Season 5 Episode 1, Chosen Series: Chosen in the Hard, Hidden Seasons with Shalene Roberts

Welcome to the Be Encouraged! Podcast, This is our first episode in the Chosen Series which is anchored on Ephesians 1:4 which says, “For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blamless in love before him.” This means He chose us even knowing that as a believer or not, we would face hardships, fail, try again, and again, to have a relationship with God, even if life has it’s ups and downs or you’re somewhere in between. Today, I am so honored to introduce our special guest, Shalene Roberts, author of When Mothering Is Hard and No One Sees: Where Gritty Meets Glorious in God’s Eternal Plans for Moms. Shalene is also the voice behind a beloved blog that has encouraged thousands of moms who are walking through the beautiful, messy, stretching, and often hidden realities of motherhood. And today, she’s here to unpack what it means to be chosen in the hard, hidden seasons of life. Because sometimes the very season that feels like it’s taking everything out of you is the season God is using to shape something eternal within you. Perhaps it will become your testimony of God’s goodness and faithfulness! Shalene is going to remind us that the hidden places are not wasted places. The hard days are not forgotten days. And motherhood, even when no one sees the sacrifice, the tears, the faithfulness, or the grit, is still deeply seen by God. I know this conversation is going to encourage you, inspire you, and spark something in you that may have felt dormant for a long time. My prayer is that it will ignite hope in your heart again and remind you that God is not finished with your story. So, wherever you are today—whether you’re in the middle of a beautiful season, a brutally hard one, or somewhere in between—take a deep breath, lean in, — grab your cup of coffee/tea, get on your walk or run/ and wherever you are let’s be encouraged. --- Jackie Resources: Learn more about Shalene Roberts by clicking here! Download the You Version Bible App and check out her 7-day FREE devotional reading plan based on her new book, “When Mothering is Hard and No One Sees”. https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/70045 Order “When Mothering is Hard and No One Sees” by Shalene Roberts https://a.co/d/0eybxQxz Follow on social media Instagram: @shalenerobertsblog Enjoyed this episode!? Share it on Instagram and tag @be_encouraged_podcast, send your friend a text with the link to the podcast, or write a raving review on Apple Podcast or Spotify to encourage more people, just like you! :) Bible Reflections: Ephesians 1 and 2 Psalm 139