September 21, 2023 • 33 mins
What if grace isn't about the task at hand but managing the emotions that surround it? Join me and my co-host, Ebony Gilbert, as we navigate the intricate dance of finding grace amidst frustration. Ebony illustrates the power of zooming out, with a personal anecdote about a mundane task of pulling weeds in her backyard. God uses everything. As we look at shifting our perspective, even in our darkest moments, we discover a gentle undercurrent of growth and progress that embraces us.
Can you recall a time when you felt burdened by problems, yet, a slight shift in perspective brought an unexpected shower of blessings? This is what Ebony experienced and she shares her wisdom about embracing the seasons of life and celebrating grace within the chaos. In our tendency to lean in, grasp, get stuck, figure, and force there is always a choice to pause. Step back. Have faith in the bigger picutre and let go enough to get a new view. We dive deep into the concept of gratitude, and how, at times, our ego becomes the barrier in seeking help from others. The conversation is an eye-opener about the lives we are living today - lives that seemed unthinkable a decade ago. So, come along on this journey of self-discovery, you might just find some grace in your own life, waiting to be acknowledged and shared.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Grace Among Us, the podcast where we
unearth the many faces andplaces of grace and share
stories of the power of grace inour human lives.
Our desire is that this willinspire you to see grace in your
own life and share it withothers.
Hey.
Ebony Gilbert (00:19):
Carri Richard.
I am Ebony Gilbert.
Hello everyone, welcome toGrace Among Us.
I get to co-host this podcastwith Carri and I'm super excited
about our conversation today.
Carri, you want to introduceyourself and kick us off.
Carri Richard (00:41):
I would love to.
Hey, my name is Carri Richard,I'm a mindset coach, and I am
doing what I love right here andright now with Ebony Gilbert,
talking about grace all the manyfaces and places and pointing
to it.
Our intention is that we maylight something up that you
(01:03):
haven't seen before about graceand realize that it's all
around, all the time.
With that in mind, Ebony, myquestion today is.
We talk about it all the time,sometimes it's easier to see
grace than others, and whathappens when it feels like grace
(01:31):
is nowhere to be found?
Where the proverbial SH stuffis hitting the fan?
Ebony Gilbert (01:40):
When the show is active, there it is.
When the show is active?
Carri Richard (01:43):
When the show is active, what do you do?
Ebony Gilbert (01:50):
Well, I have a couple of examples this week
where I didn't know what to doand I didn't stop in the moment
and say I can't see grace, whatshall I do?
But after the fact I was likewhoa, that was grace, right
there, that was - and it wasthere all the time.
The only difference was Ichanged my position.
I'll give you an example wheregrace showed up to deal with my
(02:17):
frustration.
I have several, but I'll startwith that one.
I was a bum over the weekend.
I had a list of things to dothat I didn't do.
So Monday after work - worked afull day.
I decided I was going to go inmy backyard and pull all the
weeds on my fence line.
Now let me lay this out for you.
My fence line is longer than itlooks from the house the fence
(02:42):
line.
It's not an enormous piece ofland, but it's a little under
half an acre.
I'm one person without propertools, by the way - you know -
gloves, a hoe and boots.
Let's see what happens.
So I go out there and afterabout 30 minutes and 95 degree
(03:03):
heat, I don't see my progress.
Other than looking at the pileof weeds next to me that I
pulled, I feel like I've beenstanding in the exact same spot
the entire time.
So I can go a little bitfurther, and I just can't see it
.
Carri, I can't see it.
I'm frustrated.
I'm like I should have hiredsomeone to do this.
Why am I doing this to myself?
Surely I have overcome thepoint in my life where I have to
(03:26):
do this myself.
I mean, I'm having everyconversation imaginable.
Carri Richard (03:30):
Out loud.
What does that emotion feellike in that place?
Ebony Gilbert (03:34):
I'm angry, I am mad as hell.
Because, number one why did Ido this?
Why did I do this?
Number two, I don't see theprogress.
Do I even know what I'm doing?
I mean, it can't be rocketscience.
You just pull them out.
As long as you pull out therope, you get it.
But they're everywhere andthey're on the fence and it's at
(03:55):
the part of the land where yourwater drains, so it's soft and
fertile and there are frogs.
And I don't do frogs and I'mjust angry.
So I decide to quit.
I take my little tools and Imarch my behind back up to the
house.
And when I get back up to thehouse and I turn around to look
back and see what it looks like.
(04:16):
Because I've decided, thisisn't working and I can when my
yard guy comes back with hisequipment and his staff, they
can take care of this for anominal fee.
When I look back, I can see theprogress and I can tell that I
only have a small patch left.
(04:36):
So now I'm like, well, okay, Iwant to go back out there and
finish the job.
Was a different attitude.
So I went back out there and Ifinished and even knowing what I
just experienced, stepping awayand seeing it better.
(05:00):
When I went back, I still feltthe same anger and frustration,
like this is stupid, this isuseless, even though I knew
better.
So I finished, I walked back upto the house again, looked back
and it looks amazing.
It looks amazing.
And a friend of mine came overand said "gosh, your back yard
looks great.
And I thought (Carri - victory!", I won.
(05:24):
You have no idea what it tookme to do that.
It was an hour and a half ofintensive labor and anger and
anger, and I have bites andstings and all kind of stuff
going on.
But I got it done and I had tozoom out.
So, to answer your question,what do I do when I can't see it
?
I've learned this week Zoom out, zoom out, zoom out, change the
(05:49):
view.
Have you seen these brainteaser games where they show you
a photo and it's so close onthe photo you don't know what it
is, but you have to guess whatit is.
Yes, you have no idea what itis.
It looks like a hand, it lookslike a finger and then, when
they zoom out, it's a swan.
Yes, yes, that's how I felt inthe yard with the weeds.
(06:13):
I love it this is ridiculous,but I zoomed out and I could see
what was going on.
So that's one thing thathappened this week that made me
realize, and the grace wasn'tfor the weeds or the yard, the
grace was for dealing with myemotion, and I was so triggered
by the fact that I felt like myefforts were in vain and I had
(06:35):
good intentions and I was goingto do the right thing and all
these things, and I couldn't seethat it was working.
Carri Richard (06:42):
There's the yeah, that's the thing it's.
I want to see that it's workingbefore before it's worked.
Ebony Gilbert (06:52):
I couldn't see it .
I couldn't see it, I couldn'tfeel it.
All I could feel was everymuscle in the back of my thigh
and back was starting to tingle.
The hands are bleeding.
So the grace in that situationbecame obvious to me once I
zoomed out, stepped away fromthe weeds, the fray, came back
(07:13):
up to the house, got back intomy safe space, looked back on
the situation and realized thatthe grace was in Him dealing
with my emotions and myfrustration and giving me the
opportunity to see it from adifferent perspective.
And I was like, oh, my goodness, how often do we not zoom out?
Carri Richard (07:38):
Especially when I can speak for myself,
especially if I'm agitated,angry, frustrated, scared, all
of those like when I am in thoseplaces.
I can so forget that I'm not incharge and like, essentially,
instead of pausing and steppingback, having the faith to step
(08:03):
back, it's like I start grasping, like almost like I'm trying to
get some kind of ground undermy feet because things aren't
going the way I want them to, orI can't see where they're going
, and it's like, oh my gosh, andfor me there's God standing
back there, going.
I'm waiting for you, honey,come on back.
Ebony Gilbert (08:29):
This has been a recurring theme.
It keeps coming up in my life.
It almost feels like this isthe season of perspective or
vantage point, because I keephaving these moments where I'm
in it and I can't see.
And even though I keep havingthe moment, you think by now I
know how this works, I know howthis ends I still feel
(08:51):
everything I feel in that moment, still go through all the
changes, and then I'm like, oh,wait, wait, wait, wait.
Am I seeing the full picturehere, and can I trust that
there's a picture bigger thaneven what I can see?
Carri Richard (09:07):
Yeah, for sure.
Ebony Gilbert (09:10):
You know there's more at work.
Carri Richard (09:12):
Yeah, just like I think last week we talked about
, or the week before, I can'tremember we talked about that
telescope out there, what's itcalled?
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Yeah, it's called the James Webb telescope.
Carri Richard (09:22):
It's like holy moly, like we have no idea how
big the picture is.
No problem, what do you want tolook at it physically at this
point, spiritually, like?
However you want to look at it,it's so big and it makes me
think of what's that?
Dr Seuss Horton hears a who Doyou know that?
(09:43):
The one that she's got on thedandelion, like this whole world
.
Ebony Gilbert (09:47):
Yeah.
Carri Richard (09:48):
Yeah, yeah, and I think when I can get that
perspective, it's so easy to getthat perspective right here
with you talking right now, andI'm encouraging everybody who's
here listening just to kind oftake a deep breath and just feel
how spacious this world is.
(10:10):
And I don't know if I'll everbe cured of.
- when I'm uncomfortable, I'mgoing to try to gather.
My first reaction is to move inand get, try to see, like zoom
in and try to figure it out, orget close or, and, as you say,
(10:36):
it's the opposite.
That actually is the mostpowerful.
You know, I had a situationthis week with my dad.
He's 90 and he's had he hadwe'll call it a health scare,
right, and so all of a suddeneverything is shifting, like
(10:57):
we're going to the hospital,things are shifting, we don't
know what's happening and it'slike it's if I let myself, I can
become absolutely overwhelmedby the present, and what's going
on.
(11:17):
And at one point, one night Iwas staying up near him and one
night I needed to go home, likeI just he was in the hospital
and I went home and it wasinteresting, it was kind of I
hadn't thought about it likethis.
It was a step back, like evendriving home.
(11:38):
It was like I finally literallyreally for the first half hour
it was dead silence because mymind was spinning on what if and
how and what are we going to do, and blah, blah, blah, blah.
And then it's like, "urn on theradio, carrie, turn on some
music.
And so I turned on, I'm allinto this woman, the Bel Giberto
(12:02):
.
Right now she is like just -she is awesome.
And I turned her on and crankedit and it was just, it was
okay to change the subject.
And in fact everybody wins,zoom out.
(12:24):
Change the subject.
Yeah, zoom out.
And what I realized was I couldsee all the things to be
thankful for.
(Ebony - Right, that's thebeauty of it.
)
Ebony Gilbert (12:37):
That's it, Carri, right there.
Yeah, yeah, when I zoomed outof that fence line, it wasn't
just that the fence line lookedbetter and maybe.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
I planted some rose bushes.
Ebony Gilbert (12:51):
It wasn't just that, it was.
You own a piece of property,kid, shut up.
Yes, you have a fence line insuburbia.
Carri Richard (13:00):
That you get to take care of.
Ebony Gilbert (13:02):
Who the heck do you think you are?
It was so much bigger than thefence line.
It was.
, "Thank you, God, for thishouse and this yard.
Thank you that I can stand upand do this, because a year ago
I couldn't do this.
Yeah, A week ago I was feelingtoo weak to do it.
There was so many.
It was like this overwhelmingflood of gratitude and I was
(13:26):
like, oh my gosh.
And then I felt convicted.
I was like, oh, forgive me formy pettiness, because I had a
big petty moment.
That came back so quickly.
Carri Richard (13:38):
Yeah, back to the .
I don't know if I'll ever becured of it, and there's grace
in that.
And I love, just just likeyou're saying the fence, it's
like, hey, kid you're, you're aproperty owner, like this is
your property right and you'retaking care of it.
And one of the as I drove away,as I started listening to some
(13:59):
music and you know, just kind of.
I realized, my ego, myhumaneness had gotten me to a
place where it's like, " youhave to do everything.
It's all on you.
I'm not a doctor, I'm not acardiologist, I'm not a nurse,
(14:20):
I'm not even a candy striper.
Ebony Gilbert (14:23):
This is not your lane.
Carri Richard (14:25):
This is not my lane and I have siblings who are
a hundred percent there.
I have a ton of people praying.
I had there's community.
But in that moment, when I'm inthe thick of it, it's almost
like I got to put like I got myshield and I got my Wonder Woman
(14:47):
things and and I'm also notincluding God, (Ebony - you're
so right, you're so right).
Ebony Gilbert (14:58):
You made me just think about something.
So I told that whole storyabout the fence line and I
failed to mention that somebodywas out there helping me, and
that wasn't intentional.
I didn't intentionally deletethat from the conversation, but
in describing my frustration andreliving that moment, I
completely failed to mention thefact.
Why did I omit that I had help?
Carri Richard (15:20):
Hmm.
Ebony Gilbert (15:23):
I thought about it when you say hey, I have
siblings who are, you know, ablebody, and they're here and
they're willing.
I had somebody help me.
Carri Richard (15:33):
I love that you say that, because and and you
tell me if this is incorrect,because I'm not you.
But part of part of it is ego,for me when I do that, but also
it it reminds me in it I don'tknow how to say this Like this
(15:55):
is still a solo journey.
(Ebony - right, it felt likejust me and the heat ) Yeah, and
it's not that there's so muchpower in community, there's so
much power in connection, likelike this, right here, this
interaction.
There's an energy here that Ican't create all by myself.
It doesn't work like that.
(16:17):
And my relationship to God is asolo journey.
Ebony Gilbert (16:23):
Yes, all of my relationship with him.
Yes, yeah, that's good.
That's good, that's good.
I got another example.
(Carri - Good, I want to hearit).
This is much shorter.
I was trying to see what mynext doctor's appointment is.
I pulled up my chart online.
(16:44):
You can pull it up on yourphone, go to the app.
It's pretty user-friendly.
It's cool I'm an elderly persondescribing my fascination with
technology right now, but it'scool.
I pull it up and it brings upthis nice little calendar.
I'm clicking through, trying tosee what my next appointment is
.
While I'm in there, I'm lookingto see what's on the list to
(17:05):
discuss next time I come acrossmy diagnosis list.
These folks have done a greatjob of tracking everything
that's ever been wrong with me.
Carri Richard (17:17):
All in one place, in a one place.
Ebony Gilbert (17:20):
A nice bulletin list.
I'm holding my phone and I'mlooking at it and I feel my mood
shifting.
I can feel the energy drainingout of me just from reading it,
Carri.
Yeah, just the memory of whatthese things meant, at what
point in time.
(17:40):
They meant them Before I knowit.
And I'm not talking about 10,20 minutes, I'm talking about
probably 60 seconds, 90 seconds.
I feel so low, I am so broken.
And all these ways that they'vetold me on this page.
And as I'm getting fidgety andtrying to manage what I'm
(18:02):
feeling because I don't knowwhat it is, my phone flips to
landscape, right, and I havethis.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Yeah.
Ebony Gilbert (18:11):
Yeah.
Yeah, so the normal way youanswer it to the long way and
it's on the setting where itautomatically adjusts the
picture.
When the phone flipped, I couldsee that this table wasn't just
a table of all my diagnosis,mm-hmm.
It was a table showing thestart and end dates.
And what made me feel in thatfirst 30, 60 seconds like I'm so
(18:35):
broken and messed up and jackedup, how I'll ever live to be 90
, how I'll ever be?
I'm going through a list ofquestions what was me?
I'm awful Victim, victim,victim, victim, victim, victim.
And that one accidental,shifting to landscape.
I can see that 99% of thethings on this list have an end
date.
They started and they ended,and in that moment, something
(19:03):
happened to me.
I said, oh my God, look wherehe's brought me from.
And all that energy that wasgoing into that sunken, dark,
deep, dark place shifted to whata mighty God.
How much grace is on this?
Yeah, because now what lookedlike overwhelm, complicated,
(19:23):
nothing's right, has turned intomiracle, blessings, overcomer.
No weapon formed against me.
Now I'm on it.
I'm on it, and I don't know why.
I needed that reminder in thatmoment, because I wasn't feeling
sick.
Let's be clear.
I didn't do this because I wasnot well.
I was just trying to orientmyself to was the next time I
(19:46):
need to go in.
It's time for a checkup.
I'm not having anything thatsuggested all those diagnoses
are really in my life right now,but seeing it I was triggered
and, just like seeing ittriggered me, changed the
position just a little bit.
It invigorated me.
(20:08):
I had to zoom out.
Carri Richard (20:11):
I love, yes, and you also bringing up a point.
I think the first two examplesthat we talked about was like a
big zoom out, like you walkedall the way back to your house,
right, I got in the car and likedrove away, and like the shift
can be minuscule.
Like the zoom out, like that'sthe beauty of God's kingdom in
(20:36):
my mind is like big and littleare irrelevant.
It's even the intention ofstepping back, like a deep
breath, like a let me look atthis different.
Like I have no idea what'sgoing on.
Like, " God, can give me theeyes to see?
Like shift my attitude.
(20:58):
Yeah, I need to shift myattitude, you know.
Ebony Gilbert (21:03):
Yeah, the zoom could be physical, or it could
be your perspective, yourperception, your, your attitude,
your mood.
Don't be so dialed in.
I thought I was looking at alist.
It was a table, it was a fullgrid.
I just couldn't see it on thislittle tiny device.
(21:23):
That was turned the wrong way,evidently.
Carri Richard (21:26):
And what if you had been so distraught you just
decided to just put your phonedown and say well, I was trying
to, but the thing flipped on me.
Oh, sometimes God's realhelpful.
He's like hey, no.
Ebony Gilbert (21:40):
You're not about to walk away feeling like this.
I've brought you too far, I'vedone too much.
You're not giving me credit forwhat I've done in your life.
Right now, let me remind you,let me bring to your memory
because you're being triggeredby these memories there's a
correlating memory with thesethings you're associating with
these diagnosis.
I could look back and saystomach cancer was the worst
(22:01):
time of my life.
Or I can look back and say itwas the most miraculous season
of my life.
When I look at the table in thetraditional format on my phone,
it's the worst time of my life.
It gave me 13 other diagnosis.
When I flip the phone the otherway, I could see that none of
those things are current andthey healed me and blessed me
(22:23):
and delivered me from all ofthem one by one, some all at
once.
Carri Richard (22:29):
Yeah, it's a totally different story.
It is a totally different storyand it's a beautiful reminder
that sometimes you gotta walkthrough it and you gotta get to
the other side Exactly, andsometimes, when I'm overwhelmed
and I'm walking through it, it'sreally hard to see that there
is an end date.
(22:50):
There's an end date, there's astart and an end date, and then
season for everything.
It is not in my control.
Ebony Gilbert (23:01):
There's an end date.
This too shall pass.
Carri Richard (23:06):
And a season.
I'm gonna bop all over.
So I can remember when my sonwas young, I was a single
working mom.
I had a great job and it tookme places and sometimes it was
very overwhelming.
And I have some friends who areolder than me and they're
vacationing.
(23:27):
Some of them were retiring even, and they were living a very
different life than I was living.
And I'm zooming in right.
"Wait, thinking to do that.
I'm comparing the heck out ofmyself.
And I had a dear friend and aspiritual mentor who said Carri,
it's not your season.
You are a single mother who israising a child, working.
(23:50):
These people have done that,Whether they have kids or not.
Like you're trying to putyourself in a season that is not
yours.
Ebony Gilbert (23:59):
I heard it before you.
Carri Richard (24:00):
And it was like I've heard this woman, pema
Chodron she talks about likepopping a bubble with a feather.
It was like when this womansaid that, like it's not your
season, it was like all thedefenses came down.
I was like she's right,sometimes I gotta step back,
(24:26):
she's still good.
Yeah, I'm not in this season bymistake.
Ebony Gilbert (24:36):
And if it's a season that's miserably
uncomfortable.
You just said it.
Some things you just got towalk through.
Carri Richard (24:41):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Ebony Gilbert (24:44):
Or let them carry you through it.
But you got to get through it.
You've got to get to the otherside.
Carri Richard (24:50):
And what you said .
Remember who to give thanks to.
Ebony Gilbert (24:55):
Don't forget, yeah, Don't forget.
I sometimes I pray God.
Let me remember your blessingsas much as I remember the
problems.
Yeah help me to recall all themiracles as much as I remember
(25:16):
the tragedies.
Let that list be longer,because it is, but for some
reason the weight of theproblems feel so much heavier
sometimes, you know.
Carri Richard (25:30):
I do, I do and it takes practice.
Ebony Gilbert (25:34):
I'm big on celebrations, I'm big on yes,
you are, yes, you are.
Carri Richard (25:38):
I know I'm big on reflecting back, like I see God
in the rear view mirror, like Isee to the point when I'm in
the midst of something I don't.
I don't see the work that'sbeing done, so I can't.
Ebony Gilbert (25:55):
What are you celebrating today.
Carri Richard (25:57):
Oh my gosh, what am I celebrating today?
You know what I'm celebrating?
I'm at my dad's house and he'snot in the hospital, and we had
we met a new specialist todaywho was just magnificent, and I
got to sit in the sunroom withmy dad today and just be present
(26:21):
, and then I know how to do thattoday, and that is, that is
God's grace.
That's what I'm celebrating inthis moment.
I can keep going, but that'sthe big one.
Ebony Gilbert (26:41):
I'm celebrating with you.
Carri Richard (26:43):
What are you celebrating today?
Ebony Gilbert (26:48):
Today I'm celebrating a little bit of
peace and I have peace every daybut I don't have the least bit
of anxiety today.
I don't feel like I'm worriedabout anything.
I don't have what I do have todo list.
I haven't looked at it.
I just don't feel the pressuresof the world today, not at work
.
I was two minutes late to thiscall.
(27:08):
I was like you're going to beatme up.
I know you'll give me somegrace Like I just feel really
relaxed and at ease.
Our internet cut out in themiddle of this.
It's okay, we'll put it backtogether.
Like I just feel at ease and Ipray that that continues.
And I don't know why you knowand you don't have to.
Carri Richard (27:29):
That's the beautiful thing.
And I have a friend (now thedog is barking).
I have a friend who says Ican't know why I am celebrating
your ease balance.
Ebony Gilbert (27:44):
And I woke up with a little bit of it's cool,
let it roll off.
Carri Richard (27:52):
Well, I am.
I am praying that everyone wholistens to this can feel that in
this moment.
Ebony Gilbert (28:01):
And it's not the absence of stuff, let's be clear
.
Carri Richard (28:05):
Yeah.
Ebony Gilbert (28:07):
I'm not going to be saying that it's your
orientation to this stuff.
Absolutely.
Carri Richard (28:14):
And tomorrow, when all hell breaks loose and
I'm stressed out again, I'mgoing to remember today and I'm
going to be thankful that I hada day without it Absolutely, and
you can look back and celebratehey, I know it's possible, it's
possible for me, it happens,it's possible, it happens and
like they bring it on, maybeit'll happen again on Sunday.
Ebony Gilbert (28:35):
Yeah, yeah, I'm grateful for that.
I'm so grateful for that Goodstuff.
So there is another pointer tograce.
Yes, zoom out, take the drive,step away from the scene, turn
the phone, turn the picture,take a deep breath.
Take a deep breath and bysomeone else into your situation
(28:56):
.
Sometimes it could be one wordfrom somebody else.
Carri Richard (28:59):
Absolutely, Absolutely.
And you know what I've foundover and over.
I don't even.
I have some dear friends, youincluded, when I am in the midst
, I can just say I just need aprayer.
I don't have to give you anydetail, all the details, any
detail.
It's just this connection.
(29:20):
Okay, I just stubbed my toeLike figuratively right, I love
it.
Like can you pray for me?
Ebony Gilbert (29:31):
Yeah, and you got it.
Yes, you got it Beautiful.
Carri Richard (29:39):
Beautiful.
I love it.
Ebony Gilbert (29:40):
Thank you for the question.
Carri Richard (29:42):
Yes, thank you for the beautiful Examples and
inspiration.
So, anything we need to wrap up, you are the master Rapper
Upper.
Ebony Gilbert (29:57):
Oh, I wanted to say something nice and clever
about zooming out, but I'm not.
I'm going to say don't forgetwhere you come from, don't
forget where you've come from,the life you're living today,
the life I'm living today, wassomething we would have never
dreamed of 10 years ago.
The life we're living today isthe life that somebody else is
(30:19):
praying for.
So when you really zoom out onyour purpose, on your reason for
existing, on what you're hereto do on this planet, on why God
gave you breath in your body,it's to move forward and carry
on and carry out his mission andto love on people and to serve
people.
We talked about serving othersin the last podcast.
Zoom out to get to your purposeand understand that where you
(30:44):
are today won't be where you are10 years from now.
Where you are today wasn'twhere you were 10 years ago.
And don't forget.
Don't forget the good, don'tforget the good.
That's what I got.
I can't forget where I've comefrom, Carri.
What about you?
Carri Richard (30:57):
I love it.
I mean, you're so good.
Yeah, I love it.
There's that question howimportant is this going to be in
three years?
Ebony Gilbert (31:08):
Or tomorrow.
Carri Richard (31:10):
Sometimes I got to go that far out, right,
because I can't.
It's got to.
I got to drive away, zoom out,yeah, really zoom out.
And you're absolutely rightthat you know I was going to ask
.
I'll say this, I don't know, 15years ago, 17 years ago, I
(31:33):
can't tell you exactly, maybe 15.
It became very clear to me mypurpose is to bear witness to
God's grace.
I had no idea how that would be.
And here we are.
What did we start?
13, 14 years later, I get totalk to you about this subject.
We have no idea how our purposegets used.
(31:58):
You don't, no, we have no idea.
Ebony Gilbert (32:01):
We have no idea.
Carri Richard (32:04):
No, so have fun with it.
Ride the wave, step back, lookyou know, zoom out.
So that's what I got.
This is.
It's so good to see you.
Ebony Gilbert (32:16):
It's good to see you as well.
So we're going to think abouthow we're going to zoom out when
the enemy tries to trick usinto thinking that life sucks.
There you go, all right.
I love you, my friend.
I love everyone listening.
Carri Richard (32:30):
I love you too.
And all out there.
And until next time, Grace out,(Ebony - grace out).
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Thank you so much for joining us.
If you enjoyed this episode,please let us know.
We love to hear from you andshare it with a friend.
Also, please be sure tosubscribe so you're notified
when a new episode is posted.
We hope you're leaving withanother pointer to grace, a new
perspective that will light itup in your own life.
Until next time, be well, bebold, be kind to yourself and be
(33:02):
on the lookout.
Welcome to Grace Among Us, the podcast where we
unearth the many faces andplaces of grace and share
stories of the power of grace inour human lives.
Our desire is that this willinspire you to see grace in your
own life and share it withothers.
Hey.
Ebony Gilbert (00:19):
Carri Richard.
I am Ebony Gilbert.
Hello everyone, welcome toGrace Among Us.
I get to co-host this podcastwith Carri and I'm super excited
about our conversation today.
Carri, you want to introduceyourself and kick us off.
Carri Richard (00:41):
I would love to.
Hey, my name is Carri Richard,I'm a mindset coach, and I am
doing what I love right here andright now with Ebony Gilbert,
talking about grace all the manyfaces and places and pointing
to it.
Our intention is that we maylight something up that you
(01:03):
haven't seen before about graceand realize that it's all
around, all the time.
With that in mind, Ebony, myquestion today is.
We talk about it all the time,sometimes it's easier to see
grace than others, and whathappens when it feels like grace
(01:31):
is nowhere to be found?
Where the proverbial SH stuffis hitting the fan?
Ebony Gilbert (01:40):
When the show is active, there it is.
When the show is active?
Carri Richard (01:43):
When the show is active, what do you do?
Ebony Gilbert (01:50):
Well, I have a couple of examples this week
where I didn't know what to doand I didn't stop in the moment
and say I can't see grace, whatshall I do?
But after the fact I was likewhoa, that was grace, right
there, that was - and it wasthere all the time.
The only difference was Ichanged my position.
I'll give you an example wheregrace showed up to deal with my
(02:17):
frustration.
I have several, but I'll startwith that one.
I was a bum over the weekend.
I had a list of things to dothat I didn't do.
So Monday after work - worked afull day.
I decided I was going to go inmy backyard and pull all the
weeds on my fence line.
Now let me lay this out for you.
My fence line is longer than itlooks from the house the fence
(02:42):
line.
It's not an enormous piece ofland, but it's a little under
half an acre.
I'm one person without propertools, by the way - you know -
gloves, a hoe and boots.
Let's see what happens.
So I go out there and afterabout 30 minutes and 95 degree
(03:03):
heat, I don't see my progress.
Other than looking at the pileof weeds next to me that I
pulled, I feel like I've beenstanding in the exact same spot
the entire time.
So I can go a little bitfurther, and I just can't see it
.
Carri, I can't see it.
I'm frustrated.
I'm like I should have hiredsomeone to do this.
Why am I doing this to myself?
Surely I have overcome thepoint in my life where I have to
(03:26):
do this myself.
I mean, I'm having everyconversation imaginable.
Carri Richard (03:30):
Out loud.
What does that emotion feellike in that place?
Ebony Gilbert (03:34):
I'm angry, I am mad as hell.
Because, number one why did Ido this?
Why did I do this?
Number two, I don't see theprogress.
Do I even know what I'm doing?
I mean, it can't be rocketscience.
You just pull them out.
As long as you pull out therope, you get it.
But they're everywhere andthey're on the fence and it's at
(03:55):
the part of the land where yourwater drains, so it's soft and
fertile and there are frogs.
And I don't do frogs and I'mjust angry.
So I decide to quit.
I take my little tools and Imarch my behind back up to the
house.
And when I get back up to thehouse and I turn around to look
back and see what it looks like.
(04:16):
Because I've decided, thisisn't working and I can when my
yard guy comes back with hisequipment and his staff, they
can take care of this for anominal fee.
When I look back, I can see theprogress and I can tell that I
only have a small patch left.
(04:36):
So now I'm like, well, okay, Iwant to go back out there and
finish the job.
Was a different attitude.
So I went back out there and Ifinished and even knowing what I
just experienced, stepping awayand seeing it better.
(05:00):
When I went back, I still feltthe same anger and frustration,
like this is stupid, this isuseless, even though I knew
better.
So I finished, I walked back upto the house again, looked back
and it looks amazing.
It looks amazing.
And a friend of mine came overand said "gosh, your back yard
looks great.
And I thought (Carri - victory!", I won.
(05:24):
You have no idea what it tookme to do that.
It was an hour and a half ofintensive labor and anger and
anger, and I have bites andstings and all kind of stuff
going on.
But I got it done and I had tozoom out.
So, to answer your question,what do I do when I can't see it
?
I've learned this week Zoom out, zoom out, zoom out, change the
(05:49):
view.
Have you seen these brainteaser games where they show you
a photo and it's so close onthe photo you don't know what it
is, but you have to guess whatit is.
Yes, you have no idea what itis.
It looks like a hand, it lookslike a finger and then, when
they zoom out, it's a swan.
Yes, yes, that's how I felt inthe yard with the weeds.
(06:13):
I love it this is ridiculous,but I zoomed out and I could see
what was going on.
So that's one thing thathappened this week that made me
realize, and the grace wasn'tfor the weeds or the yard, the
grace was for dealing with myemotion, and I was so triggered
by the fact that I felt like myefforts were in vain and I had
(06:35):
good intentions and I was goingto do the right thing and all
these things, and I couldn't seethat it was working.
Carri Richard (06:42):
There's the yeah, that's the thing it's.
I want to see that it's workingbefore before it's worked.
Ebony Gilbert (06:52):
I couldn't see it .
I couldn't see it, I couldn'tfeel it.
All I could feel was everymuscle in the back of my thigh
and back was starting to tingle.
The hands are bleeding.
So the grace in that situationbecame obvious to me once I
zoomed out, stepped away fromthe weeds, the fray, came back
(07:13):
up to the house, got back intomy safe space, looked back on
the situation and realized thatthe grace was in Him dealing
with my emotions and myfrustration and giving me the
opportunity to see it from adifferent perspective.
And I was like, oh, my goodness, how often do we not zoom out?
Carri Richard (07:38):
Especially when I can speak for myself,
especially if I'm agitated,angry, frustrated, scared, all
of those like when I am in thoseplaces.
I can so forget that I'm not incharge and like, essentially,
instead of pausing and steppingback, having the faith to step
(08:03):
back, it's like I start grasping, like almost like I'm trying to
get some kind of ground undermy feet because things aren't
going the way I want them to, orI can't see where they're going
, and it's like, oh my gosh, andfor me there's God standing
back there, going.
I'm waiting for you, honey,come on back.
Ebony Gilbert (08:29):
This has been a recurring theme.
It keeps coming up in my life.
It almost feels like this isthe season of perspective or
vantage point, because I keephaving these moments where I'm
in it and I can't see.
And even though I keep havingthe moment, you think by now I
know how this works, I know howthis ends I still feel
(08:51):
everything I feel in that moment, still go through all the
changes, and then I'm like, oh,wait, wait, wait, wait.
Am I seeing the full picturehere, and can I trust that
there's a picture bigger thaneven what I can see?
Carri Richard (09:07):
Yeah, for sure.
Ebony Gilbert (09:10):
You know there's more at work.
Carri Richard (09:12):
Yeah, just like I think last week we talked about
, or the week before, I can'tremember we talked about that
telescope out there, what's itcalled?
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Yeah, it's called the James Webb telescope.
Carri Richard (09:22):
It's like holy moly, like we have no idea how
big the picture is.
No problem, what do you want tolook at it physically at this
point, spiritually, like?
However you want to look at it,it's so big and it makes me
think of what's that?
Dr Seuss Horton hears a who Doyou know that?
(09:43):
The one that she's got on thedandelion, like this whole world
.
Ebony Gilbert (09:47):
Yeah.
Carri Richard (09:48):
Yeah, yeah, and I think when I can get that
perspective, it's so easy to getthat perspective right here
with you talking right now, andI'm encouraging everybody who's
here listening just to kind oftake a deep breath and just feel
how spacious this world is.
(10:10):
And I don't know if I'll everbe cured of.
- when I'm uncomfortable, I'mgoing to try to gather.
My first reaction is to move inand get, try to see, like zoom
in and try to figure it out, orget close or, and, as you say,
(10:36):
it's the opposite.
That actually is the mostpowerful.
You know, I had a situationthis week with my dad.
He's 90 and he's had he hadwe'll call it a health scare,
right, and so all of a suddeneverything is shifting, like
(10:57):
we're going to the hospital,things are shifting, we don't
know what's happening and it'slike it's if I let myself, I can
become absolutely overwhelmedby the present, and what's going
on.
(11:17):
And at one point, one night Iwas staying up near him and one
night I needed to go home, likeI just he was in the hospital
and I went home and it wasinteresting, it was kind of I
hadn't thought about it likethis.
It was a step back, like evendriving home.
(11:38):
It was like I finally literallyreally for the first half hour
it was dead silence because mymind was spinning on what if and
how and what are we going to do, and blah, blah, blah, blah.
And then it's like, "urn on theradio, carrie, turn on some
music.
And so I turned on, I'm allinto this woman, the Bel Giberto
(12:02):
.
Right now she is like just -she is awesome.
And I turned her on and crankedit and it was just, it was
okay to change the subject.
And in fact everybody wins,zoom out.
(12:24):
Change the subject.
Yeah, zoom out.
And what I realized was I couldsee all the things to be
thankful for.
(Ebony - Right, that's thebeauty of it.
)
Ebony Gilbert (12:37):
That's it, Carri, right there.
Yeah, yeah, when I zoomed outof that fence line, it wasn't
just that the fence line lookedbetter and maybe.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
I planted some rose bushes.
Ebony Gilbert (12:51):
It wasn't just that, it was.
You own a piece of property,kid, shut up.
Yes, you have a fence line insuburbia.
Carri Richard (13:00):
That you get to take care of.
Ebony Gilbert (13:02):
Who the heck do you think you are?
It was so much bigger than thefence line.
It was.
, "Thank you, God, for thishouse and this yard.
Thank you that I can stand upand do this, because a year ago
I couldn't do this.
Yeah, A week ago I was feelingtoo weak to do it.
There was so many.
It was like this overwhelmingflood of gratitude and I was
(13:26):
like, oh my gosh.
And then I felt convicted.
I was like, oh, forgive me formy pettiness, because I had a
big petty moment.
That came back so quickly.
Carri Richard (13:38):
Yeah, back to the .
I don't know if I'll ever becured of it, and there's grace
in that.
And I love, just just likeyou're saying the fence, it's
like, hey, kid you're, you're aproperty owner, like this is
your property right and you'retaking care of it.
And one of the as I drove away,as I started listening to some
(13:59):
music and you know, just kind of.
I realized, my ego, myhumaneness had gotten me to a
place where it's like, " youhave to do everything.
It's all on you.
I'm not a doctor, I'm not acardiologist, I'm not a nurse,
(14:20):
I'm not even a candy striper.
Ebony Gilbert (14:23):
This is not your lane.
Carri Richard (14:25):
This is not my lane and I have siblings who are
a hundred percent there.
I have a ton of people praying.
I had there's community.
But in that moment, when I'm inthe thick of it, it's almost
like I got to put like I got myshield and I got my Wonder Woman
(14:47):
things and and I'm also notincluding God, (Ebony - you're
so right, you're so right).
Ebony Gilbert (14:58):
You made me just think about something.
So I told that whole storyabout the fence line and I
failed to mention that somebodywas out there helping me, and
that wasn't intentional.
I didn't intentionally deletethat from the conversation, but
in describing my frustration andreliving that moment, I
completely failed to mention thefact.
Why did I omit that I had help?
Carri Richard (15:20):
Hmm.
Ebony Gilbert (15:23):
I thought about it when you say hey, I have
siblings who are, you know, ablebody, and they're here and
they're willing.
I had somebody help me.
Carri Richard (15:33):
I love that you say that, because and and you
tell me if this is incorrect,because I'm not you.
But part of part of it is ego,for me when I do that, but also
it it reminds me in it I don'tknow how to say this Like this
(15:55):
is still a solo journey.
(Ebony - right, it felt likejust me and the heat ) Yeah, and
it's not that there's so muchpower in community, there's so
much power in connection, likelike this, right here, this
interaction.
There's an energy here that Ican't create all by myself.
It doesn't work like that.
(16:17):
And my relationship to God is asolo journey.
Ebony Gilbert (16:23):
Yes, all of my relationship with him.
Yes, yeah, that's good.
That's good, that's good.
I got another example.
(Carri - Good, I want to hearit).
This is much shorter.
I was trying to see what mynext doctor's appointment is.
I pulled up my chart online.
(16:44):
You can pull it up on yourphone, go to the app.
It's pretty user-friendly.
It's cool I'm an elderly persondescribing my fascination with
technology right now, but it'scool.
I pull it up and it brings upthis nice little calendar.
I'm clicking through, trying tosee what my next appointment is
.
While I'm in there, I'm lookingto see what's on the list to
(17:05):
discuss next time I come acrossmy diagnosis list.
These folks have done a greatjob of tracking everything
that's ever been wrong with me.
Carri Richard (17:17):
All in one place, in a one place.
Ebony Gilbert (17:20):
A nice bulletin list.
I'm holding my phone and I'mlooking at it and I feel my mood
shifting.
I can feel the energy drainingout of me just from reading it,
Carri.
Yeah, just the memory of whatthese things meant, at what
point in time.
(17:40):
They meant them Before I knowit.
And I'm not talking about 10,20 minutes, I'm talking about
probably 60 seconds, 90 seconds.
I feel so low, I am so broken.
And all these ways that they'vetold me on this page.
And as I'm getting fidgety andtrying to manage what I'm
(18:02):
feeling because I don't knowwhat it is, my phone flips to
landscape, right, and I havethis.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Yeah.
Ebony Gilbert (18:11):
Yeah.
Yeah, so the normal way youanswer it to the long way and
it's on the setting where itautomatically adjusts the
picture.
When the phone flipped, I couldsee that this table wasn't just
a table of all my diagnosis,mm-hmm.
It was a table showing thestart and end dates.
And what made me feel in thatfirst 30, 60 seconds like I'm so
(18:35):
broken and messed up and jackedup, how I'll ever live to be 90
, how I'll ever be?
I'm going through a list ofquestions what was me?
I'm awful Victim, victim,victim, victim, victim, victim.
And that one accidental,shifting to landscape.
I can see that 99% of thethings on this list have an end
date.
They started and they ended,and in that moment, something
(19:03):
happened to me.
I said, oh my God, look wherehe's brought me from.
And all that energy that wasgoing into that sunken, dark,
deep, dark place shifted to whata mighty God.
How much grace is on this?
Yeah, because now what lookedlike overwhelm, complicated,
(19:23):
nothing's right, has turned intomiracle, blessings, overcomer.
No weapon formed against me.
Now I'm on it.
I'm on it, and I don't know why.
I needed that reminder in thatmoment, because I wasn't feeling
sick.
Let's be clear.
I didn't do this because I wasnot well.
I was just trying to orientmyself to was the next time I
(19:46):
need to go in.
It's time for a checkup.
I'm not having anything thatsuggested all those diagnoses
are really in my life right now,but seeing it I was triggered
and, just like seeing ittriggered me, changed the
position just a little bit.
It invigorated me.
(20:08):
I had to zoom out.
Carri Richard (20:11):
I love, yes, and you also bringing up a point.
I think the first two examplesthat we talked about was like a
big zoom out, like you walkedall the way back to your house,
right, I got in the car and likedrove away, and like the shift
can be minuscule.
Like the zoom out, like that'sthe beauty of God's kingdom in
(20:36):
my mind is like big and littleare irrelevant.
It's even the intention ofstepping back, like a deep
breath, like a let me look atthis different.
Like I have no idea what'sgoing on.
Like, " God, can give me theeyes to see?
Like shift my attitude.
(20:58):
Yeah, I need to shift myattitude, you know.
Ebony Gilbert (21:03):
Yeah, the zoom could be physical, or it could
be your perspective, yourperception, your, your attitude,
your mood.
Don't be so dialed in.
I thought I was looking at alist.
It was a table, it was a fullgrid.
I just couldn't see it on thislittle tiny device.
(21:23):
That was turned the wrong way,evidently.
Carri Richard (21:26):
And what if you had been so distraught you just
decided to just put your phonedown and say well, I was trying
to, but the thing flipped on me.
Oh, sometimes God's realhelpful.
He's like hey, no.
Ebony Gilbert (21:40):
You're not about to walk away feeling like this.
I've brought you too far, I'vedone too much.
You're not giving me credit forwhat I've done in your life.
Right now, let me remind you,let me bring to your memory
because you're being triggeredby these memories there's a
correlating memory with thesethings you're associating with
these diagnosis.
I could look back and saystomach cancer was the worst
(22:01):
time of my life.
Or I can look back and say itwas the most miraculous season
of my life.
When I look at the table in thetraditional format on my phone,
it's the worst time of my life.
It gave me 13 other diagnosis.
When I flip the phone the otherway, I could see that none of
those things are current andthey healed me and blessed me
(22:23):
and delivered me from all ofthem one by one, some all at
once.
Carri Richard (22:29):
Yeah, it's a totally different story.
It is a totally different storyand it's a beautiful reminder
that sometimes you gotta walkthrough it and you gotta get to
the other side Exactly, andsometimes, when I'm overwhelmed
and I'm walking through it, it'sreally hard to see that there
is an end date.
(22:50):
There's an end date, there's astart and an end date, and then
season for everything.
It is not in my control.
Ebony Gilbert (23:01):
There's an end date.
This too shall pass.
Carri Richard (23:06):
And a season.
I'm gonna bop all over.
So I can remember when my sonwas young, I was a single
working mom.
I had a great job and it tookme places and sometimes it was
very overwhelming.
And I have some friends who areolder than me and they're
vacationing.
(23:27):
Some of them were retiring even, and they were living a very
different life than I was living.
And I'm zooming in right.
"Wait, thinking to do that.
I'm comparing the heck out ofmyself.
And I had a dear friend and aspiritual mentor who said Carri,
it's not your season.
You are a single mother who israising a child, working.
(23:50):
These people have done that,Whether they have kids or not.
Like you're trying to putyourself in a season that is not
yours.
Ebony Gilbert (23:59):
I heard it before you.
Carri Richard (24:00):
And it was like I've heard this woman, pema
Chodron she talks about likepopping a bubble with a feather.
It was like when this womansaid that, like it's not your
season, it was like all thedefenses came down.
I was like she's right,sometimes I gotta step back,
(24:26):
she's still good.
Yeah, I'm not in this season bymistake.
Ebony Gilbert (24:36):
And if it's a season that's miserably
uncomfortable.
You just said it.
Some things you just got towalk through.
Carri Richard (24:41):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Ebony Gilbert (24:44):
Or let them carry you through it.
But you got to get through it.
You've got to get to the otherside.
Carri Richard (24:50):
And what you said .
Remember who to give thanks to.
Ebony Gilbert (24:55):
Don't forget, yeah, Don't forget.
I sometimes I pray God.
Let me remember your blessingsas much as I remember the
problems.
Yeah help me to recall all themiracles as much as I remember
(25:16):
the tragedies.
Let that list be longer,because it is, but for some
reason the weight of theproblems feel so much heavier
sometimes, you know.
Carri Richard (25:30):
I do, I do and it takes practice.
Ebony Gilbert (25:34):
I'm big on celebrations, I'm big on yes,
you are, yes, you are.
Carri Richard (25:38):
I know I'm big on reflecting back, like I see God
in the rear view mirror, like Isee to the point when I'm in
the midst of something I don't.
I don't see the work that'sbeing done, so I can't.
Ebony Gilbert (25:55):
What are you celebrating today.
Carri Richard (25:57):
Oh my gosh, what am I celebrating today?
You know what I'm celebrating?
I'm at my dad's house and he'snot in the hospital, and we had
we met a new specialist todaywho was just magnificent, and I
got to sit in the sunroom withmy dad today and just be present
(26:21):
, and then I know how to do thattoday, and that is, that is
God's grace.
That's what I'm celebrating inthis moment.
I can keep going, but that'sthe big one.
Ebony Gilbert (26:41):
I'm celebrating with you.
Carri Richard (26:43):
What are you celebrating today?
Ebony Gilbert (26:48):
Today I'm celebrating a little bit of
peace and I have peace every daybut I don't have the least bit
of anxiety today.
I don't feel like I'm worriedabout anything.
I don't have what I do have todo list.
I haven't looked at it.
I just don't feel the pressuresof the world today, not at work
.
I was two minutes late to thiscall.
(27:08):
I was like you're going to beatme up.
I know you'll give me somegrace Like I just feel really
relaxed and at ease.
Our internet cut out in themiddle of this.
It's okay, we'll put it backtogether.
Like I just feel at ease and Ipray that that continues.
And I don't know why you knowand you don't have to.
Carri Richard (27:29):
That's the beautiful thing.
And I have a friend (now thedog is barking).
I have a friend who says Ican't know why I am celebrating
your ease balance.
Ebony Gilbert (27:44):
And I woke up with a little bit of it's cool,
let it roll off.
Carri Richard (27:52):
Well, I am.
I am praying that everyone wholistens to this can feel that in
this moment.
Ebony Gilbert (28:01):
And it's not the absence of stuff, let's be clear
.
Carri Richard (28:05):
Yeah.
Ebony Gilbert (28:07):
I'm not going to be saying that it's your
orientation to this stuff.
Absolutely.
Carri Richard (28:14):
And tomorrow, when all hell breaks loose and
I'm stressed out again, I'mgoing to remember today and I'm
going to be thankful that I hada day without it Absolutely, and
you can look back and celebratehey, I know it's possible, it's
possible for me, it happens,it's possible, it happens and
like they bring it on, maybeit'll happen again on Sunday.
Ebony Gilbert (28:35):
Yeah, yeah, I'm grateful for that.
I'm so grateful for that Goodstuff.
So there is another pointer tograce.
Yes, zoom out, take the drive,step away from the scene, turn
the phone, turn the picture,take a deep breath.
Take a deep breath and bysomeone else into your situation
(28:56):
.
Sometimes it could be one wordfrom somebody else.
Carri Richard (28:59):
Absolutely, Absolutely.
And you know what I've foundover and over.
I don't even.
I have some dear friends, youincluded, when I am in the midst
, I can just say I just need aprayer.
I don't have to give you anydetail, all the details, any
detail.
It's just this connection.
(29:20):
Okay, I just stubbed my toeLike figuratively right, I love
it.
Like can you pray for me?
Ebony Gilbert (29:31):
Yeah, and you got it.
Yes, you got it Beautiful.
Carri Richard (29:39):
Beautiful.
I love it.
Ebony Gilbert (29:40):
Thank you for the question.
Carri Richard (29:42):
Yes, thank you for the beautiful Examples and
inspiration.
So, anything we need to wrap up, you are the master Rapper
Upper.
Ebony Gilbert (29:57):
Oh, I wanted to say something nice and clever
about zooming out, but I'm not.
I'm going to say don't forgetwhere you come from, don't
forget where you've come from,the life you're living today,
the life I'm living today, wassomething we would have never
dreamed of 10 years ago.
The life we're living today isthe life that somebody else is
(30:19):
praying for.
So when you really zoom out onyour purpose, on your reason for
existing, on what you're hereto do on this planet, on why God
gave you breath in your body,it's to move forward and carry
on and carry out his mission andto love on people and to serve
people.
We talked about serving othersin the last podcast.
Zoom out to get to your purposeand understand that where you
(30:44):
are today won't be where you are10 years from now.
Where you are today wasn'twhere you were 10 years ago.
And don't forget.
Don't forget the good, don'tforget the good.
That's what I got.
I can't forget where I've comefrom, Carri.
What about you?
Carri Richard (30:57):
I love it.
I mean, you're so good.
Yeah, I love it.
There's that question howimportant is this going to be in
three years?
Ebony Gilbert (31:08):
Or tomorrow.
Carri Richard (31:10):
Sometimes I got to go that far out, right,
because I can't.
It's got to.
I got to drive away, zoom out,yeah, really zoom out.
And you're absolutely rightthat you know I was going to ask
.
I'll say this, I don't know, 15years ago, 17 years ago, I
(31:33):
can't tell you exactly, maybe 15.
It became very clear to me mypurpose is to bear witness to
God's grace.
I had no idea how that would be.
And here we are.
What did we start?
13, 14 years later, I get totalk to you about this subject.
We have no idea how our purposegets used.
(31:58):
You don't, no, we have no idea.
Ebony Gilbert (32:01):
We have no idea.
Carri Richard (32:04):
No, so have fun with it.
Ride the wave, step back, lookyou know, zoom out.
So that's what I got.
This is.
It's so good to see you.
Ebony Gilbert (32:16):
It's good to see you as well.
So we're going to think abouthow we're going to zoom out when
the enemy tries to trick usinto thinking that life sucks.
There you go, all right.
I love you, my friend.
I love everyone listening.
Carri Richard (32:30):
I love you too.
And all out there.
And until next time, Grace out,(Ebony - grace out).
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Thank you so much for joining us.
If you enjoyed this episode,please let us know.
We love to hear from you andshare it with a friend.
Also, please be sure tosubscribe so you're notified
when a new episode is posted.
We hope you're leaving withanother pointer to grace, a new
perspective that will light itup in your own life.
Until next time, be well, bebold, be kind to yourself and be
(33:02):
on the lookout.
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