Episode Summary

Waiting on God to “restore the years the locust has eaten” (Joel 2:25) doesn’t mean waiting passively. In this episode, Lucy introduces The Joy Connection—a simple, relational tool to engage your brain’s relational circuits so you can meet Jesus in specific memories, receive His perspective, and experience the Great Exchange: giving Him pain and receiving His healing. You’ll hear a personal testimony, a step-by-step practice you can try today, and scriptures that anchor this gentle, orderly process of heart healing.

In This Episode You’ll Learn

• Why restoration is relational, not passive—and how to “bring yourself fully to the table.”

• What The Joy Connection is and how it turns on your relational circuits so you can connect with God and people.

• How Jesus meets you in positive and painful memories to give heavenly perspective and real relief.

• The “stones” metaphor in your heart garden: how unprocessed pain blocks connection until it’s healed.

• The Great Exchange: trading pain, shame, and self-protection for tenderness, peace, and closeness with God.

• The “life loop” vs. victim mentality from Romans 11:36—living from Him, through Him, and back to Him.

  Scriptures Mentioned

• Joel 2:25 — God restores the years the locust has eaten.

• Ezekiel 36:26 — He replaces a stony, stubborn heart with a tender, responsive one.

• Psalm 142 — David pours out his complaints honestly before God.

• Romans 11:36 — “From Him, through Him, and to Him are all things.”

• Song of Songs — God’s jealous desire for closeness.

• Isaiah 57:18–19 (TPT) — He heals, guides, comforts, gives praise and peace, heals deepest wounds.

• Psalm 147:3 (TPT) — He heals the wounds of every shattered heart.

• Psalm 18:19 (TPT) — He brings you into a spacious place because He delights in you.

  Frameworks & Metaphors

• Heart Gardening & Stones: Untended gardens collect rocks; unprocessed pain becomes “stones” that block connection.

• The Joy Connection: A practice to engage your relational circuits so you can see, hear, and sense Jesus in memory.

• The Great Exchange: You give Jesus pain; He gives healing, clarity, and peace—often exactly what you need now.

• Life Loop (Rom 11:36): Living in the flow “from Him → through Him → to Him,” rather than cycling in victimhood.

  A Personal Snapshot

  Lucy shares how Jesus met her in a confusing childhood memory (age ~7) involving family estrangement. In minutes, He revealed what was impacted—innocence and childlike faith—and restored a simple, wholehearted way of coming to Him, like a child runs to her daddy.

In Strength & Dignity this week, women practiced The Joy Connection with a positive memory—and many wept as Jesus met them personally and tenderly.

Next Steps

• Work with Lucy: Experience The Joy Connection and the Great Exchange inside Strength & Dignity (small-group coaching) or in Deep to Deep, Lucy's 1:1 coaching program. Simply email Lucy at [email protected] to set up your free consultation.