Praising Through the Pain of Physical Limitations :: Karen Harmon [Ep 231]

When Karen Harmon found out she was unexpectedly pregnant at 40 with her third child, she had a lot of mixed emotions. With a history of autoimmune disease, her doctor advised her against her having more children.

In the midst of processing her emotions surrounding the pregnancy and the fear of how her body would react, Karen experienced a rare complication that put her on crutches for the final three months of the pregnancy. In this place of extreme physical limitation, Karen felt stripped of any control of her life.

I don't think I've ever actually been in that place with the Lord where there was literally no control. I had never had a crisis of faith, if you will. I had never been in that moment where I literally had to take my hands off the wheel and say, ‘I may not understand God, but I'm going to trust you anyway.’

In our conversation, Karen takes us through how praising God in the midst of her pain slowly changed her perspective about her situation.

Every morning instead of crumbling in a pile of tears down on my knees for just the miserable life that I was living, I thought: 'God, I'm going to praise you for this and I will trust that you know exactly what you're doing and that your plan and your will is the best way. Better than anything I could plan anything I could think of. You will never waste anything and I'm going to trust you no matter what.'

What we chat about:

Karen’s background as a working, homeschooling mom and encouraging women to live out their giftings

Her work speaking with Propel Women, traveling and feeling some independence at a mom of older kids

The surprise of her third pregnancy and how she processed her emotions with God

Her health journey with autoimmune diseases and her concerns about the pregnancy

Another unexpected complication with the pregnancy that caused her to experience hip fractures

How taking her pain to God and receiving the assignment to praise him in the midst of the pain and even for the pain made a huge difference

Expressing our emotions honestly can bring freedom vs holding them inside

Trusting God to increase your desire for his word and prayer even when you don’t feel like it

As moms we can still be ministers in our daily life. We are called to be faithful servants of God in small, consistent ways

The miracles and healing she experienced in the birth of her son and right after

Postpartum depression and what worked in Karen’s experience

Connect with Karen:

Links Mentioned:

Propel Ministries www.propelwomen.org

* Episode with Jenn Jett: https://dontmomalone.com/2018/02/12/how-god-personally-pursues-redeems-jenn-jett-ep-193/

Featured Sponsor: Discipline that Connects Online Course by Connected Families

Raising kids in today’s culture is harder than ever. Despite the vast array of resources and methods available, finding one that offers lasting solutions can be challenging. The Discipline That Connects online course stops that search. When you complete the 8-session course (30 minutes each session) you'll learn:

 Four key messages that will shape what your children believe about themselves in a way that make them WANT to behave better.

To communicate these four powerful messages in ways your kids can’t miss.