On this episode, we welcome back Chloe Richendollar, a TCK to Panama.
You’ll hear her share about wrestling with God through unmet expectations and how it’s best to process grief in community. Chloe shares about using the tools of perspective shifts and gratitude to hold on to hope that God is still good and in control. There’s a lot of little moments of wisdom and encouragement.
What questions do you have about this episode? How can we help support you or your TCK? We’d love to hear from you! Connect with us HERE.
HOSTS: Michelle Ellis, John Michael Caldwell, Nicole Caldwell
SONG: Sunscreen by Vic Davi
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 - 1:22 | Introduction
1:22 - 2:19 | Getting to Know Chloe
2:19 - 6:36 | MK Debate
6:36 - 16:20 | Expectation & Misplaced Hope
16:20 - 23:34 | The Wrestle with Unfulfilled Expectation
23:34 - 27:58 | Community and Support in Navigating Expectations
27:58 - 31:59 | Wrestling with God: Jacob’s Journey
31:59 - 34:53 | Expectations vs. Reality: Trusting God’s Plan
34:53 - 37:36 | Tools for Hope: Perspective and Gratitude
37:36 - 43:25 | The Power of Praise: Shifting Our Focus
43:25 - 45:16 | Building Theology: Beyond Our Worst Chapters
45:16 - 46:36| Hope in the New Creation: Revelation's Promise
46:36 - 51:24| Closing
SHOW NOTES:
22:15 | John 11:1-44- Jesus received word of his sick friend Lazarus and waits two days before visiting him.
28:18 |Genesis 32:24 - This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break.
31:42 | Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
31:57 | Lord (I Don’t Know) by Newsboys
40:13 | Lamentations 3:19-23 - Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.
41:49 | Romans 12:2 - Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
45:14 | Revelation 21:4-7 - And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.
KEY QUOTES:
10:34 | “Even though He may be silent, He is involved and in the background and He is doing something. And I can trust that.”
12:58 | “Sometimes we just want something tangible in our despair.”
14:27 | “It's really, really hard when you have to hope for a long, long time with no end in sight.”
18:40 | “Sometimes a prayer that I've had to pray at times when I am feeling despairing is ‘Lord, I'm going to need you to help me to be faithful today.”
19:07 | “I can trust that His plans are good and that He is faithful and that even in His silence He might be planning a resurrection.”
25:20 | “Allowing that grief to happen was something good for us. And doing it together maybe kind of eased it too.”
26:40 | “The times of most success when dealing with [my] unmet expectation does have to be in community.”
30:06 | “The fact that God lets Jacob go all night means there's mercy, there's compassion, there's goodness even in the struggle that we don't even see.”
32:12 | “God, I don't have to figure it all out. I don't have to know how it all works out, but you do and I'll trust you instead.”
36:10 | “If you are able to go to live today, you can be grateful for that because that means there is still purpose and there is still hope.”
Interested in partnering with John Michael & Nicole in prayer, one-time giving, or monthly giving? Do that HERE.
COMMON TERMS:
TCK - third culture kid
MK - missionary kid
LAC - Latin America Caribbean