Looking to Christ with Whitney Newby
Have you ever felt like you have nothing left…and yet you’re being asked to give more? Sometimes this place of utter depletion and emptiness can feel scary, but it is actually here that we can lift our eyes to Jesus and find so much more of God’s goodness, strength, and nearness. In this week’s episode, Hunter chats with Whitney Newby about how we can orient our gaze to Christ in the midst of the various challenges of life. We pray this episode encourages you—wherever you are and whatever you’re walking through—and presses you to lean on the Lord for strength.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
When did Psalm 121 become precious to you?
How can we turn our eyes away from our self-obsessed, self-care culture and look to Jesus?
What are some other Scriptures that have been life-giving on days when you feel like you’re pouring from an empty cup? What promises do you cling to when life feels too hard?
Have you faced a season that felt like it was too much? How did God use it to help you learn to fully cast yourself on him?
Often, when things feel like they’re too much or overwhelming, we get angry. Do you experience anger in motherhood? How do you take a step back, remember what’s true, and practice self control? If you do give into anger, how do you walk in repentance and receive God’s grace?
How do you choose contentment?
Who has had the greatest impact on the way you know and love God?
NOTES & QUOTES
“Some of the promises in Psalm 121 almost feel too good to be true. You know, that he never slumbers or sleeps, that he keeps your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever more. That is comprehensive protection—and yet that is our God.”
“In this demanding season of my life, it's that place of having an empty cup and feeling like I have nothing left to give that becomes this really holy place where my need and God's grace meet.”
“When I'm giving and giving out of my lack, it's where God has repeatedly proven that in my weakness he is so strong. And so it's a gift to feel like you have nothing left to give and to lean wholly on Jesus.”
“When we look at how Jesus refueled during demanding seasons throughout the gospels, we see him retreating from the crowds to a solitary place to pray. Before and during and after grueling days of ministry, he is communing with his Father. And so if he needed to do that, we certainly do too.”
“I think [Jesus’] purpose in self-care—if that's what you want to call it—was really clear: It was in order to be strengthened and replenished. Because he knew he was going to be poured out. And so our own self-care has to have the same purpose: to strengthen our souls through reading Scripture and memorizing it and devoting ourselves to prayer in order to serve others. And so, like Jesus, we can depend on God the Father to care for us and to fill our empty cups so that we can then pour ourselves out in service to our family and to others.”
“[Romans 8] verse 38 and 39 tells us that nothing can separate us from his love. And on the days that I have blown it and need that reminder, even my sin cannot come between my soul and the love of God that's found in Christ Jesus, our Lord.”
“I think God allows us to face situations that are too much for us so that we learn by necessity to cast ourselves fully on him.”
“These seasons that just feel like too much are ultimately a gift that grow our faith and our reliance on him. And I think even if 5 and 10 and 20 years from now we look back on these hard seasons and think, ‘How in the world did we make it through that season?’ we will see his hand guiding and sustaining us through that.”
“If you're struggling with anger, first of all, know that you're not alone. And if you are in Christ, know that you are not defined by your anger or by your sin, but by Christ's righteousness on your behalf. Remember that you are not loved because you hold it all together and are always patient, but because he has delighted to choose you as his daughter before he created the world.”
RESOURCES
Lift Your Eyes: Daily Invitations to Behold Christ in Motherhood by Whitney Newby
God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew
Evidence Not Seen by by Darlene Deibler Rose
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Psalm 16
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Romans 8:38-39
Hebrews 4:16
Titus 3:3-4
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Have you ever felt like you are pouring from an empty cup? How have you seen Christ’s sufficiency in those moments?
What Scriptures that Whitney and Hunter shared (you can find them all in the show notes!) resonated most with you? Consider memorizing it this week!
Have you faced a season that felt like it was too much? How did God use it to help you learn to fully cast yourself on him?
Did you resonate with Hunter and Whitney’s conversation about lack of self-control and anger? Where do you find yourself struggling most, and how do you practice walking in repentance and receiving God’s grace?
What might you do or implement based on what you learned in this week’s episode?
MORE CONVERSATIONS TO HELP YOU LOOK TO CHRIST
IMPORTANT NOTE
Journeywomen interviews are intended to serve as a springboard for continued study in the context of your local church. While we carefully select guests each week, interviews do not imply Journeywomen's endorsement of all writings and positions of the interviewee or any other resources mentioned.
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