24,120
but for themselves and see what they're looking at. What do they want for their future? I know
230
00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:29,720
they don't at 14 think very much about that. Right. Probably not. Yeah. Well, this is muddier
231
00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:35,800
than kind of what I was sharing about because I was thinking more of like, you know, other adults.
232
00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:43,000
So if you've got a child, this is a different story. Under age, there is a responsibility here,
233
00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:48,360
of course, to help guide. But I'm wondering if we can bring in the idea of questions again.
234
00:25:48,360 --> 00:25:55,480
I think you could. That's good. And so I don't know how bad off this 14-year-old is, how rebellious
235
00:25:55,480 --> 00:26:01,240
they are, how much they listen or not. But what would it look like if you asked questions instead
236
00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:06,200
of giving directives so that they might be able to stumble upon the very thing you're hoping for,
237
00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:13,320
but maybe they can stumble on it themselves because they're thinking. I love that. What kind
238
00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:21,480
of questions? Oh, goodness. Help me out, Ellen. Well, so I still think the questions that we offer
239
00:26:21,480 --> 00:26:27,240
in this book are good for any age. And you get a different kind of answer probably from a 14-year-old,
240
00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:33,400
but you could ask, what is it you're looking for here? What do you want? That's excellent.
241
00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:38,120
You know, and if they say, you know, they want something and their first answer is probably not
242
00:26:38,120 --> 00:26:43,400
the real want. And probably their fifth answer isn't even the real one. But if you keep, well,
243
00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:49,640
tell me more about that. What else do you want? And if you can get down a few layers, you might
244
00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:54,760
start hearing what's actually happening in their heart. And then you'd have something to work with.
245
00:26:54,760 --> 00:27:02,520
You would know how to pray. You would know how to care. But all of that, this is where Unhurried
246
00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:06,680
comes in too, because you have to be patient enough to ask a question, wait for the answer,
247
00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:16,600
listen, and ask more questions. This is long and it takes time. But it's beautiful because the
248
00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:24,520
tendency in your frustration and fear when you're working with a prodigal is you come in with
249
00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:33,560
accusations or you come in with demands. Fix it. So it's either you're this bad in some way,
250
00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:41,960
or you have to be this. And you're talking about a way to engage them in conversation
251
00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:50,600
with a gentleness as opposed to a toughness and a fierceness in their attitudes. And yet, help them
252
00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:55,960
begin to think as opposed to you're telling them how to think. I love it.
253
00:27:55,960 --> 00:28:04,200
Yeah. And I think the challenge that we have to lean into is nobody likes to be controlled.
254
00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:04,920
Right.
255
00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:10,280
And we don't have to think very far to think, I don't like being controlled. I don't like being
256
00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:16,280
controlled. I don't like when other people use their words in a way to try and manipulate me in
257
00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:21,240
the direction they want me to go. I don't like it when someone else tried to force my hand.
258
00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:27,400
The challenge, of course, is in the end, the control doesn't bear really good fruit because
259
00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:33,720
what you're dealing with is a young person here with a will who's going to make choices.
260
00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:35,960
If you force them into choices, don't take them...
261
00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:37,400
Now that starts at around two.
262
00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:43,720
Yeah, it starts a lot earlier than 14. And so always...
263
00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:46,600
Go ahead. If you force them to make choices.
264
00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:55,720
Yeah. They may do it because they have to, but eventually they won't. What you're trying to do
265
00:28:55,720 --> 00:29:00,680
is shape their will in the direction of good. You can't force that. You can't manipulate that
266
00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:07,320
because goodness doesn't come out of those sorts of initiatives. But like Gem said, asking questions
267
00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:14,440
loving questions, being genuinely curious, wanting to know what's happening inside of your
268
00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:18,680
son or your daughter, that's a loving response.
269
00:29:19,560 --> 00:29:26,680
One that can make a huge difference because you do help them to think. And if you don't assume
270
00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:33,560
that their first or second or third answer is still the reality, but you don't tell them you're
271
00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:39,560
wrong, you just say, well, just like you said, tell me more. Let's go a little further with that. Or
272
00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:48,520
Josh McDowell loved to set up situations and ask his kids, what would you do in this? Or what would
273
00:29:48,520 --> 00:29:57,560
you think about this? And that helped them to think about it. And so asking questions is a great way
274
00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:07,160
to do this. What are any more things you would say in depth or briefly that would be really helpful?
275
00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:16,040
I just want to help these prodigal lovers have a clue how they can find a little more peace for
276
00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:23,640
themselves while finding, helping their loved ones find peace. And again, some of them are young and
277
00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:30,120
you have some authority in their life. Control doesn't usually work very well though. But some
278
00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:42,600
of them are adults. So a funny story, yesterday, my assistant for 21 years, his daughter is young
279
00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:48,760
and trying to be a photographer. So I needed some more headshots for my podcast promos and stuff.
280
00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:54,120
And so I asked her to take them. Well, her mom came with her because we're all very close. And
281
00:30:54,120 --> 00:31:01,080
so everything that Crystal wanted to do, her mom had a thought on it and how to do it. And don't
282
00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:05,640
you think you want to do this? And I said, it's really nice your mom comes as your assistant.
283
00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:13,800
But that's the way we do it. We aren't as outward in our control a lot of times. Manipulative, yes,
284
00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:20,440
as you said. But we still are trying to, but yet that doesn't work. I've learned not to do that
285
00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:28,600
with my adult children. I had to learn not to do it with my sons-in-law. It's like, no, Judy,
286
00:31:28,600 --> 00:31:33,800
you really don't get to say anything. You just tell them how wonderful they are and you love them.
287
00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:42,200
So any other thoughts on how you would deal with people that are older, that are adults that are
288
00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:48,600
on their own, and yet you still would like to help them be encouraged toward a better choice,
289
00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:56,600
better choices in their life. So I have a couple of things here that I wanted to share. One was,
290
00:31:56,600 --> 00:32:00,920
I wanted to share just a small handful of other questions to circle back a little bit.
291
00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:06,440
Please do. Other questions you can ask. So the one question we threw out was, what do you want here?
292
00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:15,480
What are you looking for? You can also ask them, what are you afraid of? And what are you hiding
293
00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:25,000
from? Or what are you clinging to? I mean, these are the questions from the book. They're very
294
00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:31,880
potent, but again, you'll get a surface question. But here's the question that you ask after you've
295
00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:39,960
asked the question that gets you deeper in. And it's the acronym AWE, AW. You can ask this as
296
00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:48,280
many times as you need, and it's just, and what else? And what else? What are you afraid of? And
297
00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:55,640
you listen. Well, and what else? And let them talk and let them unpack. So I just wanted to go back
298
00:32:55,640 --> 00:33:03,400
to that idea of asking questions again and offer a few more. The other thing about the prodigal
299
00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:11,240
lovers is, I think some of the deep work is actually working with your own fears.
300
00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:17,880
And you've probably talked with them about this already, but maybe I'm just underscoring it.
301
00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:27,640
Please do. I think it's very important for us to be as self-aware as we possibly can be. And so,
302
00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:33,960
and control and fear are usually at the base of most of the things that are happening up here on
303
00:33:33,960 --> 00:33:39,960
the surface, anything we're saying or doing. If it's not helpful to us or to other people,
304
00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:48,920
if you track it down, down here you'll find some issue of probably fear. I'm afraid of this. So if
305
00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:57,400
we can become aware of those things and bring them to prayer, take them to a counselor, a trusted
306
00:33:57,400 --> 00:34:05,800
friend, a pastor, and work through your own fears. Some of the control can then be released,
307
00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:09,480
because I think control happens because we want to manage this fear that we have,
308
00:34:09,480 --> 00:34:11,480
and we think we're going to do it by managing the person.
309
00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:15,000
Really true. So does that make sense?
310
00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:20,440
Oh, absolutely makes sense. It does. I love it. And it seems to me also that
311
00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:28,200
this, well, it's not coming out right. So go ahead. I'll let you talk.
312
00:34:29,240 --> 00:34:33,560
Well, so the other thought maybe just to piggyback on what Gem has said is,
313
00:34:33,560 --> 00:34:38,840
and this is sort of maybe essential, and that is we often operate on the assumption
314
00:34:39,240 --> 00:34:45,800
that someone else must change for my life to get better. Whether it's my spouse needs to change,
315
00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:52,200
my child needs to change, my coworker needs to change, only then will my life get better.
316
00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:59,080
That's a very precarious place to live, because suddenly now they have complete control
317
00:34:59,720 --> 00:35:01,880
of your well-being. That's really true.
318
00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:06,840
That's really true. And what I love about the genius of Jesus
319
00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:14,040
and the genius of the Scriptures is all of it is designed to help us find well-being and rest
320
00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:22,200
and security not out there somewhere in a solved problem or a repentant prodigal.
321
00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:30,120
But the well-being is something I find in relationship with God with me. And that
322
00:35:30,120 --> 00:35:37,400
well-being, that restfulness can be mine regardless of my surroundings, my circumstances,
323
00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:45,320
or the painful relationships in my life. That is just a sort of a, it's a vision that I think
324
00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:50,920
Jesus is inviting us to, that the kingdom of God is something that's at work within you,
325
00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:57,800
that peaceable, good, joyful place is a place of relationship with God. That's not just
326
00:35:57,800 --> 00:36:03,800
nice religious language. That's actually the life to which Jesus has invited us.
327
00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:10,520
Now from that place of robust life, I can navigate a painful relationship with a beloved prodigal.
328
00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:17,960
I have resources in me to navigate their poor choices, painful choices, destructive choices.
329
00:36:18,600 --> 00:36:25,160
But if I think my well-being is completely hooked into their finally changing, I'm in for a long,
330
00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:35,480
bumpy, painful ride. Wow. I just think that sums up what we all need to hear. That when we think we
331
00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:42,840
can control or that if something happens and we'll be okay, we won't ever get there. We won't get
332
00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:50,360
there. And yet it's in that relationship with God. It's in the work he's doing in our souls,
333
00:36:50,360 --> 00:37:00,520
the taking the burdens and giving us instead the peace and the joy and the patience, all the things
334
00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:07,480
that the fruit of the spirit offer us, then those things will make the difference. And one of the
335
00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:13,720
main things I say to our prodigal lovers is, you know, this is as much about you as about your
336
00:37:13,720 --> 00:37:22,840
prodigal, which is exactly what you've been saying. And so I say, look at what God's teaching you,
337
00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:29,240
because he's working on your prodigal. Don't worry. He is working, but he's also, every bit of this is
338
00:37:29,240 --> 00:37:36,120
for you and we'll do something for you. And you have just given us some really practical things
339
00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:46,680
to let our soul be free in a sense, to be cared for, to rest in Jesus and not in thinking we have
340
00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:53,640
to control. And that will improve our lives dramatically as we do that. And as we especially,
341
00:37:53,640 --> 00:37:59,080
well, the questions apply, we ask them for ourselves as well as we ask our loved ones.
342
00:37:59,080 --> 00:38:05,720
These are wonderful truths. And if you want to know more about those truths and the questions,
343
00:38:05,720 --> 00:38:10,760
especially, tell us again, the name of your book on soul.
344
00:38:11,400 --> 00:38:15,320
It's called, what does your soul love? And you can get it anywhere,
345
00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:23,560
anywhere. And we will mention that in the show notes. So it'll be there for people. And, but
346
00:38:23,560 --> 00:38:31,720
you have unhurried life, life and unhurried leader as well. And any of us need unhurried life.
347
00:38:31,720 --> 00:38:34,760
Probably most leaders need unhurried leader.
348
00:38:35,480 --> 00:38:40,760
Well, I'll just say briefly about that. Really unhurried leader is not for the person who's in
349
00:38:40,760 --> 00:38:46,920
charge of something as much as it is, how do I navigate my relationships? How do I navigate my
350
00:38:46,920 --> 00:38:53,480
life out there as I'm trying to live on hurried in here? So that's the question. And I think
351
00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:59,480
many ways that book intersects with the conversation we've had because it gets to how it gets.
352
00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:00,680
Absolutely. It does. Yeah.
353
00:39:02,120 --> 00:39:08,360
Oh, that's great. So you're offering us these words of wisdom. And again, the questions are
354
00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:16,680
really, I think, so key to get us and our loved ones in a better place. But then you've got books
355
00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:22,360
to back it up and to give us a lot more to work with. And you do some seminars, is that right?
356
00:39:22,360 --> 00:39:28,760
Yeah. So we do all the things we have. We have a website, unhurriedliving.com. And if you go
357
00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:33,960
there, you can actually find the links to all the books if that helps. And then we have a podcast
358
00:39:33,960 --> 00:39:38,200
as well. It's called Unhurried Living Podcast. So anywhere you just type in the words unhurried
359
00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:44,840
living, you'll find us on Facebook and Instagram and podcasting. And we do group coaching, we do
360
00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:51,560
individual coaching, speaking, all the things. And does this fill up your life and make it
361
00:39:51,560 --> 00:40:00,920
feel hurried, all these things you're doing? We are continually learning how to be busy and unhurried.
362
00:40:00,920 --> 00:40:06,600
Yeah. Which is possible. And we're finding that's really a nice thing to learn how to do.
363
00:40:07,160 --> 00:40:14,440
Oh, thank you so much. I'm so grateful that you would come and love on these people who need a
364
00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:21,720
lot of loving help. So God bless you. Thank you for joining me today on the When You Love
365
00:40:21,720 --> 00:40:30,040
a Prodigal podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe, rate, and review the show on
366
00:40:30,040 --> 00:40:37,400
Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. Your review helps the show reach more people with the hope
367
00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:44,200
and encouragement of Jesus. Don't forget, take a look at the show notes. And for more helpful
368
00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:52,600
information, resources and books, check out judydouglass.com. That's Douglass with two S's.
369
00:40:52,600 --> 00:41:13,960
You can find me on Facebook and on Twitter and Instagram at JudyDouglass417. Until next week.