December 11, 2023 • 27 mins
Are you ready to let grace reveal its transformative power within your life? My co-host Ebony Gilbert and I, Carri Richard, promise to unveil this power, teaching you how to cultivate and harness this beautiful presence in even the most mundane moments. We'll guide you to find tranquility amidst the seasonal chaos, as we discuss Jesus's teachings on the unforced rhythms of grace (Matthew 11:28-30) . We'll highlight how stress not only strains our emotional well-being but also has physical implications, emphasizing how Grace serves as a soothing balm for both.
Have you ever felt like an unstoppable freight train, capable of bearing heavy burdens, only to be derailed by the smallest pebble? Ebony and I share a compelling analogy, demonstrating how seemingly trivial challenges can bring our lives to a grinding halt. But fear not, because we will also discuss how grace can help us overcome these hurdles and get back on track. We'll explore the power of seeking help, leaning on support and placing unwavering trust in God's grace in challenging times. Let us guide you in viewing life's obstacles as mere pebbles on your track and inspire you to keep moving forward with grace's unforced rhythm. Trust us; this conversation will leave you feeling uplifted and ready to face life with renewed vigor and grace.
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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.
Carri Richard (00:21):
Hello, hello.
My name is Carri Richard.
I'm a Mindset Coach.
I help high achievers makespace and enjoy the ride, and I
am doing one of my most favoritethings to be here with Ebony
Gilbert and talk about grace.
So hello, Ebony.
Ebony Gilbert (00:39):
Hello, Carri.
Carri Richard (00:42):
I'm Ebony Gilbert and today's my birthday, happy
birthday, yes, yes, I'm so gladyou're born.
Ebony Gilbert (00:54):
Me too, because then I wouldn't have had the
chance to meet you if I wasn't,and I'd just be a loss to the
world.
So, good day, good day.
How do you want to talk aboutgrace today?
Carri Richard (01:08):
I want to talk.
You know, this is the season,we're in the holiday season and,
I'll be honest, I'm prettyburnt out right now.
Yeah, so, yeah, yeah, and, youknow, life is lifey.
(01:33):
There's a lot of things goingon.
I even though I try to be awareof this often as the year ends
like there's this unconsciouslike I got to get all this stuff
done before the end of the year, so that pressure builds.
Uh, I'm watching people rusharound trying to do X, y or Z
(01:56):
for the holiday, for this, forthat you know, this is grace is
always here and we've talked alot about going and finding
grace, and today I kind of wantto just talk about.
.
I want to talk about Matthew 11,28 and 30.
(02:23):
I want to talk about justreceiving grace, kind of sitting
back and resting.
So we've got two versions of it.
Let's just go with the Message.
It's very topical.
So this is Matthew 11, 28through 30.
(02:46):
Are you tired, worn out, burnedout on religion?
Come to me, get away with meand you'll recover your life.
I'll show you how to take areal rest.
Walk with me and work with me.
Watch how I do it, learn theunforced rhythms of grace.
(03:07):
I won't lay anything heavy orill fitting on you.
Keep company with me and you'lllearn to live freely and
lightly.
(Ebony - That's a big promise)That is a big promise.
Ebony Gilbert (03:26):
And he doesn't lie.
Carri Richard (03:27):
Mm-mm.
You know it really, as as thosewords I won't lay anything
heavy or ill fitting on you -like all of the urgency that's
going on is of my own making.
You know that, that concept oftrying to fit it all in.
(03:50):
So I'm going to be quiet for aminute and see what you've got.
Ebony Gilbert (04:02):
Before you even read the verse when you were
talking about.
You're feeling a little wornout, so craziest thing is
happening.
I always get sickly around theholidays and I can't figure out
why, because I don't feelstressed, but my body is saying
to me we don't like this time ofyear.
(04:23):
So it's preemptively doingstrange things, and that's often
my doctor about this.
Your body can get a version ofPTSD, where it remembers how
stressed you are during acertain season and it will begin
to behave in a cyclical fashionjust because it's being your
(04:44):
norm.
So even when you're trying tocome out of that pattern, your
body will do what it thinks it'ssupposed to do, which is
heighten your immune responseand do all kinds of strange
things.
So in reading this, a real restto me feels like a physical rest
(05:04):
.
So it's not just I'm going towalk away feeling lighter or
feeling better, you know, likemy emotional, my psychological,
my mental state.
No, a real rest to me speaks tothe physical condition of my
body.
So there's no longer a conflictbetween what I'm telling myself
(05:25):
, this mindfulness, thisintentionality, and what my body
is saying.
That part really speaks to me.
There are a couple of parts inthat verse that really speaks to
me.
But that part considering thatI'm congested done nothing to be
congested, you know,considering that I've got the
aches and pains in my body issaying things that I don't agree
(05:45):
with.
I'd like to tap into the realrest to put my physical state at
ease, as I believe was beingsaid in this verse.
Carri Richard (05:58):
(Ebony Does that make sense?
) It makes, it makes total sense.
And my, my prayer for you isthat that real rest is not only
the physical rest that you talkabout, the mental, emotional,
all of the rest, but also a restto that cycle, because that's
(06:19):
what He can do.
Ebony Gilbert (06:24):
Yeah, that's, that's exactly where my mind is.
And if you want to take itbroader, oftentimes our
environment, the physical stuff,the environment, the space
you're in, the things we thinkwe can't control yeah, I think
we can.
I think we can.
(06:45):
We can definitely show up in away that what we speak and what
we believe dictates how we reactand how those things react to
us.
Carri Richard (06:59):
You are so right.
You know, both from the wordswe speak and what we allow in.
Like, if I want to turn on thenews 24 by seven, I'm going to
get a much different environmentinternally and externally than
if I, you know, spend that timeon other avenues, like being
(07:27):
here with you and talking aboutthe subject.
Ebony Gilbert (07:31):
So if we're learning the unforced rhythms of
grace, we're letting it happenif it's unforced.
Carri Richard (07:40):
Right, but we've got to slow down to let it
happen, yeah because I don'thave to Tell myself to breathe.
Ebony Gilbert (07:49):
It's unforced, it's automatic.
Right, I don't have to tellmyself to blink.
It's going to happen.
So when I think of unforcedrhythms of grace, I'm thinking
of those automatic things thatoccur If we walk with him and
work with him and watch how hedoes it.
(08:10):
That's the sentence before.
And then I had this other.
Have you seen these videos ofthese babies?
They're little, they're tinylittle, something like one and
two, and they dance.
No music comes on.
Oh, and they're like andthey're like and they have
rhythm, you know, and it's like.
Who taught this kid to two step?
(08:31):
Yeah, you know, it's unforced,it's just in them.
Carri Richard (08:36):
That's it.
That's it, yes, exactly, andthat's what's in us too, boom.
Ebony Gilbert (08:43):
And they don't know to be ashamed, they don't
know to fight it, they don'tknow any of these things.
They don't know that it'sstrange or weird or people are
looking at them funny.
They don't care, right, they'rechanneling what's in them and
it comes out and it produces joy, not just for them but for
everybody around them.
(09:03):
It's contagious.
Carri Richard (09:05):
And you know why it's contagious?
Because, you see, it reflectswhat's in you that we may not
either allow, or we got all thisother stuff on top of it, like
it.
It wakes that up.
Ebony Gilbert (09:22):
So if grace is the baby rhythm, you know where
the moment.
So if the music is making thebaby do this and it's channeling
the thing in them, the grace isthe thing inside of us, and
whatever we're going through isawakening that thing in us.
(09:46):
Yes, and then we get to move inthis grace, we get to operate
in this grace, and it's unforced.
That's what I'm seeing in myhead.
I love it Now you gotta go lookup some baby dancing videos.
Carri Richard (09:58):
Okay, I will, and that's a great input.
Right, that's something I wantto put in my environment.
I heard the other day I don'tknow where it came from, I can't
quote it but I heardenvironment wins over willpower.
Do you believe that?
You know, I think over time itdoes.
(10:21):
I really think environment hasa lot to do with it.
Ebony Gilbert (10:30):
In general, do you change our surroundings?
Carri Richard (10:33):
Well, I think it's talking to the point that
you were saying of beingconscious about our environment,
right, it doesn't mean we'vegot to blow everything up and
change everything, but look atwhat you allow in, look at
what's coming out of your mouth.
It's just a conscious.
It says watch how I do it.
Ebony Gilbert (10:55):
It also says get away with me and you'll recover
your life.
Carri Richard (10:58):
Sometimes you gotta get away.
I love that and it's keepcompany with me and you'll learn
to live freely and lightly.
And I'll tell you.
I got a quick grace story.
So I had you know, I get myskin checked and they saw some
funny freckle that looked normalto me and they did a biopsy.
(11:22):
And you know, I have my littleapp on my phone so I get the
pathology report before I talkto the doctor, which can be
dangerous because I don'tunderstand all that's going on
and I'm going to start Googleland if I'm not careful.
And it said invasive melanomaand I was like, well, that's
pretty clear that that is notgood.
Right, I got it at the end ofthe week.
(11:44):
So I talked to you know, I gotit at the end of the week, so it
was like, okay, wait a second,there is nothing I can do about
this right now.
So I'm going to come away, I'mgoing to give it to God and I'm
going to go about my business,and I know that the beginning of
next week I'm going to knowmore.
And right now I got to, I gotto give it up, so it kind of
(12:14):
stuck.
So I did the next thing, whichwas I asked for prayers.
I reached out to people look,this is heavy on me and so I'm
going to share it and ask you topray.
And I had.
I did have a specific prayerfor God.
This time I said look, can weplease move through this swiftly
(12:35):
, because my son is having amajor surgery very soon and I
really, you know, can.
Can you help me here?
Ebony Gilbert (12:43):
I don't have time for this.
Carri Richard (12:45):
Well, I tried to - I tried to be graceful about
it, but it was like you know,"an you do me a solid here, and
if you can't, it's okay.
So Monday I talked to my doctor.
She said you got to havesurgery, they're going to - the
schedulers, are going to callyou.
(13:06):
So I reached out for some otherprayers and I specifically said
I'm really, I'm hopeful I canget this addressed before the
4th of December.
And the scheduler called onWednesday and I said the same
thing to them and they said "youhold on, wait a second, like in
(13:27):
that moment.
Hold on, we just had acancellation.
Can you come tomorrow?
(Ebony Has this
Ebony Gilbert (13:36):
ever happened before?
Carri Richard (13:38):
Not like that, not for this reason.
I mean, medically has thishappened before?
Ebony Gilbert (13:43):
Like the lineup of this immediate urgency.
Carri Richard (13:48):
I don't know - that clearly, no, no.
Ebony Gilbert (13:53):
And how did you feel when you were being this
specific in your prayer?
Carri Richard (13:57):
I felt a little.
I felt a little anxious, likeam I allowed?
I really wanted permission Likeam I overstepping?
Yeah, and that's why it waslike I had the disclaimer hey,
God, if you can't do me this,that's okay, it's all right.
But yeah, and so I went thenext day and I'll tell you what
(14:20):
so very grateful that I didn'thave time to think about it,
because it was more than Iexpected.
And it was - I was on themoving walk, right, I was being
moved along.
Ebony Gilbert (14:41):
I ask you the question about you know how did
you feel when you're making thatrequest?
Sometimes I struggle with thespecificity of what I'm wanting
to ask and I have to remindmyself and remind you and
everybody else that the Biblesays in Philippians 4 and 6, be
anxious for nothing and ineverything, with prayer and
(15:01):
supplication, with thanksgiving.
So you prayed, you were humble,you were grateful.
Make your request known to God.
Carri Richard (15:13):
Yeah, thank you.
Ebony Gilbert (15:14):
You gotta tell him, yeah, Not that he doesn't
already know.
He just wants you to talk tohim and I'm so glad you did.
Carri Richard (15:23):
Me too.
So I found out two days ago.
The stitches came out, it's allgone.
I am cancer free.
So, from start to finish, Fromstart to finish, it was two
weeks - 14 days.
Ebony Gilbert (15:38):
What the what, Huh?
What the what (Carri - Exactly)They found it, diagnosed it
removed, it biopsied it againthe stitches are out.
Carri Richard (15:50):
I just got a nice patch.
I got a story to tell.
Ebony Gilbert (15:54):
And you needed this done by December 4th.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Yes.
Ebony Gilbert (15:57):
Yep, which is Monday.
That's correct, yeah, and alittle grace period in there.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Exactly Grace period.
Carri Richard (16:06):
Thank you.
Ebony Gilbert (16:07):
In air quotes.
Yeah, pun intended to have alittle cushion.
Absolutely, wow.
Unforced rhythms of grace.
Carri Richard (16:22):
And I won't lay anything heavy or ill fitting on
you.
Ebony Gilbert (16:31):
Do you feel free and lighter?
Absolutely.
Carri Richard (16:35):
Absolutely.
I just feel so.
I feel so very grateful for somany things.
I feel grateful that I'm in aplace where I take care of
myself, where I get checked.
You know that I have a healthybody that heals swiftly, that I
really didn't have time to thinkabout it.
(16:56):
Dwell on it, get in it.
That is grace Big time for me.
Ebony Gilbert (17:07):
Tell you about something that happened this
week and I'm going to tie it alltogether.
I was meeting with some of mycoworkers and we were discussing
performance of our staff andthings of that sort, and one of
the newer guys the team.
He was describing this oneemployee and he says his exact
words were she is a freighttrain, she gets keep listening,
(17:27):
because I took that immediatestatement, as what does that
mean?
He said she is a freight train,she can carry a lot of weight
and she just goes at full speedand never skips a beat until
there's a pebble on the track.
And because she's going soquickly and at such force and
(17:48):
carrying so much weight that onepebble can create a massive
accident.
And I was listening to himthinking oh, that's so good.
I'm going to talk about this onthe podcast, because the
pebbles of life can derail usliterally.
(18:08):
In his example, that onefreckle that looked normal to
you was a pebble and it couldhave very easily, very easily
derailed.
Very easily and I'm like seeinga picture of a train on the
(18:33):
track and there's always rocksunderneath the tracks.
Right, you're surrounded bypebbles on the railroad track.
We used to run along therailroad tracks and you always
got home with rocks in yourshoes because they're full of
pebbles.
So I'm seeing this train onthese tracks and these rocks and
these pebbles everywhere.
But the train has a track andit has ordered steps right,
(18:56):
right, and I feel like gracekeeps the pebble from getting on
the track.
You know, it keeps you in linewith the direction you're
supposed to be going and even ifone little pebble gets on the
track, grace kind of moves itout the way Swiftly If we're
going Swiftly.
(19:16):
Swiftly.
It doesn't remove theenvironment of pebbles.
It doesn't clean up everythingaround you that's rocky and
usually in the woods, butthere's still a track and I just
feel like your situation couldhave been a pebble on your track
.
Carri Richard (19:34):
It could have been a small boulder.
Ebony Gilbert (19:37):
Yeah, it could have derailed a lot of things.
It could have derailed yourschedule for what you needed to
do for your son.
It could have derailed yourfaith.
There could have been so manyderailings and typically when a
train derails, there is majorcatastrophic impact, so it takes
a long time to clean up.
Carri Richard (19:56):
Yeah.
Ebony Gilbert (19:58):
So thank you, Carri, for sharing your story
and thank you, God, for graceAmen.
Carri Richard (20:04):
To deal with the pebbles.
Absolutely, because I and if Ihad taken it all upon myself,
right To do it myself without Ithink one of the biggest shifts
was I immediately reached outand shared it Immediately.
Ebony Gilbert (20:25):
Yeah, who are my prayer warriors?
Who are my supporters?
Where is the Carri Fan Club andhow can we come help?
Carri Richard (20:32):
Yeah, and it's like this is what I know.
This is what I'm praying for.
Can you pray for me?
Ebony Gilbert (20:38):
And instead of you needing a cleanup crew after
the fact, you just kept goingon your track.
Carri Richard (20:46):
Yeah.
Ebony Gilbert (20:49):
Now just to make sure you're okay.
Right, I am, I am.
No one will lose that.
Carri Richard (20:54):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
No.
Carri Richard (20:55):
I am okay, it is all clear.
I got the all clear.
Two weeks to the day, yeah.
Ebony Gilbert (21:03):
Outstanding, yes, outstanding.
What if we approach all of thatstuff?
This does Pebbles.
Carri Richard (21:10):
Exactly.
Ebony Gilbert (21:11):
And we get to make a choice.
Carri Richard (21:13):
Yeah.
Ebony Gilbert (21:16):
Because a cancer diagnosis is not a pebble.
Let's be clear.
But what if our perspective andour vantage point and, with our
grace glasses on, we viewed allthese things as a pebble, as
the pebble on my track?
Carri Richard (21:32):
Yeah.
Ebony Gilbert (21:33):
But I've got to keep going.
I've got to do the things Iknow I can do and I've got to
keep my steps ordered For you,it was I need to ask for help, I
need support, I need someangels, I need some folks
praying, I need some belief.
I've got to ask if I can openmy mouth and speak it and look
at what happened?
Yeah, that's good Carri.
Carri Richard (21:58):
You know when we ask for help and I encourage
anybody who's listening please,you can ask us, you can.
You can reach out to us if youneed, if you need prayers.
When I do that, I'm accountable, that I am actually putting it
in God's hands and saying canyou please bring the broom?
Ebony Gilbert (22:29):
Hey God, I need a grace Rumba.
Oh my gosh To just swirl aroundme and pick up all the pebbles
as I'm walking through thisthing called life.
Just where's my littleautomated vacuum robot?
Yeah, it just goes around meand gets in front of me and
mercy and goodness is followingme.
So that little rhombus behindme and everything I had in me is
(22:50):
being protected with my littlegrace.
Robot is picking up my pebblesalong the way.
Carri Richard (22:54):
Yes, I just want to say one more thing.
When you're talking about that,I now want to build that image
so bad of a rhombus with, likegrace glasses on Uh-huh, oh my
goodness, but you put littlewords on the pebbles.
Ebony Gilbert (23:09):
You know this money, friends job.
It is picking up these littlethings.
Okay.
Carri Richard (23:19):
We're on it.
Next time I see you, we'remaking a movie.
Yes, the unforced rhythms ofgrace.
So I just want to say one lastthing that there's so much when
I when I got to the point whereI wanted to look back over my
(23:41):
shoulder and see if God washelping me.
That's where I have to justkeep moving forward.
It's that unforced rhythm Likeit happened very swiftly, um,
but I can't check up on himalong the way, Cause when I do
that, I'm doubting.
Does that make sense?
Ebony Gilbert (24:02):
No, it does make sense.
It makes perfect sense.
Keep your head ahead and staylooking forward and then bring
that back around.
Carri Richard (24:13):
That's part of that rest.
It's like, okay, I've, I've,I've put it in God's hands, and
now I need to give that topic arest.
Ebony Gilbert (24:28):
That's good.
That's good.
That's good.
Unforced rhythm, rhythms pluralof grace.
Carri Richard (24:48):
Rhythms it's not always a two, four count, or a
four, four count, but it's incadence.
Ebony Gilbert (24:54):
There's multiple going on all the time, but it
has a cadence.
Yeah, opposed to move, I dothis thing.
Where I listen to songssometimes and I speed them up,
where I slow them down just toplay with it, I do it to our
podcast.
Where I listen back to it, Ispeed it up to the 1.5.
Generally because I'm in a rushand I need to take that 25
(25:19):
minutes and shrink it down some.
Um, but the cadence of when youspeed it up or you slow it down
changes a lot of things.
Yeah, it changes a lot ofthings.
Sometimes you miss a word.
Sometimes your pauses that areintentional get, you know, weird
.
So I've I've learned to not dothat if I don't have to do it,
(25:41):
you know, just wait till I havethe time to really fully listen,
because if you force the rhythmyou miss things.
Carri Richard (25:50):
Yeah.
Ebony Gilbert (25:51):
It doesn't have the same meaning.
So the unforced rhythms ofgrace allows me to be fully
pressing, so I don't missanything by trying to speed up
the rhythm or trying to hurry itor rush it or slow it down,
because I'm looking over myshoulder trying to check him and
God to see if he's going topass me the baton.
I don't need the baton.
Carri Richard (26:12):
And if I do, he'll make it completely clear
in the moment.
He'll do it.
Here you go, honey.
Ebony Gilbert (26:19):
I don't just have to stand there with my hand out
waiting for him to.
You know, he's got all of thatin control.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Oh my gosh you're so welcome.
Carri Richard (26:28):
Thank you so much for the beautiful conversation
for for all those listening.
My prayer for you is that inthis season, that you find some
rest, whatever that looks like.
Ebony Gilbert (26:45):
So that you can live freely and lightly.
Yeah, that's good.
So we have dancing babies, wehave the room, but robotic
vacuums with grace glasses.
We have trains with pebbles.
As you're driving down thestreet, look for any of these
things.
(27:05):
I think about us.
Oh, that's good.
Happy holiday season, yes.
Carri Richard (27:14):
Happy holiday season, and this was fun, as
always let's do it again.
Ebony Gilbert (27:22):
Okay, grace out, grace out.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
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
(27:51):
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.
Carri Richard (00:21):
Hello, hello.
My name is Carri Richard.
I'm a Mindset Coach.
I help high achievers makespace and enjoy the ride, and I
am doing one of my most favoritethings to be here with Ebony
Gilbert and talk about grace.
So hello, Ebony.
Ebony Gilbert (00:39):
Hello, Carri.
Carri Richard (00:42):
I'm Ebony Gilbert and today's my birthday, happy
birthday, yes, yes, I'm so gladyou're born.
Ebony Gilbert (00:54):
Me too, because then I wouldn't have had the
chance to meet you if I wasn't,and I'd just be a loss to the
world.
So, good day, good day.
How do you want to talk aboutgrace today?
Carri Richard (01:08):
I want to talk.
You know, this is the season,we're in the holiday season and,
I'll be honest, I'm prettyburnt out right now.
Yeah, so, yeah, yeah, and, youknow, life is lifey.
(01:33):
There's a lot of things goingon.
I even though I try to be awareof this often as the year ends
like there's this unconsciouslike I got to get all this stuff
done before the end of the year, so that pressure builds.
Uh, I'm watching people rusharound trying to do X, y or Z
(01:56):
for the holiday, for this, forthat you know, this is grace is
always here and we've talked alot about going and finding
grace, and today I kind of wantto just talk about.
.
I want to talk about Matthew 11,28 and 30.
(02:23):
I want to talk about justreceiving grace, kind of sitting
back and resting.
So we've got two versions of it.
Let's just go with the Message.
It's very topical.
So this is Matthew 11, 28through 30.
(02:46):
Are you tired, worn out, burnedout on religion?
Come to me, get away with meand you'll recover your life.
I'll show you how to take areal rest.
Walk with me and work with me.
Watch how I do it, learn theunforced rhythms of grace.
(03:07):
I won't lay anything heavy orill fitting on you.
Keep company with me and you'lllearn to live freely and
lightly.
(Ebony - That's a big promise)That is a big promise.
Ebony Gilbert (03:26):
And he doesn't lie.
Carri Richard (03:27):
Mm-mm.
You know it really, as as thosewords I won't lay anything
heavy or ill fitting on you -like all of the urgency that's
going on is of my own making.
You know that, that concept oftrying to fit it all in.
(03:50):
So I'm going to be quiet for aminute and see what you've got.
Ebony Gilbert (04:02):
Before you even read the verse when you were
talking about.
You're feeling a little wornout, so craziest thing is
happening.
I always get sickly around theholidays and I can't figure out
why, because I don't feelstressed, but my body is saying
to me we don't like this time ofyear.
(04:23):
So it's preemptively doingstrange things, and that's often
my doctor about this.
Your body can get a version ofPTSD, where it remembers how
stressed you are during acertain season and it will begin
to behave in a cyclical fashionjust because it's being your
(04:44):
norm.
So even when you're trying tocome out of that pattern, your
body will do what it thinks it'ssupposed to do, which is
heighten your immune responseand do all kinds of strange
things.
So in reading this, a real restto me feels like a physical rest
(05:04):
.
So it's not just I'm going towalk away feeling lighter or
feeling better, you know, likemy emotional, my psychological,
my mental state.
No, a real rest to me speaks tothe physical condition of my
body.
So there's no longer a conflictbetween what I'm telling myself
(05:25):
, this mindfulness, thisintentionality, and what my body
is saying.
That part really speaks to me.
There are a couple of parts inthat verse that really speaks to
me.
But that part considering thatI'm congested done nothing to be
congested, you know,considering that I've got the
aches and pains in my body issaying things that I don't agree
(05:45):
with.
I'd like to tap into the realrest to put my physical state at
ease, as I believe was beingsaid in this verse.
Carri Richard (05:58):
(Ebony Does that make sense?
) It makes, it makes total sense.
And my, my prayer for you isthat that real rest is not only
the physical rest that you talkabout, the mental, emotional,
all of the rest, but also a restto that cycle, because that's
(06:19):
what He can do.
Ebony Gilbert (06:24):
Yeah, that's, that's exactly where my mind is.
And if you want to take itbroader, oftentimes our
environment, the physical stuff,the environment, the space
you're in, the things we thinkwe can't control yeah, I think
we can.
I think we can.
(06:45):
We can definitely show up in away that what we speak and what
we believe dictates how we reactand how those things react to
us.
Carri Richard (06:59):
You are so right.
You know, both from the wordswe speak and what we allow in.
Like, if I want to turn on thenews 24 by seven, I'm going to
get a much different environmentinternally and externally than
if I, you know, spend that timeon other avenues, like being
(07:27):
here with you and talking aboutthe subject.
Ebony Gilbert (07:31):
So if we're learning the unforced rhythms of
grace, we're letting it happenif it's unforced.
Carri Richard (07:40):
Right, but we've got to slow down to let it
happen, yeah because I don'thave to Tell myself to breathe.
Ebony Gilbert (07:49):
It's unforced, it's automatic.
Right, I don't have to tellmyself to blink.
It's going to happen.
So when I think of unforcedrhythms of grace, I'm thinking
of those automatic things thatoccur If we walk with him and
work with him and watch how hedoes it.
(08:10):
That's the sentence before.
And then I had this other.
Have you seen these videos ofthese babies?
They're little, they're tinylittle, something like one and
two, and they dance.
No music comes on.
Oh, and they're like andthey're like and they have
rhythm, you know, and it's like.
Who taught this kid to two step?
(08:31):
Yeah, you know, it's unforced,it's just in them.
Carri Richard (08:36):
That's it.
That's it, yes, exactly, andthat's what's in us too, boom.
Ebony Gilbert (08:43):
And they don't know to be ashamed, they don't
know to fight it, they don'tknow any of these things.
They don't know that it'sstrange or weird or people are
looking at them funny.
They don't care, right, they'rechanneling what's in them and
it comes out and it produces joy, not just for them but for
everybody around them.
(09:03):
It's contagious.
Carri Richard (09:05):
And you know why it's contagious?
Because, you see, it reflectswhat's in you that we may not
either allow, or we got all thisother stuff on top of it, like
it.
It wakes that up.
Ebony Gilbert (09:22):
So if grace is the baby rhythm, you know where
the moment.
So if the music is making thebaby do this and it's channeling
the thing in them, the grace isthe thing inside of us, and
whatever we're going through isawakening that thing in us.
(09:46):
Yes, and then we get to move inthis grace, we get to operate
in this grace, and it's unforced.
That's what I'm seeing in myhead.
I love it Now you gotta go lookup some baby dancing videos.
Carri Richard (09:58):
Okay, I will, and that's a great input.
Right, that's something I wantto put in my environment.
I heard the other day I don'tknow where it came from, I can't
quote it but I heardenvironment wins over willpower.
Do you believe that?
You know, I think over time itdoes.
(10:21):
I really think environment hasa lot to do with it.
Ebony Gilbert (10:30):
In general, do you change our surroundings?
Carri Richard (10:33):
Well, I think it's talking to the point that
you were saying of beingconscious about our environment,
right, it doesn't mean we'vegot to blow everything up and
change everything, but look atwhat you allow in, look at
what's coming out of your mouth.
It's just a conscious.
It says watch how I do it.
Ebony Gilbert (10:55):
It also says get away with me and you'll recover
your life.
Carri Richard (10:58):
Sometimes you gotta get away.
I love that and it's keepcompany with me and you'll learn
to live freely and lightly.
And I'll tell you.
I got a quick grace story.
So I had you know, I get myskin checked and they saw some
funny freckle that looked normalto me and they did a biopsy.
(11:22):
And you know, I have my littleapp on my phone so I get the
pathology report before I talkto the doctor, which can be
dangerous because I don'tunderstand all that's going on
and I'm going to start Googleland if I'm not careful.
And it said invasive melanomaand I was like, well, that's
pretty clear that that is notgood.
Right, I got it at the end ofthe week.
(11:44):
So I talked to you know, I gotit at the end of the week, so it
was like, okay, wait a second,there is nothing I can do about
this right now.
So I'm going to come away, I'mgoing to give it to God and I'm
going to go about my business,and I know that the beginning of
next week I'm going to knowmore.
And right now I got to, I gotto give it up, so it kind of
(12:14):
stuck.
So I did the next thing, whichwas I asked for prayers.
I reached out to people look,this is heavy on me and so I'm
going to share it and ask you topray.
And I had.
I did have a specific prayerfor God.
This time I said look, can weplease move through this swiftly
(12:35):
, because my son is having amajor surgery very soon and I
really, you know, can.
Can you help me here?
Ebony Gilbert (12:43):
I don't have time for this.
Carri Richard (12:45):
Well, I tried to - I tried to be graceful about
it, but it was like you know,"an you do me a solid here, and
if you can't, it's okay.
So Monday I talked to my doctor.
She said you got to havesurgery, they're going to - the
schedulers, are going to callyou.
(13:06):
So I reached out for some otherprayers and I specifically said
I'm really, I'm hopeful I canget this addressed before the
4th of December.
And the scheduler called onWednesday and I said the same
thing to them and they said "youhold on, wait a second, like in
(13:27):
that moment.
Hold on, we just had acancellation.
Can you come tomorrow?
(Ebony Has this
Ebony Gilbert (13:36):
ever happened before?
Carri Richard (13:38):
Not like that, not for this reason.
I mean, medically has thishappened before?
Ebony Gilbert (13:43):
Like the lineup of this immediate urgency.
Carri Richard (13:48):
I don't know - that clearly, no, no.
Ebony Gilbert (13:53):
And how did you feel when you were being this
specific in your prayer?
Carri Richard (13:57):
I felt a little.
I felt a little anxious, likeam I allowed?
I really wanted permission Likeam I overstepping?
Yeah, and that's why it waslike I had the disclaimer hey,
God, if you can't do me this,that's okay, it's all right.
But yeah, and so I went thenext day and I'll tell you what
(14:20):
so very grateful that I didn'thave time to think about it,
because it was more than Iexpected.
And it was - I was on themoving walk, right, I was being
moved along.
Ebony Gilbert (14:41):
I ask you the question about you know how did
you feel when you're making thatrequest?
Sometimes I struggle with thespecificity of what I'm wanting
to ask and I have to remindmyself and remind you and
everybody else that the Biblesays in Philippians 4 and 6, be
anxious for nothing and ineverything, with prayer and
(15:01):
supplication, with thanksgiving.
So you prayed, you were humble,you were grateful.
Make your request known to God.
Carri Richard (15:13):
Yeah, thank you.
Ebony Gilbert (15:14):
You gotta tell him, yeah, Not that he doesn't
already know.
He just wants you to talk tohim and I'm so glad you did.
Carri Richard (15:23):
Me too.
So I found out two days ago.
The stitches came out, it's allgone.
I am cancer free.
So, from start to finish, Fromstart to finish, it was two
weeks - 14 days.
Ebony Gilbert (15:38):
What the what, Huh?
What the what (Carri - Exactly)They found it, diagnosed it
removed, it biopsied it againthe stitches are out.
Carri Richard (15:50):
I just got a nice patch.
I got a story to tell.
Ebony Gilbert (15:54):
And you needed this done by December 4th.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Yes.
Ebony Gilbert (15:57):
Yep, which is Monday.
That's correct, yeah, and alittle grace period in there.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Exactly Grace period.
Carri Richard (16:06):
Thank you.
Ebony Gilbert (16:07):
In air quotes.
Yeah, pun intended to have alittle cushion.
Absolutely, wow.
Unforced rhythms of grace.
Carri Richard (16:22):
And I won't lay anything heavy or ill fitting on
you.
Ebony Gilbert (16:31):
Do you feel free and lighter?
Absolutely.
Carri Richard (16:35):
Absolutely.
I just feel so.
I feel so very grateful for somany things.
I feel grateful that I'm in aplace where I take care of
myself, where I get checked.
You know that I have a healthybody that heals swiftly, that I
really didn't have time to thinkabout it.
(16:56):
Dwell on it, get in it.
That is grace Big time for me.
Ebony Gilbert (17:07):
Tell you about something that happened this
week and I'm going to tie it alltogether.
I was meeting with some of mycoworkers and we were discussing
performance of our staff andthings of that sort, and one of
the newer guys the team.
He was describing this oneemployee and he says his exact
words were she is a freighttrain, she gets keep listening,
(17:27):
because I took that immediatestatement, as what does that
mean?
He said she is a freight train,she can carry a lot of weight
and she just goes at full speedand never skips a beat until
there's a pebble on the track.
And because she's going soquickly and at such force and
(17:48):
carrying so much weight that onepebble can create a massive
accident.
And I was listening to himthinking oh, that's so good.
I'm going to talk about this onthe podcast, because the
pebbles of life can derail usliterally.
(18:08):
In his example, that onefreckle that looked normal to
you was a pebble and it couldhave very easily, very easily
derailed.
Very easily and I'm like seeinga picture of a train on the
(18:33):
track and there's always rocksunderneath the tracks.
Right, you're surrounded bypebbles on the railroad track.
We used to run along therailroad tracks and you always
got home with rocks in yourshoes because they're full of
pebbles.
So I'm seeing this train onthese tracks and these rocks and
these pebbles everywhere.
But the train has a track andit has ordered steps right,
(18:56):
right, and I feel like gracekeeps the pebble from getting on
the track.
You know, it keeps you in linewith the direction you're
supposed to be going and even ifone little pebble gets on the
track, grace kind of moves itout the way Swiftly If we're
going Swiftly.
(19:16):
Swiftly.
It doesn't remove theenvironment of pebbles.
It doesn't clean up everythingaround you that's rocky and
usually in the woods, butthere's still a track and I just
feel like your situation couldhave been a pebble on your track
.
Carri Richard (19:34):
It could have been a small boulder.
Ebony Gilbert (19:37):
Yeah, it could have derailed a lot of things.
It could have derailed yourschedule for what you needed to
do for your son.
It could have derailed yourfaith.
There could have been so manyderailings and typically when a
train derails, there is majorcatastrophic impact, so it takes
a long time to clean up.
Carri Richard (19:56):
Yeah.
Ebony Gilbert (19:58):
So thank you, Carri, for sharing your story
and thank you, God, for graceAmen.
Carri Richard (20:04):
To deal with the pebbles.
Absolutely, because I and if Ihad taken it all upon myself,
right To do it myself without Ithink one of the biggest shifts
was I immediately reached outand shared it Immediately.
Ebony Gilbert (20:25):
Yeah, who are my prayer warriors?
Who are my supporters?
Where is the Carri Fan Club andhow can we come help?
Carri Richard (20:32):
Yeah, and it's like this is what I know.
This is what I'm praying for.
Can you pray for me?
Ebony Gilbert (20:38):
And instead of you needing a cleanup crew after
the fact, you just kept goingon your track.
Carri Richard (20:46):
Yeah.
Ebony Gilbert (20:49):
Now just to make sure you're okay.
Right, I am, I am.
No one will lose that.
Carri Richard (20:54):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
No.
Carri Richard (20:55):
I am okay, it is all clear.
I got the all clear.
Two weeks to the day, yeah.
Ebony Gilbert (21:03):
Outstanding, yes, outstanding.
What if we approach all of thatstuff?
This does Pebbles.
Carri Richard (21:10):
Exactly.
Ebony Gilbert (21:11):
And we get to make a choice.
Carri Richard (21:13):
Yeah.
Ebony Gilbert (21:16):
Because a cancer diagnosis is not a pebble.
Let's be clear.
But what if our perspective andour vantage point and, with our
grace glasses on, we viewed allthese things as a pebble, as
the pebble on my track?
Carri Richard (21:32):
Yeah.
Ebony Gilbert (21:33):
But I've got to keep going.
I've got to do the things Iknow I can do and I've got to
keep my steps ordered For you,it was I need to ask for help, I
need support, I need someangels, I need some folks
praying, I need some belief.
I've got to ask if I can openmy mouth and speak it and look
at what happened?
Yeah, that's good Carri.
Carri Richard (21:58):
You know when we ask for help and I encourage
anybody who's listening please,you can ask us, you can.
You can reach out to us if youneed, if you need prayers.
When I do that, I'm accountable, that I am actually putting it
in God's hands and saying canyou please bring the broom?
Ebony Gilbert (22:29):
Hey God, I need a grace Rumba.
Oh my gosh To just swirl aroundme and pick up all the pebbles
as I'm walking through thisthing called life.
Just where's my littleautomated vacuum robot?
Yeah, it just goes around meand gets in front of me and
mercy and goodness is followingme.
So that little rhombus behindme and everything I had in me is
(22:50):
being protected with my littlegrace.
Robot is picking up my pebblesalong the way.
Carri Richard (22:54):
Yes, I just want to say one more thing.
When you're talking about that,I now want to build that image
so bad of a rhombus with, likegrace glasses on Uh-huh, oh my
goodness, but you put littlewords on the pebbles.
Ebony Gilbert (23:09):
You know this money, friends job.
It is picking up these littlethings.
Okay.
Carri Richard (23:19):
We're on it.
Next time I see you, we'remaking a movie.
Yes, the unforced rhythms ofgrace.
So I just want to say one lastthing that there's so much when
I when I got to the point whereI wanted to look back over my
(23:41):
shoulder and see if God washelping me.
That's where I have to justkeep moving forward.
It's that unforced rhythm Likeit happened very swiftly, um,
but I can't check up on himalong the way, Cause when I do
that, I'm doubting.
Does that make sense?
Ebony Gilbert (24:02):
No, it does make sense.
It makes perfect sense.
Keep your head ahead and staylooking forward and then bring
that back around.
Carri Richard (24:13):
That's part of that rest.
It's like, okay, I've, I've,I've put it in God's hands, and
now I need to give that topic arest.
Ebony Gilbert (24:28):
That's good.
That's good.
That's good.
Unforced rhythm, rhythms pluralof grace.
Carri Richard (24:48):
Rhythms it's not always a two, four count, or a
four, four count, but it's incadence.
Ebony Gilbert (24:54):
There's multiple going on all the time, but it
has a cadence.
Yeah, opposed to move, I dothis thing.
Where I listen to songssometimes and I speed them up,
where I slow them down just toplay with it, I do it to our
podcast.
Where I listen back to it, Ispeed it up to the 1.5.
Generally because I'm in a rushand I need to take that 25
(25:19):
minutes and shrink it down some.
Um, but the cadence of when youspeed it up or you slow it down
changes a lot of things.
Yeah, it changes a lot ofthings.
Sometimes you miss a word.
Sometimes your pauses that areintentional get, you know, weird
.
So I've I've learned to not dothat if I don't have to do it,
(25:41):
you know, just wait till I havethe time to really fully listen,
because if you force the rhythmyou miss things.
Carri Richard (25:50):
Yeah.
Ebony Gilbert (25:51):
It doesn't have the same meaning.
So the unforced rhythms ofgrace allows me to be fully
pressing, so I don't missanything by trying to speed up
the rhythm or trying to hurry itor rush it or slow it down,
because I'm looking over myshoulder trying to check him and
God to see if he's going topass me the baton.
I don't need the baton.
Carri Richard (26:12):
And if I do, he'll make it completely clear
in the moment.
He'll do it.
Here you go, honey.
Ebony Gilbert (26:19):
I don't just have to stand there with my hand out
waiting for him to.
You know, he's got all of thatin control.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Oh my gosh you're so welcome.
Carri Richard (26:28):
Thank you so much for the beautiful conversation
for for all those listening.
My prayer for you is that inthis season, that you find some
rest, whatever that looks like.
Ebony Gilbert (26:45):
So that you can live freely and lightly.
Yeah, that's good.
So we have dancing babies, wehave the room, but robotic
vacuums with grace glasses.
We have trains with pebbles.
As you're driving down thestreet, look for any of these
things.
(27:05):
I think about us.
Oh, that's good.
Happy holiday season, yes.
Carri Richard (27:14):
Happy holiday season, and this was fun, as
always let's do it again.
Ebony Gilbert (27:22):
Okay, grace out, grace out.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
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
(27:51):
on the lookout.
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