“When You’re Not Out of Control—Just Tired of Surviving”

In this episode of Faith Over Fear, Carol sits down with Christy Osborne, author of Love Life Sober, for an honest, compassionate conversation about exhaustion, emotional numbness, and the quiet ways many women cope just to get through the day.

This isn’t a conversation about hitting rock bottom or losing control. It’s about the woman who looks “fine” on the outside—but feels tired, flat, and disconnected from joy on the inside.

Christy shares her personal journey through an alcohol fast—not as a self-improvement project, but as a brave act of curiosity and care. (Download the free companion guide for this episode here.)

Together, Carol and Christy explore:

• Why alcohol (or other numbing habits) often function as a solution, not the real problem
• What surfaces emotionally and spiritually when numbing is removed
• How grief, fatigue, and long-buried feelings often point to unmet needs—not personal failure
• The lies that grow louder in silence—and how awareness and Scripture can interrupt them with grace
• Where Jesus meets us most clearly when we feel exposed, weary, and emotionally honest
• How joy can return—not as escape, but as presence, embodiment, and safety

If you’ve ever thought, “I’m not out of control—I’m just so tired,” this episode is for you.

Resource referenced: Love Life Sober: A 40-Day Alcohol Fast to Rediscover Your Joy, Improve Your Health, and Renew Your Mind

Listener Reflective Questions

1. Where in my life have I been using something—even something socially acceptable—to soften, numb, or survive instead of truly rest?
2. If I’m honest, what emotions do I work hardest to avoid feeling—and why might those emotions feel unsafe to me?
3. Have I been interpreting my exhaustion as failure, when it may actually be information about my soul’s needs?
4. What lies get loud for me when life slows down or distractions are removed—and how do those lies shape my sense of identity?
5. How has my definition of joy been shaped by escape rather than presence—and what quieter forms of joy might God be inviting me to notice?
6. What would it look like to believe I can feel deeply and be safe with God—right here, not after I “fix” myself?

Connect with Christy Osborne:

On her website

On Instagram

On Facebook

Find her work on Amazon

Find Carol McCracken:

On her website

On Facebook

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Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Many people know God is loving and kind—but struggle to feel or trust that love in their most wounded places. For those impacted by trauma, religious abuse, legalism, or deep loss, God can feel distant, harsh, or unsafe.

In this moving conversation, host Jennifer Slattery sits down with author Sherri Hughes Gregg to explore how Jesus consistently reveals Himself as tender, compassionate, and near to the brokenhearted. Drawing from Sherri’s book The Compassionate Christ, her personal journey through divorce and cancer, and powerful Gospel narratives—including the leper, the grieving widow, and the Samaritan woman—this episode gently challenges fear-based views of God and invites listeners into healing truth.

Together, Jennifer and Sherri model how we can wrestle respectfully with Scripture, release shame-laden interpretations, and encounter Christ as He truly is: the One who comforts, restores dignity, and brings beauty from ashes.

Download this episode's free companion guide with Scripture and journal prompts here.

Resource referenced: The Compassionate Christ: Draw Near to the Risen Savior (A 31-Day Devotional Retelling of Stories from the Life of Jesus)

Discussion/Reflective Questions:

1. When you think about God’s posture toward you, what emotions surface most easily—fear, comfort, suspicion, hope? Why do you think that is?

2. How have past experiences (family, church culture, trauma, or suffering) shaped the way you interpret Jesus’ actions and words in Scripture?

3. Which Gospel story mentioned in this episode—the leper, the widow, or the Samaritan woman—do you most relate to right now? What about it resonates with your current season?

4. Are there moments when suffering or disappointment has caused old fears or shame-based beliefs about God to resurface? How have you responded to those thoughts?

5. What would it look like to intentionally observe how Jesus interacts with wounded people in the Gospels, without filtering His actions through fear or self-condemnation?

6. Where might God be inviting you to receive comfort before resolution—to trust His nearness even while you wait for healing or answers?

7. What is one lie about God’s character you feel prompted to gently release—and one truth about His compassion you want to sit with this week?

Connect with Sherri Hughes Gregg:

On Instagram

On Amazon

Find Jennifer Slattery:

On her website

Instagram

Facebook

Amazon

Subscribe to her free newsletter

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Do you struggle with prayer—what to say, how to say it, and whether God will respond? Does God ever feel distant or silent when you cry out to Him? In this episode, guest Rachel Britton shares why prayer often feels difficult, especially when we feel fearful, disappointed, or anxious, and she explains how simple, guided prayers can help us open our hearts wider to the Lord.

(Download this episodes free companion guide here.)

Together, Carol and Rachel explore what we can learn from biblical women who prayed through some of Scripture’s most painful and complicated moments:

• Rachel, a person of deep sorrow
• Leah, a person overlooked
• Jochebed, a person in the background
• Sarah, a person who doubted

Their lives reveal that God hears those of us who feel unseen, afraid, or unsure. Through their stories, Rachel invites us to grow in confidence—not by having perfect words, but by remembering we are perfectly loved.

Resource referenced: Pray Naturally: Finding Your Spiritual Confidence as a Woman Loved by God by Rachel Britton

Reflective/Discussion Questions

1. Which part of prayer feels hardest for you right now—finding the words, believing God hears you, or trusting Him with the outcome? Why?
2. When you think of praying bold prayers, what emotion rises first—fear, excitement, skepticism, or hope? What might God be inviting you to explore in that?
3. Is there a biblical woman’s story (Rachel, Leah, Jochebed) that mirrors a season you’re in? What does her journey teach you about God’s character?
4. In what ways have fear, disappointment, or past pain shaped the way you pray—or the way you avoid praying?
5. Rachel talks about being honest in prayer, even messy or raw. What would it look like to tell God the truth about something you’ve been holding back?
6. Where do you sense God inviting you to trust Him more deeply—not someday, but today—as you learn to pray more naturally?

Find Rachel Britton:

On her website

On Instagram

On Facebook

Find Carol McCracken:

On her website

On Facebook

On Instagram

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.