April 1, 2025 • 20 mins
Have you ever defined yourself by your work title, what you have achieved, or your status as a professional person, spouse, or even parent? When your identity is based solely on worldly things, it can be devastating when you lose it.
Belinda found herself drifting away from her faith and the teachings that once anchored her life. She experienced a period of spiritual dryness that left her longing for purpose. For a time, her career success and achievements seemed fulfilling on the surface but eventually left her soul parched and yearning for more.
Her turning point came in the form of a heartfelt plea from her son. It was a moment of profound clarity for Belinda, and she knew that a change was imperative. The success she had built no longer held the same appeal.
Humbled and resolute, Belinda decided to leave behind her professional life. Instead, she turned to God, seeking solace and direction. This marked the beginning of a profound faith journey, one that led her toward the saints and the teachings of spiritual wisdom.
Please grab a cup of coffee and join us on Belinda's spiritual journey!
#GodisGood #GodisGoodPodcast #ChristianPodcasts #ACTS #Jesus #Bible #God #Faith
Links to Belinda Terro Mooney’s Books:
- Pray with Us: A Saint for Every Day: https://www.amazon.com/Pray-Us-Saint-Every-Day/dp/1639662103
- My Therapeutic Lifestyle Workbook: https://amazon.com/therapeutic-lifestyle-changes-workbook-comprehsive/dp/1955225028
- Christ the King Lord of History Workbook: https://www.amazon.com/Christ-King-Lord-History-Workbook/dp/0895556731?ref_=ast_author_dp
- Christ the King Lord of History: The Continuing Story: https://ww.amazon.com/Christ-King-Lord-History-Continuing/dp/B098WL7JM8/
- Christ and the Americas Workbook: https://www.amazon.com/Christ-Americas-Workbook-Study-Answer/dp/0895557444?ref_=ast_author_dp
- Leave Me Alone! Helping Your Troubled Teenager: https://www.amazon.com/Leave-Me-Alone-Troubled-Teenager/dp/0830625372?ref_=ast_author_dp
- A Look at Life: Poetry for Reflection Volume 1 https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/alookatlife/
- A Look at Life: Poetry for Reflection Volume 2 https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/alookatlifevol2/
Our goal with this episode is to move at least one heart toward God -- is it yours? Let us know! And if you'd like to get involved by becoming a storyteller or donating to the movement, please visit:
Web: godisgoodpodcast.com
Social: www.facebook.com/groups/godisgoodpodcast/
Some of our episodes mention the ACTS Retreat, which is an evangelization retreat from ACTS Missions in San Antonio, TX: www.actsmissions.org.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Carol (00:15):
Welcome to the God is Good Podcast where we share
stories of everyday people whohave reignited their faith in
Jesus and experienced remarkablelife transformations.
My name is Carol O'Brien and I'myour host for this podcast.
I can do all things through himwho strengthens me.
Philippians 4 verse 13.
(00:37):
Today's storyteller, Belinda,served for many years as a
highly educated, accomplishedsocial worker and business
owner.
Her faith became lukewarm whileshe dedicated many years to
serving as a social worker andtaking care of teenagers with
coexisting disorders.
This role required her to be oncall 24 hours per day.
(01:00):
Leaving that job turned into anopportunity to run her own
training institute.
And then circumstances caused alife-changing decision.
When her eldest son needed her,Belinda made the difficult
decision to give up her careerand her role as the breadwinner
of her family.
(01:21):
While her children flourished,she faced her own personal
challenges and found herselfrelying on her faith to navigate
through tumultuous times.
Studying her faith became acornerstone of Belinda's
strength and newfound missions.
She has turned her suffering andher experiences into blessings
for others.
(01:42):
Today, she's an author ofseveral books, including one on
praying with the saints, and aCertified Coach.
Please join me in welcomingBelinda to the podcast.
Welcome Belinda!
Belinda (01:54):
Hi Carol, it's so good to be with you.
Carol (01:56):
We are so happy to have you here.
Before we get into your story,can you tell us what your faith
foundation was like as a child?
Belinda (02:04):
Sure.
I grew up with two parents whowere both Catholic.
My mom was a recently convertedCatholic.
She studied the teachings of thechurch before she married my
dad.
She decided that she wanted tocome into the Catholic church.
So she did that before they gotmarried.
And then about five or sixmonths into their marriage they
(02:25):
got pregnant with me.
I grew up Catholic and had avery beautiful experience of God
as a young child.
I just knew when I went tochurch that when I looked up at
the cross, I don't know how toexplain this, but Jesus brought
me directly to our father when Iwas very little.
(02:46):
I would pray directly to God ourfather.
So my earliest memories wasknowing our father through
Jesus.
When I was talking to God, Ijust always wanted to be a
saint.
I didn't know a lot of them butI wanted to be one.
My mom, even though she didn'tguide me with the saints, took
me to church and she made surethat everything was done like it
(03:06):
was supposed to be done.
And the main thing about my momand my dad was that I saw them
practicing their faith.
My mom would go to bed with herrosary in her hand.
And my dad, for every year ofhis life that I ever saw him,
would kneel beside his bed andhe would say his prayers.
Carol (03:25):
That's so wonderful.
A strong faith foundation is soimportant when we're young.
It's often difficult tomaintain, let alone build upon,
as we reach young adulthoodthough, right?
Can you tell us about your faithjourney from college into your
adulthood?
Belinda (03:42):
So at about 18, I just felt a lot of grace up until
that point.
And then I felt a tremendousamount of dryness.
So when I started having thatdry spell, I just didn't feel
Him at all.
I went from talking to God everyday and hearing Him back to not
hearing Him at all.
I just...
I remember I was in my dorm roomwhen I was trying to pray and I
(04:06):
was hearing nothing back at all.
It was just so dry.
After I graduated from collegewith my master's degree in
social work, I was working at aprison.
I just drifted.
I was moving off into deepwaters, away from what I really
should have been in.
It's hurtful for me because Iknow that the scriptures say to
(04:26):
those who more is given more isexpected.
And I feel like that was a timewhen I just wasn't living up to
my true identity as a child ofGod.
I just feel like, wow, that waswasted time In terms of what I
could have been doing.
I never stopped going to church.
I still went on Sundays becausethat had just been so ingrained
(04:48):
to me.
But I just had all these othernotions because I didn't
understand the scriptural anddoctrinal and disciplinary
underpinnings.
Carol (04:58):
We were just talking about how difficult it is to
transition from a childhoodrelationship with God into an
adult relationship.
Often there are so many worldlyforces that can pull us away
from our focus on God, Whathappened for you?
Belinda (05:13):
Well I didn't like the way certain women in my life had
been treated.
So I didn't have a good opinionof men.
And so I was more in a feministkind of mindset.
I grew up very poor.
I felt like my dad could haveearned more money and because of
his lack of self confidence fromhis father, he didn't.
(05:33):
And so I just never wanted to bebeholden to a man to support me.
I had a master's degree and Iknew what to do.
And actually I did support myfamily.
I put my husband through collegebecause he didn't finish when we
first got married.
We had some issues.
A whole lot of issues in ourlife.
It was such a long journeybecause I had a husband who had
(05:53):
bipolar and some addictions andthen I had an older child who
also had neurological problems.
My first child had epilepsy.
And then he also had severeADHD.
My third child had severe ADD.
Then my 4th child had severeADD.
I can't even tell you how if Ididn't have God, I don't know
how I would have made it throughmost of my life.
(06:15):
There's no way I could have madeit through because I had to pray
constantly for more patiencemore strength and more courage.
Carol (06:23):
Goodness.
You had so much on your platebeing the breadwinner, keeping
your marriage going throughsignificant struggles, and then
the medical challenges with yourchildren on top of it all.
Did your professional successalleviate some of the stress in
your life or did it add to it?
Belinda (06:40):
I had been working as a program director in a long term
facility.
I'd been working withteenagers-- teens who had what
we call coexisting disorderschemical dependency and mental
illness.
These teens were in a long-termresidential facility where I was
on a beeper 24 hours a day.
I just couldn't get away fromit.
(07:01):
And I couldn't get up in themorning.
I was so tired and I checked onmy depression symptoms.
I was eating okay.
I was sleeping okay.
But I couldn't get out of bedevery morning.
It took me half an hour prayingto the angels to just get me up.
And I literally worked myselfthrough mono.
That's how disordered my lifewas at that time.
(07:23):
My husband had his degree thenand I got to quit that job.
I got to start my own business.
So I went to work but formyself.
I set up trainings for otherprofessionals to come and learn
about addictions because I wasestablishing myself in my
profession as like a smallexpert in addictions.
(07:44):
And I would put on trainings tolicensed clinicians.
I would prepare people going fortheir chemical dependency
certifications.
I was making most of the money.
I was running the traininginstitute and my husband who was
alive then was helping me withthe insurance stuff.
He had lost his job so he wasworking with me in what I
(08:08):
thought was our business.
He didn't see it the same waybut at least he was helping me.
I had just had my third baby inDecember and started training
again in January.
Carol (08:19):
So you had a lot depending on the success of your
business-- your family stabilityand your identity as a
professional.
And it sounds like your faithjourney had continued to stall,
become lukewarm.
What happened to change all ofthat?
Belinda (08:35):
My son, my oldest, had been asking for two years for me
to homeschool him.
And I just didn't see that atall.
I couldn't understand how Icould get from here to there
because I was earning most ofthe money.
I just didn't feel like it was astable situation for me to just
leave that and also like I saidI had been highly trained.
So, It was a huge decision.
(08:55):
And when the only Catholicschool turned my son down, he
had been a straight A student ina magnet program, and they
turned him down.
I just thought, no, I'm notputting him in a school that has
metal detectors.
I don't feel like that's goodfor his physical safety.
I felt like God was saying, it'stime now, you need to homeschool
your child.
So I relied on the grace of God.
(09:19):
I gave up the traininginstitute.
I came home and I homeschooledmy children.
Carol (09:25):
It must have been a really incredibly hard decision.
Once you made it, how did itimpact your life and your
family's lives?
Belinda (09:34):
That year, we just started having a totally
different life.
My oldest son who was in 8thgrade started studying chess.
My middle son ended up goingthrough two grades in one year
because he wanted to catch up towhere he should have been.
It all worked out and it wentfast and furious.
And because I came home to homeschool, I started learning my
(09:55):
faith.
I started having that deeperconversion of really giving
everything to God.
And so it was like more of agradual process but that brought
me deeper into being committedthat every single day I was
going to do the rosary.
And every single day I was goingto do the liturgy of the hours.
And I had my children prayingthe liturgy of the hours with
(10:16):
me.
That was kind of how it wentfrom moving out of the
worldliness into a home lifethat was based around prayer,
around learning our faithtogether, me and the children.
And then reading these saintbooks which I had never read.
I'm going to cry and think aboutit because the lived experience
(10:39):
of being faithful to teachingyour children how to pray.
Because that's what I was doing.
You go to mass, you come outyou're on fire for God, and you
want to live that and show otherpeople who he is.
And so you go back to thescriptures and you pray and you
stay close to him.
And God rewarded me by showingme that by just trying to teach
my children how to pray, I wasteaching them how to pray with
(11:02):
the scriptures.
Carol (11:03):
Oh I love that.
When you trusted God and madethat difficult decision, he
brought you even more blessingsthan you expected for your life.
Teaching your children to praywith the scriptures builds such
a solid foundation for them.
But I imagine just because itwas the right decision it still
must have been hard on you.
(11:24):
Being an accomplishedprofessional was an important
part of how you saw yourself.
What changes happened to youpersonally through this time?
Belinda (11:33):
People would say to me, Oh I could never homeschool my
children because I don't haveany patience.
I'm like, well, I'm right therewith you! I mean, that's the
testimony to God right there isthat I could homeschool my
children.
It was very, very difficult.
So I leaned on God a lot.
I prayed all the time.
And what I discovered wasanother vocation.
(11:55):
He put upon my heart thatyearning to pray for other
people in in intercessoryprayer.
All those years of sufferingwere connected to praying an
intercessory prayer.
I had this, I don't want to callit a vision, but It was like an
image one time where I could seemyself dying and all these
people coming to get me.
And I knew that they were allthe people that I prayed for.
(12:17):
So that was what was happeningduring all those years of
homeschooling.
Giving up the identity that Ihad as a social worker and a
professional person and justletting God lead me through lots
of difficult times.
To the point where with myhusband I actually had to leave
a domestic violence situationbecause the verbal abuse and
(12:39):
emotional the physicalintimidation.
It just got so bad that I washaving physical problems as well
as a lot of emotional and mentalanguish and spiritual stress
that, oh I'm supposed to stay ina relationship with a person
who's just attacking me everythree days now.
What can I do God?
What can I do?
(12:59):
A priest told me that the churchdoes not teach that you have to
stay in abuse.
That's not what God has for hischildren is to be abused.
So when I left, that was likejumping off a cliff again.
I didn't even have my licensesanymore.
I had to get my licenses back.
I had to try to find some kindof work.
The process of leaving was verydifficult.
(13:21):
Whereas my husband had left memany times and emotionally
pretty much all the time becausehe didn't have what he needed
having the particular diagnosishe had.
Yeah.
He had left me several times.
When I left him then he was veryangry and he just really came at
me full guns.
And so I had to start like awhole new life.
(13:41):
I started teaching again at thecollege because I've been
teaching in that first part ofmy life, post-Masters.
So I got a teaching position soI didn't hardly have to leave,
because it's adjunct, my 2children who were still
homeschooling.
So it's just been God leading meinto and out of situations that
I had to totally depend on him.
Carol (14:04):
Your life is such a faith-filled reminder that
relying on God doesn't mean thatour lives won't be messy.
God doesn't promise usperfection or an easy life but
that he will be with us always.
And it may take some time for usto realize, but God always works
for our good.
How has this period mixed, withboth suffering and blessing,
(14:26):
impacted your life today?
Belinda (14:28):
I continued homeschooling until just
finished year before last and Istarted writing again.
I had written three books andnow I'm getting back into my
field.
I'm realizing my students needto do these therapeutic
lifestyle changes becausethey're going to prevent
burnout.
They'll never get to where I gotif I can just help them set
their life up.
(14:48):
To where they're taking care ofthemselves before they go out
there into this very burnoutprone profession.
So I wrote a workbook, myTherapeutic Lifestyle Changes
workbook, and I self publishedthat book.
This is creating a comprehensiveplan for a calm ordered life.
And as I'm writing the book formy students I'm realizing, oh a
(15:09):
lot of people are going to beable to use this.
I'm also going to write aCatholic edition of that here
soon.
So I looked at coaching and nowI'm getting my certification.
I'll have that and then I'llhave my two licenses in social
work and I'll continue servingin this way.
Carol (15:24):
It does seem that God is using all of your life
experiences plus the desireyou've always had to help people
to create opportunities ofgrowth for you.
Belinda (15:34):
Yeah.
That's God.
He made me that person thatalways wanted to help people
have a little less pain in theirlife.
So it started when I was in highschool discovering that I could
be a good helper of otherpeople.
That's why I went into socialwork.
I remember, and I still have it,there's a poem by Emily
Dickinson about if I could helpone robin into its nest again, I
(15:58):
would not have lived in vain.
So whether it's through prayerand fasting and almsgiving in
the intercessory part.
Or whether it's throughpractical means like writing,
teaching, coaching, speaking,all my other missions.
These missions are God's ways ofme helping other people to have
(16:19):
a little less pain in their lifeand grow a little closer to God
every day.
So I want you to have thatpersonal relationship with
Jesus.
I want you to read thescriptures.
I want you to go to Mass as muchas you possibly can because he
is your strength.
He is your rock.
I read something where Jesustold st Gertrude that the Saints
are the most powerful in theirintercession on their feast day.
(16:41):
I always knew that I wassupposed to let other people
know about this.
So now I wrote a book inNovember of 2024 that was
published about this very topic.
I structured it to where youhave a little bio on the saint
and you have a prayer with ourfather With that saint on their
feast day.
That book is called, Pray WithUs: A Saint for Every Day.
Carol (17:03):
That's so wonderful! We'll definitely have to look
out for that book.
Let me read your favoritescripture.
Of course, it's the one weopened with, Philippians 4 verse
13 (17:13):
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Why is this your favoritescripture?
Belinda (17:21):
So whether it's coming out of poverty as a child and
going to college by mybootstraps.
I literally had to get all myown FAFSA, everything filled out
myself.
Like get myself into college.
Be the first in any of myfamily, extended family, anybody
to get any degree whatsoever.
And I go all the way to Masters.
Or living through a long lifewith a husband who had severe
(17:46):
problems and was abusive.
Or homeschooling children when Inever ever thought that's
anything I would possibly do.
To coming out of all that andbuilding a totally new life with
God.
It's all through the strength ofGod.
I can do all things.
I know that I can because I'velived through some of the worst
things people could livethrough.
And because of His strength, Ihave gone through it.
(18:09):
So it's always meant a lot to mebecause like I said, if I was
going through all thesehardships in my life, the only
thing that got me through wasHis strength.
Carol (18:18):
Speaking earlier of your books where can we find them?
Belinda (18:22):
They're all on Amazon, but they're also on the
publisher, Our Sunday Visitor,OSV, Catholic Books.
So you can get it there.
You can also get those on Enroute, e n r o u t e, En route
Books and Media.
Carol (18:35):
We will be sure to put the links in the show notes.
Thank you, Belinda, I think yourstory is really remarkable and
one that is really going totouch a lot of hearts.
For you, our listeners, if youwould like to get involved in
our God is Good Podcast mission,there are easy ways to do so.
You can become a storyteller andshare your story or you can
(18:57):
donate to help us produce evenmore episodes and fund retreat
scholarships.
And please click follow on yourfavorite podcast provider.
All of these will help us movemore hearts toward Jesus.
Thank you so much, again,Belinda.
We really enjoyed having you onthe podcast!
Belinda (19:16):
Oh I'm so glad that I could be here.
And I'm praying for anyone who'slistening to the podcast and
anyone who will read the threebooks that I've written or take
advantage of coaching oranything.
I'm always praying for all ofy'all.
So hopefully God will give youthe strength that He's given me
and you just keep going throughone thing after the other in the
arms of Jesus.
(19:36):
That's where we belong.
Carol (19:38):
Amen.
Until next time, friends,remember, God is good.
Welcome to the God is Good Podcast where we share
stories of everyday people whohave reignited their faith in
Jesus and experienced remarkablelife transformations.
My name is Carol O'Brien and I'myour host for this podcast.
I can do all things through himwho strengthens me.
Philippians 4 verse 13.
(00:37):
Today's storyteller, Belinda,served for many years as a
highly educated, accomplishedsocial worker and business
owner.
Her faith became lukewarm whileshe dedicated many years to
serving as a social worker andtaking care of teenagers with
coexisting disorders.
This role required her to be oncall 24 hours per day.
(01:00):
Leaving that job turned into anopportunity to run her own
training institute.
And then circumstances caused alife-changing decision.
When her eldest son needed her,Belinda made the difficult
decision to give up her careerand her role as the breadwinner
of her family.
(01:21):
While her children flourished,she faced her own personal
challenges and found herselfrelying on her faith to navigate
through tumultuous times.
Studying her faith became acornerstone of Belinda's
strength and newfound missions.
She has turned her suffering andher experiences into blessings
for others.
(01:42):
Today, she's an author ofseveral books, including one on
praying with the saints, and aCertified Coach.
Please join me in welcomingBelinda to the podcast.
Welcome Belinda!
Belinda (01:54):
Hi Carol, it's so good to be with you.
Carol (01:56):
We are so happy to have you here.
Before we get into your story,can you tell us what your faith
foundation was like as a child?
Belinda (02:04):
Sure.
I grew up with two parents whowere both Catholic.
My mom was a recently convertedCatholic.
She studied the teachings of thechurch before she married my
dad.
She decided that she wanted tocome into the Catholic church.
So she did that before they gotmarried.
And then about five or sixmonths into their marriage they
(02:25):
got pregnant with me.
I grew up Catholic and had avery beautiful experience of God
as a young child.
I just knew when I went tochurch that when I looked up at
the cross, I don't know how toexplain this, but Jesus brought
me directly to our father when Iwas very little.
(02:46):
I would pray directly to God ourfather.
So my earliest memories wasknowing our father through
Jesus.
When I was talking to God, Ijust always wanted to be a
saint.
I didn't know a lot of them butI wanted to be one.
My mom, even though she didn'tguide me with the saints, took
me to church and she made surethat everything was done like it
(03:06):
was supposed to be done.
And the main thing about my momand my dad was that I saw them
practicing their faith.
My mom would go to bed with herrosary in her hand.
And my dad, for every year ofhis life that I ever saw him,
would kneel beside his bed andhe would say his prayers.
Carol (03:25):
That's so wonderful.
A strong faith foundation is soimportant when we're young.
It's often difficult tomaintain, let alone build upon,
as we reach young adulthoodthough, right?
Can you tell us about your faithjourney from college into your
adulthood?
Belinda (03:42):
So at about 18, I just felt a lot of grace up until
that point.
And then I felt a tremendousamount of dryness.
So when I started having thatdry spell, I just didn't feel
Him at all.
I went from talking to God everyday and hearing Him back to not
hearing Him at all.
I just...
I remember I was in my dorm roomwhen I was trying to pray and I
(04:06):
was hearing nothing back at all.
It was just so dry.
After I graduated from collegewith my master's degree in
social work, I was working at aprison.
I just drifted.
I was moving off into deepwaters, away from what I really
should have been in.
It's hurtful for me because Iknow that the scriptures say to
(04:26):
those who more is given more isexpected.
And I feel like that was a timewhen I just wasn't living up to
my true identity as a child ofGod.
I just feel like, wow, that waswasted time In terms of what I
could have been doing.
I never stopped going to church.
I still went on Sundays becausethat had just been so ingrained
(04:48):
to me.
But I just had all these othernotions because I didn't
understand the scriptural anddoctrinal and disciplinary
underpinnings.
Carol (04:58):
We were just talking about how difficult it is to
transition from a childhoodrelationship with God into an
adult relationship.
Often there are so many worldlyforces that can pull us away
from our focus on God, Whathappened for you?
Belinda (05:13):
Well I didn't like the way certain women in my life had
been treated.
So I didn't have a good opinionof men.
And so I was more in a feministkind of mindset.
I grew up very poor.
I felt like my dad could haveearned more money and because of
his lack of self confidence fromhis father, he didn't.
(05:33):
And so I just never wanted to bebeholden to a man to support me.
I had a master's degree and Iknew what to do.
And actually I did support myfamily.
I put my husband through collegebecause he didn't finish when we
first got married.
We had some issues.
A whole lot of issues in ourlife.
It was such a long journeybecause I had a husband who had
(05:53):
bipolar and some addictions andthen I had an older child who
also had neurological problems.
My first child had epilepsy.
And then he also had severeADHD.
My third child had severe ADD.
Then my 4th child had severeADD.
I can't even tell you how if Ididn't have God, I don't know
how I would have made it throughmost of my life.
(06:15):
There's no way I could have madeit through because I had to pray
constantly for more patiencemore strength and more courage.
Carol (06:23):
Goodness.
You had so much on your platebeing the breadwinner, keeping
your marriage going throughsignificant struggles, and then
the medical challenges with yourchildren on top of it all.
Did your professional successalleviate some of the stress in
your life or did it add to it?
Belinda (06:40):
I had been working as a program director in a long term
facility.
I'd been working withteenagers-- teens who had what
we call coexisting disorderschemical dependency and mental
illness.
These teens were in a long-termresidential facility where I was
on a beeper 24 hours a day.
I just couldn't get away fromit.
(07:01):
And I couldn't get up in themorning.
I was so tired and I checked onmy depression symptoms.
I was eating okay.
I was sleeping okay.
But I couldn't get out of bedevery morning.
It took me half an hour prayingto the angels to just get me up.
And I literally worked myselfthrough mono.
That's how disordered my lifewas at that time.
(07:23):
My husband had his degree thenand I got to quit that job.
I got to start my own business.
So I went to work but formyself.
I set up trainings for otherprofessionals to come and learn
about addictions because I wasestablishing myself in my
profession as like a smallexpert in addictions.
(07:44):
And I would put on trainings tolicensed clinicians.
I would prepare people going fortheir chemical dependency
certifications.
I was making most of the money.
I was running the traininginstitute and my husband who was
alive then was helping me withthe insurance stuff.
He had lost his job so he wasworking with me in what I
(08:08):
thought was our business.
He didn't see it the same waybut at least he was helping me.
I had just had my third baby inDecember and started training
again in January.
Carol (08:19):
So you had a lot depending on the success of your
business-- your family stabilityand your identity as a
professional.
And it sounds like your faithjourney had continued to stall,
become lukewarm.
What happened to change all ofthat?
Belinda (08:35):
My son, my oldest, had been asking for two years for me
to homeschool him.
And I just didn't see that atall.
I couldn't understand how Icould get from here to there
because I was earning most ofthe money.
I just didn't feel like it was astable situation for me to just
leave that and also like I saidI had been highly trained.
So, It was a huge decision.
(08:55):
And when the only Catholicschool turned my son down, he
had been a straight A student ina magnet program, and they
turned him down.
I just thought, no, I'm notputting him in a school that has
metal detectors.
I don't feel like that's goodfor his physical safety.
I felt like God was saying, it'stime now, you need to homeschool
your child.
So I relied on the grace of God.
(09:19):
I gave up the traininginstitute.
I came home and I homeschooledmy children.
Carol (09:25):
It must have been a really incredibly hard decision.
Once you made it, how did itimpact your life and your
family's lives?
Belinda (09:34):
That year, we just started having a totally
different life.
My oldest son who was in 8thgrade started studying chess.
My middle son ended up goingthrough two grades in one year
because he wanted to catch up towhere he should have been.
It all worked out and it wentfast and furious.
And because I came home to homeschool, I started learning my
(09:55):
faith.
I started having that deeperconversion of really giving
everything to God.
And so it was like more of agradual process but that brought
me deeper into being committedthat every single day I was
going to do the rosary.
And every single day I was goingto do the liturgy of the hours.
And I had my children prayingthe liturgy of the hours with
(10:16):
me.
That was kind of how it wentfrom moving out of the
worldliness into a home lifethat was based around prayer,
around learning our faithtogether, me and the children.
And then reading these saintbooks which I had never read.
I'm going to cry and think aboutit because the lived experience
(10:39):
of being faithful to teachingyour children how to pray.
Because that's what I was doing.
You go to mass, you come outyou're on fire for God, and you
want to live that and show otherpeople who he is.
And so you go back to thescriptures and you pray and you
stay close to him.
And God rewarded me by showingme that by just trying to teach
my children how to pray, I wasteaching them how to pray with
(11:02):
the scriptures.
Carol (11:03):
Oh I love that.
When you trusted God and madethat difficult decision, he
brought you even more blessingsthan you expected for your life.
Teaching your children to praywith the scriptures builds such
a solid foundation for them.
But I imagine just because itwas the right decision it still
must have been hard on you.
(11:24):
Being an accomplishedprofessional was an important
part of how you saw yourself.
What changes happened to youpersonally through this time?
Belinda (11:33):
People would say to me, Oh I could never homeschool my
children because I don't haveany patience.
I'm like, well, I'm right therewith you! I mean, that's the
testimony to God right there isthat I could homeschool my
children.
It was very, very difficult.
So I leaned on God a lot.
I prayed all the time.
And what I discovered wasanother vocation.
(11:55):
He put upon my heart thatyearning to pray for other
people in in intercessoryprayer.
All those years of sufferingwere connected to praying an
intercessory prayer.
I had this, I don't want to callit a vision, but It was like an
image one time where I could seemyself dying and all these
people coming to get me.
And I knew that they were allthe people that I prayed for.
(12:17):
So that was what was happeningduring all those years of
homeschooling.
Giving up the identity that Ihad as a social worker and a
professional person and justletting God lead me through lots
of difficult times.
To the point where with myhusband I actually had to leave
a domestic violence situationbecause the verbal abuse and
(12:39):
emotional the physicalintimidation.
It just got so bad that I washaving physical problems as well
as a lot of emotional and mentalanguish and spiritual stress
that, oh I'm supposed to stay ina relationship with a person
who's just attacking me everythree days now.
What can I do God?
What can I do?
(12:59):
A priest told me that the churchdoes not teach that you have to
stay in abuse.
That's not what God has for hischildren is to be abused.
So when I left, that was likejumping off a cliff again.
I didn't even have my licensesanymore.
I had to get my licenses back.
I had to try to find some kindof work.
The process of leaving was verydifficult.
(13:21):
Whereas my husband had left memany times and emotionally
pretty much all the time becausehe didn't have what he needed
having the particular diagnosishe had.
Yeah.
He had left me several times.
When I left him then he was veryangry and he just really came at
me full guns.
And so I had to start like awhole new life.
(13:41):
I started teaching again at thecollege because I've been
teaching in that first part ofmy life, post-Masters.
So I got a teaching position soI didn't hardly have to leave,
because it's adjunct, my 2children who were still
homeschooling.
So it's just been God leading meinto and out of situations that
I had to totally depend on him.
Carol (14:04):
Your life is such a faith-filled reminder that
relying on God doesn't mean thatour lives won't be messy.
God doesn't promise usperfection or an easy life but
that he will be with us always.
And it may take some time for usto realize, but God always works
for our good.
How has this period mixed, withboth suffering and blessing,
(14:26):
impacted your life today?
Belinda (14:28):
I continued homeschooling until just
finished year before last and Istarted writing again.
I had written three books andnow I'm getting back into my
field.
I'm realizing my students needto do these therapeutic
lifestyle changes becausethey're going to prevent
burnout.
They'll never get to where I gotif I can just help them set
their life up.
(14:48):
To where they're taking care ofthemselves before they go out
there into this very burnoutprone profession.
So I wrote a workbook, myTherapeutic Lifestyle Changes
workbook, and I self publishedthat book.
This is creating a comprehensiveplan for a calm ordered life.
And as I'm writing the book formy students I'm realizing, oh a
(15:09):
lot of people are going to beable to use this.
I'm also going to write aCatholic edition of that here
soon.
So I looked at coaching and nowI'm getting my certification.
I'll have that and then I'llhave my two licenses in social
work and I'll continue servingin this way.
Carol (15:24):
It does seem that God is using all of your life
experiences plus the desireyou've always had to help people
to create opportunities ofgrowth for you.
Belinda (15:34):
Yeah.
That's God.
He made me that person thatalways wanted to help people
have a little less pain in theirlife.
So it started when I was in highschool discovering that I could
be a good helper of otherpeople.
That's why I went into socialwork.
I remember, and I still have it,there's a poem by Emily
Dickinson about if I could helpone robin into its nest again, I
(15:58):
would not have lived in vain.
So whether it's through prayerand fasting and almsgiving in
the intercessory part.
Or whether it's throughpractical means like writing,
teaching, coaching, speaking,all my other missions.
These missions are God's ways ofme helping other people to have
(16:19):
a little less pain in their lifeand grow a little closer to God
every day.
So I want you to have thatpersonal relationship with
Jesus.
I want you to read thescriptures.
I want you to go to Mass as muchas you possibly can because he
is your strength.
He is your rock.
I read something where Jesustold st Gertrude that the Saints
are the most powerful in theirintercession on their feast day.
(16:41):
I always knew that I wassupposed to let other people
know about this.
So now I wrote a book inNovember of 2024 that was
published about this very topic.
I structured it to where youhave a little bio on the saint
and you have a prayer with ourfather With that saint on their
feast day.
That book is called, Pray WithUs: A Saint for Every Day.
Carol (17:03):
That's so wonderful! We'll definitely have to look
out for that book.
Let me read your favoritescripture.
Of course, it's the one weopened with, Philippians 4 verse
13 (17:13):
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Why is this your favoritescripture?
Belinda (17:21):
So whether it's coming out of poverty as a child and
going to college by mybootstraps.
I literally had to get all myown FAFSA, everything filled out
myself.
Like get myself into college.
Be the first in any of myfamily, extended family, anybody
to get any degree whatsoever.
And I go all the way to Masters.
Or living through a long lifewith a husband who had severe
(17:46):
problems and was abusive.
Or homeschooling children when Inever ever thought that's
anything I would possibly do.
To coming out of all that andbuilding a totally new life with
God.
It's all through the strength ofGod.
I can do all things.
I know that I can because I'velived through some of the worst
things people could livethrough.
And because of His strength, Ihave gone through it.
(18:09):
So it's always meant a lot to mebecause like I said, if I was
going through all thesehardships in my life, the only
thing that got me through wasHis strength.
Carol (18:18):
Speaking earlier of your books where can we find them?
Belinda (18:22):
They're all on Amazon, but they're also on the
publisher, Our Sunday Visitor,OSV, Catholic Books.
So you can get it there.
You can also get those on Enroute, e n r o u t e, En route
Books and Media.
Carol (18:35):
We will be sure to put the links in the show notes.
Thank you, Belinda, I think yourstory is really remarkable and
one that is really going totouch a lot of hearts.
For you, our listeners, if youwould like to get involved in
our God is Good Podcast mission,there are easy ways to do so.
You can become a storyteller andshare your story or you can
(18:57):
donate to help us produce evenmore episodes and fund retreat
scholarships.
And please click follow on yourfavorite podcast provider.
All of these will help us movemore hearts toward Jesus.
Thank you so much, again,Belinda.
We really enjoyed having you onthe podcast!
Belinda (19:16):
Oh I'm so glad that I could be here.
And I'm praying for anyone who'slistening to the podcast and
anyone who will read the threebooks that I've written or take
advantage of coaching oranything.
I'm always praying for all ofy'all.
So hopefully God will give youthe strength that He's given me
and you just keep going throughone thing after the other in the
arms of Jesus.
(19:36):
That's where we belong.
Carol (19:38):
Amen.
Until next time, friends,remember, God is good.
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