Podcast

Loving God, Others, and Even Yourself. Rachael Adams

[00:00:00] Welcome to the Unshakable Hope Podcast, where real life intersects redeeming love. I’m Kellie Hall, and this is where we wrestle through faith questions, such as how do I trust God’s heart when His ways and delays are breaking mine? We’ll hear from people just like you and me, who have experienced God’s faithfulness when life didn’t unfold as they expected.

My prayer is that God would renew our hope in His word and His love through these conversations.

Kelly: Hey guys, I can’t wait for you to meet my guest today. I have Rachel Adams. She is so delightful. Her love for the Lord just shines brilliantly. She is the host of the Love Offering podcast and the author of two books.

And she was a guest on Good Morning America,

Kelly: She hopes to help women realize God’s love and their significance in everything she does.

She and her husband [00:01:00] Brian run a family business and live on a farm in Kentucky with their two kids. The book we’re talking about today is Everyday Prayers for Love. Learning to love God, others, and even yourself. This just came out recently, Rachel, and I’m so happy to have you on the show. Thank you for joining me.

Rachael: Well, it’s a pleasure to be here and a pleasure to get to talk with you. I’m so glad that we met in person over the summer and to actually have this opportunity to reconnect is a gift and a joy.

Kelly: And I just want to say thanks to God because your first printing completely sold out of this book That was so sweet.

Rachael: It’s so sweet of the Lord to do that, isn’t it? I know I really feel like I can’t take any credit at all I know I have put in some work and done all I know to do but I do give all the credit and glory to Him and and what makes me happy is that God’s love will continue to be spread and and said that is such an encouragement to know

Kelly: yes.

Well, I’d love for my listeners to get to know you. Would you [00:02:00] mind just sharing a bit of your faith journey?

Rachael: Yeah, absolutely. I have lived in the same small town in Kentucky my entire life. Really? Yes. Our our claim to fame here, I don’t even know if it’s that special, but we have the largest man made lake.

In all of the United States. And so we are the houseboat capital of the world. Interesting. That is our, that’s, that’s my little hometown. I went away to college and met my husband, Brian Brian Adams. He does not sing, but he is a gift to me. And then I have, we have two children, Will and Kate. Will is in high school, Kate is in eighth grade.

We have a little farm here and we own a business. And so just motherhood and podcasting and writing and ministry at my church. But I really came to know the Lord first in middle school, just through actually a church play that I attended. And, and Accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior, but it took me a long time to really learn of his [00:03:00] love.

Rachael: And it wasn’t until I became a mother that I actually read the Bible cover to cover because Will was in the rocking chair in my lap and I wanted him to stay asleep. And so, that was my time that I started to just really get to know God as, as my father, because I was learning how to become a mother.

And so. So just knowing that as I was holding my son will that God was really holding me. And so I am continuing to learn of God’s love and his faithfulness as he continues to lovingly reveal more and more of himself as time goes on.

Kelly: I love that. what a great way to use that time. While you’re holding your child, so they don’t wake up.

Rachael: Yes. I was not a great mom and he was a really difficult baby. And so every time I would try to lay him down in the crib, he would cry. So I’m like, Oh, I give up. I’m just going to hold him the whole time. So let me try to be productive.

Kelly: I’m curious, when did the idea for the Love Offering Podcast start?

Rachael: This is about seven years ago.

I was sitting in my [00:04:00] church and the church pew in front of me was a love offering envelope. And typically those are for monetary giving. But in that moment, I just felt like the Lord, you know, whispering to my heart, Rachel, you are my love offering. I’ve given you my love. How are you going to give my love to the world around you?

And honestly, because I doubt my My gifts and my talents and battle with insecurity and inadequacy. I honestly thought, you know, Lord, I don’t know. I don’t feel like I have that much to offer the world, to be honest. And so I was talking to a friend of mine about it. You know, how do we live out the greatest commandment?

We know what it is to love the Lord God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength and love our neighbor as ourself. But to actually do that in our humanness and in other people’s humanness, that’s really hard to do. So how do we actually live out our faith in practical ways? And so that was the birth of it.

Cause some of my friends just said, well, you may not know what your answers would be, but why don’t you start asking everybody else? And so here I am seven seasons later, still doing the same thing.

Kelly: That’s amazing. And I think one [00:05:00] time you asked your audience, this was in your book.

You asked your audience , what kind of gifts do you feel like you have? Something like that. It had to do with their significance, how they saw their significance. Did you remember what I’m talking about?

Rachael: I do remember your talk. So you’re talking about and I can’t believe you read it. That makes me so happy.

So that’s a little goes a long way. 52 days to a significant life. And I actually did poll my podcast listeners like on a scale of 1 to 10, how loved do you feel and how much do you feel like you have to offer? Off the top of my head, I can’t exactly remember the numbers, but it was staggering how many women doubted their contributions and their worth and their value, and didn’t think they had anything to offer.

And I think as Christian women, and I’m included in this, we, we should know our value in Christ and that we’re created in his image and fearfully and wonderfully made and he knitted us in our mother’s wombs. Like, wait, how do we get that from our head to our heart and really live that out? And it just made me sad to think, why are we all doubting so much [00:06:00] our significance for God’s kingdom?

And so, yeah, you’re right. It’s not just me and it was my, podcast listeners and now readers. I continue to hear no matter what age or stage that we’re in, we want our lives to count. Right. I mean, that’s why we’re here. Yeah. Yeah. And so we’re just help us to believe in who you made us to be and help us to steward the gifts that you’ve given us.

And then it’s him. Who’s going to take our little, a long way.

Kelly: Yes. The first book, a little goes a long way, right? I have it right here. I love it so much.

Rachael: Thank you. Thank you.

Kelly: I highly recommend it. well, I want you to talk to us about what you’ve learned about God’s love.

We know God’s love is not a wimpy love. but we tend to minimize it like you were talking about. We feel insignificant. So we minimize God’s love for us, but God’s love is a powerful, transforming love. So I’m wondering if you could tell us about a time when you experienced that love, maybe he increased your love for someone or showed you how to [00:07:00] love someone that was hard to love.

Rachael: Yeah, all of the above for sure. I think one of the, one of the main things that comes to mind, I have a friend who has just lived a really difficult life and she was questioning God’s love for her. And so for Christmas, I bought her a Bible and I started to highlight all the ways that God loves her all the times that love is mentioned in scripture.

And when I started off on this, This project, I didn’t realize there’s over 600 mentions of the term love. So it took a lot of time, but I guess what God was really impressing on my heart was not just that he loved her, but he loved me. And so that was just such a beautiful experience that I got to have with him, but I really am such a.

Performance oriented person, a task list oriented person. I find my value often through what I accomplish for people and even for God. And so I think in this season, he is [00:08:00] really showing me it’s not what I’m doing. For him, he loves me just because I am because I’m his. And so that’s been one of the most transformative lessons that I think he’s still teaching me is I don’t have to do anything for him.

On my, on my worst days, he loves me and on my best days, he still loves me. And there is such security and freedom in realizing those truths.

Kelly: Oh, that’s so good. You wrote an article recently that I thought spoke to that so powerfully. It came out on the speak up website and it was about something that happened to you when you went to speak.

If you wouldn’t mind sharing that. And the reason I want you to share it is because it just shows. The love of God and His creativity and how we’re not earning His love.

Rachael: Yes. This was an experience I’m not proud of. So let me preface it

Kelly: with

Rachael: that. Oh, I just thought it was a beautiful story.

Good. No, most of my stories are probably about my failures,

Kelly: but I did not see this.

Rachael: I don’t [00:09:00] do well. No. Okay.

Kelly: Okay. Not a failure. I

Rachael: don’t do well. Yeah. So this was actually, so my church, I believe it was in 2020 and it was like this 2020 vision and we really wanted to set our eyes on the Lord. And so my pastor scheduled for an entire month, different topics, different verses that we were going to pray through as a church.

And then the sanctuary sanctuary was going to be open from noon to one every day. And there would be a certain prayer person there to help pray with people and lead based on the theme of that day and the verse of that day. And so I had prepared for days about this to try and, you know, make sure I’d done all my homework and that I was going to deliver a great message and deliver a beautiful prayer.

And, you know, just had really put a lot of time and effort into preparation. And so I attended that day I got there about 1130 and you know, nervous as all as I could be. And I’m sitting there and going through my notes over and over again. And at the time it starts [00:10:00] getting closer and closer to noon and I’m thinking, nobody has come yet.

Where is everybody? So I look back at my notes. I’m like, okay, I’ve got the right date. I’ve got the right time. I’ve got the right location. Okay. Maybe everybody’s just out to lunch or they’re busy. I don’t know what it is. Well, noon rolls around and nobody came. It was only me. And so I honestly, my first reaction was like a lot of disappointment.

I can’t believe I wasted and I’m doing air quotes here. I wasted. All this time, this in God’s word and in prayer and preparation for this moment, right? . And so I thought, you know what? I am gonna just go to the Lord and I’m just going to kneel down at the altar and just spend time with him. And Kelly, if I’m being honest, it was probably, it almost brings tears to my eyes.

It was one of the most sacred, holy times that I’ve ever had with the Lord.

Kelly: Yeah.

Rachael: And he met me in such a beautiful way that day. And it was probably the longest I’ve ever prayed for, [00:11:00] you know, and I’m just being transparent, you know, I’m, I’m usually pretty quick and to the point, but to pray for an hour is something I had never done.

And I will never forget that moment. So in that article, I say, you know, in a, in a sanctuary built for a thousand, I knelt before an audience of one. And I really feel like even though. Honestly, I was probably seeking my glory and validation and wanting to be honored for whatever I was going to say that was going to be so smart that really probably wasn’t.

But really God just wanted to spend time with me. And so I think for those of you listening, he really, he wants to be with you. He’s pursuing you and he may just carve out some sort of time, you know, and get everybody else busy. So he can spend time with you and that’s the kind of God that we serve.

And so I think. For me, it was a lesson in humility. It was a lesson in making sure my motives for why I’m doing what I’m doing is not to glorify myself, but to continue to glorify him. And so that’s what I mean by failures. My [00:12:00] heart was not pure, you know, and I talk about in that devotion about the hypocrites and how we want to be heard on the street corners.

You know, that was, So much of what the Pharisees did to be seen by others, but really God tells us just to go to a way to a quiet place and spend time with him. He sees us and knows us and loves us as we are.

Kelly: Well, that’s the part of your story that stood out to me so much was how sacred that time with the Lord was and that we so often think we’re.

We’re earning God’s love. We’re doing this work for God and the work that he has for us to do is just to be with him, be loved by him. Just let him love us and receive that love. And you received the love of God that day. And I thought that was so beautiful.

Rachael: Yeah, I was every day.

I’m a recipient of that. And really, we don’t have anything of value to give if we haven’t first received it from him, because we’re supposed to love as he has first loved us. And so the key is, is let him love you [00:13:00] because he does.

Kelly: Yes, I remember once as a young mom, my oldest daughter was pretty hard.

She’s. Profoundly deaf and so language delays were huge and the hearing aids she had, she couldn’t hear us. We eventually got cochlear implants, but at this point, the way we got her attention was stomping on the floor. And, I loved her with all my heart, but the way I Loved her at that time was I had a plan to fix her like I’m a physical therapist So I look at the weak areas.

This is our treatment plan This is what we’re gonna do and this is our goal But one day God just so graciously met me in a very sacred time he just brought a book to my face and And in that book, it said, look at your child as a creation of God. And look at the strengths. Look at the way he put this child together in your womb.

And when I changed my perspective, I felt so humbled by the Lord’s [00:14:00] love. And he just said to me, Kelly, your daughter is not a problem to be fixed. She is a unique creation of God to be loved and valued and enjoyed. And God rescued me. That day with his sacred love for me and for my daughter. And I’m just so humbled that God loves us enough to meet us in those places and rescue our hearts with his love.

Rachael: Wow. That’s so beautiful. And I think it’s such a reminder that it’s not just our children, but it’s our spouses and it’s our friends and the rest of our family and the stranger on the street. Everyone is made in his image and he does not make mistakes and he loves them. He created them as they are. And so what does it look like to see them through his eyes?

That’s the challenge. And that’s the prayer.

Kelly: That’s a beautiful thing to think about every single day. Thank you for that. Well, 1 John 4, 18 is in your book and it says there is no fear in love. But [00:15:00] perfect love drives out fear. All of us struggle with varying degrees of fear. I talk about fear a lot on this podcast and how we can trust God through those places where our hearts are breaking and we don’t know the future.

But I’m wondering if you could describe a time when the power of God’s love met you in your fear and changed your heart.

Rachael: Yeah, probably because I deal with inadequacy and insecurity so much, you know, I’m kind of fearful to put myself out there quite a bit, to be honest, in whether it’s a writer’s conference attending, or if it’s even a being on a podcast, you know, when you even writing a book is very vulnerable, you’re sharing your story.

Stories and you’re hoping it transforms people and you’re putting yourself out there for people to say, well, that’s not very good or she doesn’t know what she’s talking about or she’s not very smart or, you know, whatever it may be. I don’t like the way her voice sounds, you know, I don’t know what it would be.

And so I think that that can [00:16:00] sometimes hold us almost hostage and, and want us just to self protect and to pull back and not get involved and not put ourselves out there. And when we allow that to happen, the enemy wins. Because we’ve isolated ourselves and we allow him that discouragement to distract us from what he’s, what God’s really called us to do.

And so, I could give countless examples of how often I have wanted to shrink back from community, you know, feeling like maybe I wasn’t worthy to be a part of, you know, a certain group. because they’re so much more accomplished than I am or so much more well spoken or whatever it may be. But I think just knowing that I have God’s approval and I’m doing what I’m doing for him and people’s responses are not my responsibility I think has freed me from that.

And as I have continued to step out courageously, trusting that he’s going to carry me and sustain me. I have grown in that area because he has proven himself faithful. And so [00:17:00] when I have finally found good communities and safety in those ways and in godly good relationships, my courage, I think, continues to grow.

Kelly: Well, that’s so good. And there’s freedom. You mentioned the freedom you find when you do that, when you receive God’s love and you, you stand in it.

 

Rachael: For sure. I think just knowing that he has us, that he, he sees us and he has our best in mind and he will pick us up if we fall. And honestly, even if what we think is a failure, which you, you pointed out earlier, he can still use that.

And that can maybe become part of your testimony and something that you can empathize with somebody else. I really believe that it’s like, God’s going to use everything for his glory and for his good.

Kelly: Oh, amen.

On our podcast, we talk a lot about trusting God in our heartaches and in our weariness. You know, when we’re waiting on God to come through for an answer to prayer in those places when we’re waiting, [00:18:00] it feels like a wilderness in our soul.

Kelly: It’s hard to truly believe that God loves us when we see our prayers being answered in somebody else’s life. Can you talk to us about that? Maybe a time that God met you when you were feeling that way.

Rachael: Yes there’s 2 situations and and they both pertain to writing. So I hope that that is okay. Of course, 1 was when honestly, I was in college and I was in broadcast journalism and wanted to be the next Katie Couric and I took a public speaking class.

And ended up dropping out of it because I just felt like I, I didn’t have the qualities to be a good public speaker. And so I ended up switching to a business major. And so then when I released a little goes a long way, they hired a publicist for me and I ended up being on good morning America. To and they featured the book and in that moment as I was standing on the side of the stage getting ready to go on [00:19:00] I felt like the Lord was saying you did hear me correctly.

I did put that desire in your heart It just happened in much a different way in a different time than you thought that it would.

Kelly: Oh, wow

Rachael: and And so I think that that is my encouragement to everybody listening is to to listen to God’s still small voice. He is speaking to you. But again, it just won’t happen in the way and in the time that we always think that it will.

And I actually just have another example, if I may, and it pertains to writing too. But when I first went to she speaks. Almost 7 years ago, I guess it was us presented a book proposal on love and there I met with 3 different acquisitions editors and none of them liked it. In fact, they were. I was so discouraged after those meetings that I went home and her back to the hotel room and I thought about.

Just going home packing up my suitcase and going home, but I turned on [00:20:00] the Lauren Daigle song. I didn’t know it It was just I just turned on worship music and that Lauren Daigle song you say came on and it says I keep fighting Voices in my mind that telling me I’m not enough But no, God, you say, and it continues to just go through these words of affirmation of who God calls us.

And so I ended up staying. And the reason I tell that story is, is because last year, another woman, it’s actually Brooke McLaughlin through the million praying mom’s ministry. She reached out to me. She has this whole series of everyday prayers on the fruit of the spirit and because we were friends and she said, because I’ve experienced your love and I know you’re the host of the love offering podcast, would you want to write a book on love?

And I honestly, Kelly, I used that proposal from some 6 or 7 years ago, some of the same stories, some of the same outlines to write this book that we’re talking about today. And again, it goes back to, you know, I did hear you, God. I did hear this message that [00:21:00] you told me to write, but I almost let one woman or three acquisitions editors discourage me from continuing on on the call.

And I keep thinking, like, what if I had quit? What if I had stopped? I wouldn’t have gotten to experience the fulfillment of being on Good Morning America. Or on releasing the book on love that I think he gave me the message almost six years ago, and it was in his timing. And so for those of you listening, continue to listen to his voice and the desires of, of your heart.

And I believe he will help them come to pass at some time and in some way.

Kelly: Wow. I can so relate to those stories. Thank you so much. It’s so encouraging. God has put a lot of books and Bible studies on my heart to write. I’ve only written one and it came out 15 years ago, and it has been discouraging when I’ve asked the Lord, why is it taking me so long to do this?

But I realize now as I am so Stepping out to get this next book written and published that it was God’s perfect timing. [00:22:00] And I always think of David when he was anointed as a young shepherd boy to be king, but he didn’t become king until 15 to 20 years later. And then he only became king of the Southern kingdom.

It was seven more years before he became king of all of Israel. It’s so God’s stories in our life can unfold in such creative ways, but his timing. Is never the next day. Like, that’s what we think. Oh, this is all going to come true tomorrow.

Rachael: Yes. Which is how we often read our Bibles because we can even, I mean, we can read David’s story in a day, you know, like it all transpired really quickly.

And so I think that’s a really good point. And he’s preparing our character. He’s preparing our homes. He’s preparing our Our finances, he’s he’s preparing the world. You know, there are so many more pieces other than our just our little piece that he’s trying to put together to to create a masterpiece.

So that’s such a beautiful example about David. I’m glad you brought that up.

Kelly: I love it. It really holds me and anchors [00:23:00] me to God’s truth when I’m feeling like this is taking too long. I’m late. I’m late. I’m late. I’m late. And God’s just always reminding me, you’re not late. My timing is perfect. And when the time comes, you will know, you’ll know.

One of the things that you shared that really intrigued me was a study about being absent minded, how you can, you know, we walk into a room, this happens to me all the time. Why am I here? What did I come here for? Who was I trying to call as I’m holding the phone in my hand? And I know that that happens when we’re walking through grief and loss, like we, we can’t keep track of our mind either.

We can’t hang on to things, but you explained something so interesting that you call the doorway effect. And you talked about the fact that we process 70, 000 thoughts a day. And in that knowledge, you came up with a plan to intentionally love God. Think about God. Can you explain that to us?

Rachael: I mean, honestly, we are just a forgetful people. We look at [00:24:00] all of scripture and how many times we go through this vicious cycle. And especially now that us that have scripture, we should know it’s like, okay, we have every tool that we need to live for him.

And yet we still forget how he’s been faithful to us and to people and generations in the past. But he is always. when we were, you know, when we repent and come back to him and it’s this, this vicious cycle. And so I really just feel like it’s important for us to continue to, to write out the ways that he has been faithful to us, the way he’s loved as well, the way people have loved us well, so that we.

We don’t forget because I think we’re just really, it’s, I call it like a spiritual amnesia almost that we, if we don’t recall it and talk about it and we don’t share our testimonies, if we don’t give him glory, then we, we look back and then we’re up to another challenge. And. We start to get fearful again and think, Oh, will, God show up.

Of course he’ll show up. He always has. And so, I think just to be intentional, [00:25:00] to recall and write those things down, the ways that he’s been faithful in the past will help us to realize he’s going to continue to be faithful in the future.

Kelly: Yeah, absolutely. He says in the Bible so many times, remember, remember, remember what I’ve done, remember what I’ve done.

And it does help. And. As you wrote this book, this Everyday Prayers for Love, I’m just so curious if there is a particular thing you wrote about that so many times when we’re writing, God will teach us. So I’m wondering if there was a particular truth that God taught you along the way that surprised you or was impactful.

Rachael: I think the, they were all surprising and impactful, honestly, just going through first Corinthians 13, four through eight, you know, love is patient. Love is kind. It doesn’t envy. It doesn’t boast. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs, et cetera. Like to really think about how. God has loved us in all of those ways.

And then how people have loved me well in those ways. And I think that that’s maybe the, the biggest epiphany is [00:26:00] because God can sometimes feel intangible. And even though we know that his love is unconditional and his love never fails people. Are conditionally loving us and their love has failed us on more times than we’d like to count.

But at the same time, if we look for the ways that people have been God’s hands and feet, and we have felt God’s love through his people. I mean, that’s what scripture says, that we will know God’s disciples by. Our love and by loving one another and so people have done that really well for me and the love is kind.

I think that’s the one that’s coming to mind. I had a surgery that I was had to be home for about six weeks. I couldn’t drive. I couldn’t cook. I couldn’t do laundry. I mean, I couldn’t pick up anything over 10. And so I really felt like I wasn’t Wasn’t accomplishing anything. I didn’t feel significant or have like I had any worth.

I couldn’t do anything. And so I really feel like in that moment, God met me and like, I still love you. You [00:27:00] still are important to me without you having to do any of these things for me or for other people, but my community, my husband and my children and my family and my church family. They, they prayed for me and were present with me and gave rides to my kids and sent us door dash gift cards for meals and sent me notes and encouraging scriptures and brought me books to read.

And I just, I have said before that never had I been in so much pain, but never had I felt more loved and it really was God’s people. That that loving me so well that I felt God’s love through them. And I think that if we look at our world today and look at all of the need and all of the hurt, I mean, we’re, we all have a hurt.

Some, we’re all carrying some kind of burden today. And so we kind of just like, what does it look like for us to pray each and every day? Lord, help me to see people as you see them, as we talked about earlier, and then help me to meet the need in front of me. And I believe if we share God’s love that way, [00:28:00] it’ll transform the world.

Mm.

Kelly: I agree. I love too, how you, you look at first Corinthians 13, the love chapter, but instead of just thinking about it horizontally, like between people on the earth, you’re also using it in your heart to realize that’s how God loves me. This is a description of God’s love. His love is perfect. And when you break it down out of the, The ethereal God loves you and you make it really specific.

He is kind. How have you experienced the kindness of God today? And you start to realize all day long, you’re experiencing aspects of God’s love.

Rachael: Yeah. I mean, the fact that we woke up, that was his kindness, , the sunrise and The, as we’re talking today, the, the, the winter air and the laughter of, of your children and the, the hug of your spouse or the smell of the coffee, you know, those are, that’s all God’s kindness.

It’s not always in the big extravagant ways. Sometimes it is, but I think if we pay attention to those [00:29:00] small ways and really look at and gratitude each and every day and every night, you know, to even record those again, you know, the ways that we can be thankful for the, the. His kindness to us, I think will just transform your heart as well.

Kelly: Oh, I agree. Well, why do you think so many of us struggle to believe and walk in God’s love and how can Understanding how much he actually adores us change our relationship with him

Rachael: I think so often we correlate his love with human love in our experience with human love and we We really have a hard time loving ourselves because we see every mistake we’ve made our sinful human nature.

We know every thought that we’ve had. We see every scar and every wound. And so, so often we feel unlovable and even unlikable. And then we look at the other people around us, especially on social media. And just even people that were, you know, walking life alongside. So often we don’t [00:30:00] share those inner workings and inner thoughts.

And so we look at them and think, well, maybe they’re worthy of love, but I sure am not. But scripture says that while we were still sinners. Christ died for us, that his love wasn’t contingent on, on anything that we do. And I think so often we go to other people and other projects and accomplishments searching for love, you know, just holding out our hands and our, and our hearts open, like wanting to be filled.

But really it’s only Christ that can fill that empty void and can satisfy us now and eternally.

Kelly: Amen. Amen. That’s so good. Well, as we close, I’m wondering if you have a message that you just want to leave everyone with today for a woman who is feeling insignificant or unworthy in their lives right now.

Rachael: Yeah, I would say I can empathize. I know what that feels like, and I’m sorry. Because it’s probably something that someone [00:31:00] has done to you or something that the enemy is trying to convince you to believe. And so I would just say to fill your mind and your heart and your life with God’s word, with worship music, with surrounding yourself with.

a community that will pour into you and pray for you and love you and encourage you and remind you of who you are in him. You know, be careful what you’re watching, what you’re listening to, what you’re reading, because what is what is in our heart is what’s going to overflow. And so that would be my encouragement to you if you’re just really feeling unloved.

And I also think that you can’t always correlate your experience With humans, with your experience with God, because we do live in a sinful fallen world, and there are natural consequences to certain situations, but God will always meet you there. He is always pursuing you from. The very beginning , in [00:32:00] Genesis to the end of revelation, he has always been coming closer and closer to us from hovering over the waters to being in the tabernacle to sending Jesus to die for us on the cross, to sending his Holy Spirit.

And then he will come again. He is in constant pursuit of your heart. So my encouragement to you would be pursue him too.

Kelly: Oh, amen. That just gives me chills. That’s just I love God’s heart that he consistently pursues us. He never forgets about us. We’re never removed from his love. I always think about Moses the 40 years in the wilderness.

And I think, you know, God did not just 1 day say, oh, yeah, there was this. That Moses guy, I should go, you know, hop up in a burning bush. You know, he had a perfect plan. His eyes were on Moses. And in those 40 years, he was doing a work in Moses’s heart. He never left him. He will never leave us. He’ll never forsake us.

He is always intentionally purposefully pursuing us and loving on us. Oh, [00:33:00] that’s so encouraging. Well, Rachel, tell our listeners how they can get in touch with you and tell us the name of your book one more time.

Rachael: So I would love to connect with anybody listening today because I really believe that God connects us all for a reason.

And so you can find me at Rachel Adams, author on social media and online at Rachel K Adams. com. I have a love offering calendar on there on my free resources page. If you’re interested in finding out ways to love other people with your life, we, I think we often overcomplicate it when God really his directives have been pretty simple.

And so that is on my website and then you can find the book anywhere online that books are listen to the podcast on any any listening platform.

Kelly: Thank you. And so Rachel’s book is everyday prayers for love, learning to love God, others, and even yourself.

And I highly recommend both of her books. You guys, thanks for joining us today. And thank you, [00:34:00] Rachel, for blessing us with your time.

Rachael: Thank you so much, Kelly. I appreciate it.

If you were encouraged in your faith today, it’d be great. If you’d help get the word out by subscribing, sharing with a friend or leaving a review, I’d love to hear from you. You can reach out through my website, kelly hall. org and pick up some free resources while you’re there. Thanks for listening to the unshakable whole podcast.