What if the heat you feel isn’t punishment — but preparation?
In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, author and advocate Karol Holmes invites us into the furnace of her story and shows how affliction can become a forge for trust, courage, and costly love.
We trace her unexpected journey — from hosting a Haitian infant for heart surgery, to adopting three children with complex medical needs, to walking through the devastating loss of two sons: one in sudden tragedy, and one after decades of suffering. Her story is tender and unvarnished, yet anchored in a steady hope that only grows in valleys.
Karol shares the spiritual practices that sustained her when fear and isolation threatened to pull her under. Each morning, she wrote a simple surrender — returning her son to the care of his Creator. Throughout the day, she whispered a breath prayer:
Inhale: “Be still.”
Exhale: “And know that I am God.”
Those few words became a lifeline through long nights, relentless “what ifs,” and the ache of leaving her son in a facility two hours away.
We talk about how Scripture moved from the page into her body.
How honesty deepened her relationship with Jesus.
And how sometimes God answers by lightening the load — and sometimes by strengthening your back.
Along the way, we explore:
- Sovereignty and choice without fear-driven formulas
- The hidden grace of a home guarded from blame after tragedy
- The quiet gifts of ordinary joy when Moise finally lived close to home
Karol’s witness reframes affliction as formation — inviting us to see God’s nearness where we least expect it.
If you’re walking through your own furnace, this conversation will give you language for surrender, tools for anxiety, and a fresh vision of refining fire that shapes rather than destroys.
If this episode met you in the heat, share it with someone you love, subscribe to the show, and leave a review with one practice you’ll try this week. Your words may help someone else find hope in their valley.
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