To Help You Heal

In week two of our New Year series on To Help You Heal, we’re talking about what you may have outgrown—and why recognizing that is an important (and healthy) part of moving forward.
 
As we begin a new year, it’s easy to focus on what we want to add: new goals, new habits, new plans. But just as important is asking a quieter question:
Is there anything I need to set down before I move ahead?
 
In this episode, we explore how January’s slower pace often brings clarity. When the noise of the holidays fades, the things that no longer fit can rise to the surface—not in dramatic dissatisfaction, but in subtle discomfort. And that discomfort isn’t failure or ingratitude. It’s often a sign of growth.
 
We talk about:
 
How outgrowing something doesn’t mean it was wrong or wasted
Why some responsibilities, roles, routines, or goals feel heavier than they used to
The difference between honoring a season and forcing it to continue
Why letting go creates space before we know what comes next
 
 
Using real-life examples—from closets to goals to roles we take on out of obligation—we look at how staying in something too long can drain energy and clarity, even when it once felt meaningful.
 
This episode isn’t about making changes immediately.
It’s about awareness.
 
You’re invited to notice:
 
What feels heavier than it used to
Where you’re showing up out of habit rather than purpose
What you may be forcing to fit in a season where it no longer belongs
 
 
You don’t need to replace what you set aside right away. In fact, leaving that space open is often where clarity begins.
 
Reflection questions for the week:
✨ What feels like it no longer fits this season of my life?
✨ Where am I continuing simply because I always have?
✨ What might I need to set down before I know what’s next?
 
Letting go doesn’t mean rejecting the past—it means honoring what it gave you and recognizing who you are now.
 
Join me next week as we continue this series by talking about the questions that keep coming back—and how they can guide what comes next.

This week on To Help You Heal, we’re stepping into 2026—and talking about what to do when January feels… quiet, weird, or unsettling.
 
If you’ve ever started a new year with big resolutions—only to feel discouraged a few weeks later—this episode is for you. I share why I’m not a fan of forcing clarity on January 1, and why so many of us set goals based on cultural pressure instead of asking a more important question first:
 
How do I want to feel this year?
 
January can feel like an emotional shift—holiday décor comes down, schedules slow, the world gets quieter (and for many of us, the gray winter days don’t help). That quiet can make us feel behind or “off,” but it might actually be something better:
 
Awareness.
 
In this episode, we explore:
 
Why feeling unsettled in January doesn’t mean something’s wrong
How pressure to choose a “word” or set goals can backfire
Why clarity doesn’t respond well to force
How noticing patterns can bring direction without burnout
 
 
Instead of rushing into plans, I invite you to slow down and listen—because sometimes what feels like “stuck” is really just a sign that something no longer fits or the next season hasn’t fully taken shape yet.
 
Reflection prompts for the week:
✨ What has been on repeat in your thoughts lately?
✨ What feels louder now that everything else is quiet?
✨ Where are you feeling low-level restlessness?
 
No pressure. No panic. January is allowed to unfold slowly.
You’re not behind—this is where clarity begins.
 
Come back next week as we continue this conversation and start mapping out January in a gentler, more intentional way—so you can move forward with clarity that comes from awareness.

In this final week of our Advent series The Light Has Come, we’re talking about what happens after we receive the light — how we carry it forward into real, ordinary life.
 
Throughout this series, we’ve explored waiting for the light, trusting God in the dark, and noticing light in ordinary places. This week, the invitation shifts:
The light isn’t just something we look for — it’s something we live from and share.
 
Light brings comfort, clarity, and relief. And once we’ve experienced it, we’re invited to become carriers of it for others — not because we have it all together, but simply because we’re willing to show up with what we already have.
 
In this episode, we reflect on:
 
What it means to carry light beyond Christmas
Why God doesn’t wait for us to feel fully ready
How our past seasons of waiting and healing can become a gift to others
Why sharing light often looks small, ordinary, and deeply human
 
 
We sit with the words from Isaiah 60 — “Arise and shine, for your light has come” — and consider how God’s light rests on us even when there is darkness all around.
 
I invite you to consider one simple question as you move into January:
Where can I carry light today?
 
Not in big, overwhelming ways — but in small, faithful ones. Through kindness. Presence. Openness. Hope. Staying connected to God and allowing that connection to shape how we show up for others.
 
Reflection for your week:
✨ Where has God met you this past year?
✨ How has He shaped you through waiting or growth?
✨ What feels like a natural way to carry that light forward?
 
Advent doesn’t end at Christmas.
We get to carry its practices — trust, presence, hope, and light — into the days ahead.
 
Join me next week as we talk about moving into January without the pressure of resolutions, and instead choosing a gentler, more healing way forward.

This week on To Help You Heal, we’re continuing our Advent series The Light Has Come with episode three, where we talk about finding God in the small, quiet, ordinary moments of everyday life.
 
When we think about God showing up, we often imagine dramatic, unmistakable signs — angels in the sky, stars leading the way. But most of the time, God doesn’t shout. He whispers. And if we’re not paying attention, it’s easy to miss Him.
 
In this episode, we explore how busyness, distraction, and constant motion can dull our awareness — not because we lack faith, but because life is full. And we ask a different question: What if God is already here, and I’m just overlooking Him?
 
We talk about:
 
Why God often works quietly and unexpectedly
How Jesus entered the world in ordinary, unnoticed ways
What it means to cultivate awareness instead of striving
How obedience in small moments helps us recognize God in bigger ones
 
 
I invite you to reflect on where God might already be meeting you — in your morning coffee, a walk, a drive, or even while doing the dishes. These moments may seem ordinary, but they can be deeply holy when we slow down enough to notice.
 
Reflection for the week:
✨ Where might God already be meeting you in small ways?
✨ What ordinary moment in your day could become a holy one?
✨ What changes if you believe the little moments truly matter?
 
You don’t have to chase God’s light — you only need to notice it.
 
Join me next week as we wrap up our Advent series with episode four, where we’ll talk about carrying the light forward and what changes when we live from that place.

This week on To Help You Heal, we continue our Advent series The Light Has Come by talking about something many of us feel deeply this time of year: weariness.
December often looks peaceful from the outside, but inside it can feel loud, full, or heavy. If you’re feeling emotionally, mentally, or spiritually tired, this episode is a reminder that weariness is not failure — it’s a signal that you’ve been carrying a lot.
 
In this episode, we explore:
Why feeling weary doesn’t mean you’re weak or doing something wrong
How Jesus understands exhaustion and human limits
The difference between temporary relief and true restoration
Why God’s grace meets us most powerfully in our weakness
 
We reflect on the truth that God doesn’t always remove the load — He strengthens us to carry it differently, and often carries it with us.
I also share simple, practical tools to help you reset from weariness:
A 60-second pause to release tension and breathe
A daily boundary question to help you let go of what isn’t yours to carry
A reminder that peace isn’t passive — it’s a posture we can practice, even with a full calendar
 
Reflection for your week:
✨ Where do you feel the most weary right now — emotionally, mentally, or spiritually?
✨ What are you carrying that was never meant to be yours?
✨ What would it look like to receive peace instead of pushing through?
God’s light meets us exactly where we are — especially when we’re tired.
 
Join me next week as we continue this Advent series by talking about finding light in ordinary moments, where God shows up quietly, consistently, and close.

This week on To Help You Heal, we’re beginning our Advent series, The Light Has Come, by talking about something many of us feel but don’t always say out loud:
What do we do when it feels like we’re still waiting for the light to break through?
Advent is a season of hope and anticipation — but it can also press on places in us that feel tender.
Maybe you’re waiting for healing, clarity, reconciliation, or simply the feeling of being “yourself” again.
Maybe you’re stepping into this season feeling behind, overlooked, or unsure how to hold both expectation and heaviness at the same time.
If that’s you, here’s what I want you to hear:
You’re not off track. You’re not late. And you’re not doing it wrong.
God meets us in the middle of waiting long before we ever see the outcome.
In this episode, we talk about:
• why waiting is a normal part of every faith story
• how God works beneath the surface long before anything looks different
• why His timing can feel quiet, but never careless
• how waiting teaches us trust, slows our pace, and invites us to surrender
• and why “not yet” can actually be a hopeful way to name the season you’re in
I also walk you through a simple grounding practice — a short breath prayer you can return to anytime you feel unsettled, overwhelmed, or caught in the in-between. It’s a way to name your “not yet,” invite God into it, and ask for just one small glimmer of light.
Reflection for your week:
✨ Where do you feel like you’re still waiting for light?
✨ What fear or expectation are you being invited to surrender?
✨ How has God met you in past waiting seasons — and what does that remind you of now?
 
You are not forgotten.
God’s presence always arrives before the breakthrough.
Join me next week as we continue our Advent journey and talk about light for the weary, and the peace God brings.

This week on To Help You Heal, we’re wrapping up our Living in the After series by talking about something we all face on the other side of obedience and waiting:
What do we do when our confidence starts to wobble?
 
Even when we’re following what God asked us to do, our confidence can rise and fall. Sometimes it’s circumstances, sometimes it’s emotional fatigue, and sometimes it’s simply the silence of the “middle” that makes us question everything. But a dip in confidence doesn’t mean we missed God — it’s part of walking with Him in real time.
 
In this episode, we explore:
Why confidence gets shaky
How comparison, overthinking, and fear disguise themselves as “wisdom”
Why silence isn’t failure
How God strengthens us in the quiet
 
 
And I share tools to help you regain your footing:
✨ Return to the last thing God said
✨ Identify the fear underneath the uncertainty
✨ Remember how He’s been faithful before
✨ Speak truth out loud
✨ Take one small step instead of waiting for a big leap
 
Reflection for your week:
Where has your confidence felt shaky — and what small step can you take to stay in motion?
 
Next week, we begin our December series, The Light Has Come, as we head toward Christmas and focus on the light Jesus brings into every part of our lives.

This week on To Help You Heal, we’re continuing our series Living in the After — and today we’re talking about something that sounds simple, but is one of the hardest things for many of us to do:
Resting when it feels like nothing is happening.
If you’ve ever said yes to God, stepped into obedience, and then suddenly found yourself in a quiet, still, confusing space — this episode is for you.
I share openly about how rest has not always been instinctual for me, especially as a type A, always-moving, always-producing person. And I talk about how easy it is to confuse rest with laziness or passivity — when in reality, rest is something very different:
Rest is trust.
Rest is releasing control.
Rest is loosening our grip on the outcome.
In this episode, we explore:
💜 Why God so often invites us into rest after obedience
💜 What makes rest feel uncomfortable or “wrong”
💜 The fear, anxiety, and past disappointments that make waiting difficult
💜 How our brains interpret “new” as “danger” — and what to do with that
💜 What God is developing beneath the surface while everything looks still
I use one of my favorite analogies — the bulbs planted beneath cold, hard winter soil. Nothing looks like it’s happening… and yet everything is happening. Growth begins long before it reaches the surface.
That’s what God is doing in you too.
I walk through how rest actually:
✨ Strengthens us
✨ Creates space for healing
✨ Allows clarity to emerge
✨ Builds trust
✨ Prepares us for what’s coming next
And because rest is both an invitation and a challenge, I offer some practical ways to begin practicing it right now:
A simple daily rhythm of quieting your body
Breathing practices (including relaxing your shoulders — our favorite stress-storage zone)
Short prayers of trust
A few minutes of silence or a walk without input
Releasing the timeline and returning to obedience over outcomes
Noticing the small confirmations, peace, and whispers of God’s presence
 
As always, I close with reflection questions for your week:
✨ Where am I trying to rush what only God can grow?
✨ What outcome am I attempting to control?
✨ How would choosing rest change the way I walk this out?
This episode is a gentle reminder:
You are not behind.
God is not late.
You are living in the middle — and He is working in ways you cannot yet see.
I pray this encourages you to exhale, soften your shoulders, breathe deeply, and settle into the rest God is inviting you toward.
Join me next week as we wrap up the series with what to do when your confidence gets shaky — and then get ready… because December holds something really special I can’t wait to share with you. 💜

In this week’s episode of To Help You Heal, I’m stepping into a space we don’t talk about nearly enough — the middle.
You know… that quiet, stretching, uncomfortable space between the moment you say yes to something God is stirring in you and the moment you finally see the outcome unfold.
We love the beginning — the excitement, the vision, the clarity.
We love the end — the celebration, the testimony, the “look what God has done.”
But the middle?
Whew. That’s where the questions show up. The doubt. The silence.
The wondering if you missed something or if you’re even on the right path at all.
In today’s episode, I’m sharing:
✨ Why the middle feels so hard
✨ How obedience often leads us into seasons of waiting
✨ What God may be forming in us before the breakthrough
✨ Why waiting is not punishment — but preparation
✨ How to stay faithful (even when you feel unsure)
✨ The small signs worth celebrating along the way
✨ How to stay connected to your original “yes” when motivation fades
I also talk about the chapter in To Help You Heal that I wrote on “The Middle” — literally while I was living through my own. (If you’ve ever cleaned out a closet and hit that moment mid-project where you want to cry and walk away… yep, it’s exactly like that.)
Toward the end, I share a few journaling prompts to help you reflect on your own in-between space:
Where in your life are you walking between obedience and outcome?
What might God be shaping, healing, or revealing in this season?
How can you keep showing up — with trust — right where you are?
 
And next week?
We’re talking about how to rest when you’re not seeing results yet. 
If you want to go deeper into this topic, you can grab my book To Help You Heal on my website. I personally sign every copy before I send it out. You’ll also find my couples journal, Rooted, in the store as well.
→ Visit the shop here: (www.mariemonville.com/shop)
Your obedience isn’t wasted.
Your yes is creating ripples you can’t see yet.
And God is still writing the part of the story you haven’t read.
I hope this episode encourages you right in your middle.
 

This week wraps up our Going For It series — and if you’ve made it this far with me, I hope it’s helped you see what’s been holding you back and how to move forward in faith anyway.
We’ve talked about why we hesitate, how to build courage and trust, and even how to get out of our own way.
Now? It’s time to put it all together.
Because here’s the truth: you don’t have to feel ready to say yes.
Most of the time — honestly, about 90% of the time — we won’t feel ready.
But readiness isn’t a prerequisite for obedience.
It’s the result of it.
In this episode of To Help You Heal, I’m sharing how to stop waiting for the “perfect moment” and start saying yes to God — even when it feels uncomfortable, unclear, or just plain scary.
You’ll hear me talk about:
💜 Why waiting to feel ready keeps us stuck
💜 How fear can disguise itself as wisdom
💜 The difference between waiting on God and hesitating out of uncertainty
💜 Why obedience always builds momentum
I share personal stories from my own journey — times when I didn’t feel ready for what God was asking, but said yes anyway. And I talk about what changed in me when I realized that feeling unready wasn’t a stop sign… it was just part of the process.
We’ll look at examples in Scripture — like Abraham and Esther — who didn’t have the full picture, but took their next step anyway. Because readiness isn’t a feeling. It’s a decision.
“Readiness isn’t something you find — it’s something that grows as you say yes.”
When you stop waiting for clarity, confidence, or perfect timing, and just move with God, that’s when courage takes root. And that’s when you discover that obedience itself births momentum.
As always, I end with a few reflection questions for your week:
✨ Where have you been waiting to start something because you don’t feel ready to finish it?
✨ What’s one small step of obedience you can take this week?
✨ How might your yes encourage someone else to say yes too?
You don’t need the full plan. You don’t need to feel qualified. You just need to start.
Readiness grows as you move.
Thank you for joining me on this series — I can’t wait for what’s next.
Next week, we’re stepping into the after space — what happens between obedience and outcome, and how to trust God in the waiting.
Until then, remember: your yes is powerful. Don’t wait until you feel ready — just go for it.