Podcast Intro and My Story of Hope
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Tamara introduces her podcast Stories of Hope in Hard Times. She also shares lessons learned from a car accident and having two sons on the autism spectrum.

Stories of Hope in Hard Times Introduction

• My reason for doing this podcast–love learning from stories.
• Noticed that my sister who was struggling with Lyme’s disease and I were learning the same lessons even though I was raising children with autism.
• Even though situations are different, often the lessons learned are the same.

Stories of Hope Podcast basics

• Podcast will launch a new episode twice a month, every other week on Wednesday.
• The shows will be 40-60 minutes each.

My Story of Hope and 3 Lessons Learned in Adversity

1. Lesson Learned from a Car Accident

• Not only do you learn to love others when you serve them, but the opposite is also true.
• You can learn to love others when they serve you.
• The cycle of service is a cycle of love.

2. Lesson as the mother of 2 autistic boys about being “normal.”

• God taught me “Tamara, this is normal for you.”
• Quit looking out your window at everybody else, and comparing yourself to what you are perceiving their “normal” is. Just look at yourself. This is normal for you.”
• The times when I felt discouraged or sad was when I was comparing my life and my children and my family to what I was perceiving as other people’s normal lives.
• I’m normal for me and my kids are normal for them and I’m okay with that.
• “Most internal healing and solutions take time. So, we need to be patient with ourselves…as we learn tough life lessons.”

3. Learning True Faith

• Story of Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego in Daniel 3.
• I realized I knew God could heal my boys—I had that kind of faith.
• BUT I couldn’t say, “But if not” I will be okay if you don’t—because I wasn’t.
• It took time to heal my heart and change it so that I could say “Thy will be done.”
• This was a process. It wasn’t something I immediately came to. It was something I grew towards. I think God changed my heart because I asked him to help me with it because I knew I wasn’t there yet.

Bonus Tips

• God loves you no matter what. You can vent to Him in prayer.
• “If you are worrying about the future, don’t. Just worry about getting through today. God shows us baby steps day by day.”
• God never gives us more than we can handle WITH HIS HELP. He gives us more than we can handle by ourselves all the time so we can develop stronger spiritual muscles.
• God often doesn’t give us solutions all at once. He will give us a glimmer here and a glimmer there and we will find solutions to a problem little bits at a time. (I wish it was more quickly but it is often not).

Favorite Bible Verse

Philippians [4:13]) “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Inspirational Quotes & Shareable Memes

Thanks for listening! Hope on and remember God loves you!

Tamara