This week on Real Talk with Rachael, I'm chatting with my friend, Cynthia Yanof. Cynthia is a wife, mother, podcaster, blogger, and everyday girl who is ridiculously committed to not taking herself too seriously. She currently hosts the popular MESSmerized podcast; many Christians are familiar with her work for ChristianParenting.org, as well as her time as the creator and host of the ministry’s Pardon the Mess podcast. Cynthia worked as an attorney before pursuing a career encouraging and equipping women in their God-given callings. She loves speaking, writing, foster care, and hanging out in Dallas with her husband Mike and three kids.

Key Points from Our Conversation:

• Cynthia wrote the book after growing up in a Christian household and realizing she had faith on Sundays and in big moments but struggled to understand what everyday faith looked like; faith in the messy middle.
• "If your theology doesn’t meet up with your reality then it’s not a theology at all, it’s just good advice.”
• Often in the messy times, it seems the Lord is quiet when you know He could act. In those moments, it's important to remember all the time God has been faithful. He doesn’t remove the hardship from us, He uses it to show us His faithfulness.
• Don’t focus on the promising future, live in the cherished present - that is where God has intentionally placed you.
• Lies are being fed to us and we need to slow down and assess how they're impacting our faith. Question what you believe and assess if it's true.
• With self-awareness and input from her trusted community, Cynthia identified 3 lies that were shaping her life - ordinary isn’t enough, everyone has to love and accept me, and her worth is determined by the success and failure of her kids.
• We have to start valuing quality over quantity, especially with friendships. You cannot be all things to all people.
• Be driven by what is significant at the moment and what has eternal value, not something you’re holding from the past.
• Wherever life is off-script, God is still in it. Lean in now; don’t wait for a better time to do the hard important stuff. Allow God to create His bigger picture out of the mess.

Let’s Get Real Practical:

Read Matthew 19 and consider these two questions - What do you need to let go of? What are you holding on tightly to?

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