Oh, friend:

After surviving over 25 years of emotional abuse in her first marriage, Darlene Larson thought God was finally turning her story around. She met a man in church: a divorce care and grief/loss leader. He proposed in the very sanctuary where they both worshiped. But two and a half years into their marriage, he walked out. The betrayal was so deep, Darlene questioned whether she even wanted to trust God again.

In this raw, vulnerable episode, Darlene shares her journey through what she calls the deepest pain she's ever experienced—deeper even than decades of abuse—and how she learned the Greek concept of splanchna: God's compassion that moves Him to action when He sees us in our hellish pain. Through 132 checkboxes of grief and loss, six months alone in the marriage home, and years of "gutting it out with God," Darlene discovered that healing is possible—but it requires entering the pain, not avoiding it.

In This Episode:

Key Themes: Church betrayal, Christian divorce recovery, emotional abuse survival, second divorce trauma, grief and loss coaching, splanchna Greek word study, entering emotional pain, Hannah's prayer model, 132 types of grief, healing timeline expectations, trust after betrayal, surrendering to God, instant fix culture vs real healing, helping others through your pain, when to reach out vs when to heal first, endurance in faith, God's faithfulness in betrayal

Whether you're healing from betrayal, questioning if you can trust God again after He "let you down," struggling with unidentified grief, or wondering how long healing really takes, Darlene's story offers hard-won wisdom: God sees you, He hears you, He prays for you—and He will heal your deepest emotional pain. But you have to be willing to enter it, stay on your knees, and want more than just survival. You have to want joy.

Resources Mentioned:

Content Note: This episode discusses emotional abuse, church betrayal, divorce, abandonment, sexual abuse, rape, infertility, sibling death, and the long journey of grief with honesty and hope.

May you find healing in your own life today, my friend.

Always, Anna

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