To the Woman Longing For Her True Country with Hunter Beless
Hunter Beless is the founder and host of Journeywomen podcast. She is also the author of Read It, See It, Say It, Sing It – a delightful rhyming picture book intended to help children and families grow in their knowledge and love of the Bible.
In addition to hosting Journeywomen Podcast, Hunter Beless is a homeschooling mama, who loves doing ministry in her local church context. Hunter and her husband, Brooks, have three amazing kiddos. When they’re not reading, seeing, saying, or singing the Bible, you can find the Beless family camping, riding bikes, or snuggling up with a good book. You can follow Hunter on Instagram @hunterbeless or on The Journeywomen Podcast.
Show Notes
What led you to title your own podcast, “Journeywomen?”
As you survey the scriptures, what are a few ways in which God utilizes a transition to bring about his glorious and eternal purposes?
There is much we do not know about our eternal home, but there is much that we can be certain of. In your own study of Scripture, what would you say is certain about this “forever home”?
In your own words, what does it mean to be a pilgrim passing through or a sojourner on earth? Where in scripture do you see this idea addressed?
How do you seek to balance the longing for your “forever home” or, as C. S. Lewis calls it, “your true country,” while also actively seeking to build his kingdom and enjoy his many blessings in the in-between?
What advice do you have for women listening who are in the midst of a season of longing for their “true country?”
It is often easy to think negatively about transition and change. Are there any benefits of change and transition we should all remember?
What advice or encouragement would you offer to women who are struggling to see how God could use their current season of transition for His glory and their good?
Are there any particular passages of scripture you recommend for those common moments of loneliness or weariness in the midst of transition?
Do you have any specific recommendations regarding how to find a healthy local church to plug into after a major move or transition?
Do you have any specific advice for women facing an anticipated transition?
Do you have any advice or tips for maintaining relationships across long distances?
For the mamas listening, do you have any tips or advice for preparing kids for a big move or transition?
Notable Quotations
“Even in the midst of this really sad transition (the Fall), as early as Genesis 3:15, we have glimmers of the very good change that we can experience in Christ. So, not all transitions are bad.”
“The people of God are marked by transition and change.”
“I think that some of these micro-transitions I am facing are a really big deal, but then I think about the Resurrection.”
“Looking at Revelation we can know some things that are certain about our forever home: we know there is going to be a new creation, the church is going to be adorned as the Bride of Christ, God is going to dwell with us, there is going to be no more tears, death is no longer going to be our reality, there will be no more mourning and no more pain.”
“There is a greater feast that is to come. We will know death no longer and fully and finally rejoice in the Salvation we have received in Christ.”
“I may have known how to walk through Gospel implications for the reality that Christ had rescued me from the depravity of my Sin and that he had made me new, but I didn’t really have a vision for where we were going until experiencing suffering and yearning more and more that I would get to be with Him again.”
“This side of eternity, it is a real challenge and yet we have so much hope.”
“We acknowledge the challenges that we face this side of eternity but we embrace the work that God has given us here.”
“If my brother Paul is in prison seeking to edify and encourage and admonish other believers seeing that God had purpose for Him even there, how much more do I have purpose as a free woman who is able to go and engage my neighbors with the hope of the Gospel and as we do, we press on toward the goal – Christ Jesus,”
“The best thing you can do is to immerse yourself in God’s Word and to take note of all the times that eternity, Christ’s return, the new heavens and the new earth, the resurrection are referenced in the text.”
“If you feel like you are constantly longing for your true country, you’re in good company.”
“I recognize more than ever before my own limitations and that causes me to lean into our limitless God and to rest in His care for me and to rely on His strength.”
“We have family everywhere we go in the local church.”
“We are ambassadors and we have been sent with the message of reconciliation. Where we are today is not an accident, we are in a particular time and place with great purpose and God will use that to accomplish his purpose in and through us for His glory and our good.”
“It is so imperative that you reflect on God’s pattern of faithfulness not only to you in times past where you had more clarity but also to His people throughout all of redemptive history.”
“Reflecting on God’s faithfulness has really been like an antidote to discontentment and unbelief in my life.”
“We won’t always know how He is going to use our current circumstances for His glory and our good, but we can trust Him and his faithfulness is one pattern we can look to to bolster our trust.”
Recommended Resources
Our Forever Home by Hunter Beless
Read It, See It, Say It, Sing It by Hunter Beless
Even Better Than Eden by Nancy Guthrie
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot
Scripture References
Genesis 1-3
Genesis 12
Revelation 21
Isaiah 25:6-9
Philippians 1:21-26
Philippians 3:14-20
2 Corinthians 5:18
Psalm 73
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