S7 Episode #16- Rebecca George Part 2

THE ONE WHEN REBECCA GEORGE RETURNS

This week we are excited to welcome Rebecca George back to the podcast! Rebecca was first on the show in S5E8, sharing about her first book, Do The Thing. This week she shares about her latest book, You’re Not Too Late, which takes an honest look at the longings that we experience in life, whether an ache for a spouse or child, for healing in a broken relationship, or for a clearer direction in our calling. Rebecca reminds listeners and readers alike that we can fall into resentment about what we lack—or we can see our unmet desires as an invitation to draw closer to a trustworthy God. If you are in a season of waiting or longing, then this episode is for you!

A Little more about REBECCA

Rebecca is the founder of Radical Radiance® - a podcast community where listeners are equipped to blend what they love with the Jesus who makes them shine. She is a podcaster, speaker, and author whose greatest joy in life is discipling others to pursue their passions in a way that builds the Kingdom. In her free time you can find her running outside, writing, or trying a new recipe with 90s country playing in the background. You can connect with her on IG at @rebeccageorgeauthor or at radicalradiance.live!

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE BOOK

Offering a gospel-centered approach for faithful living, You’re Not Too Late includes:

  • Wisdom for how to bring our disappointments to God

  • Real-life ideas for dealing with envy, isolation, and doubt

  • Insights into finding contentment no matter our circumstances

  • Step-by-step ways to turn from sinful thought patterns toward life-giving habits

  • Prayer prompts, discussion questions, Scripture for reflection, and accompanying online videos

With the compassion of someone who has similar struggles, Rebecca presents a comprehensive approach to waiting that doesn’t deny our desires but teaches us how to commit them to the care of a trustworthy Savior.

L I S T E N

W A T C H

S H O W N O T E S

Do The Thing was all about how we can use our gifts and talents for the glory of God. The next logical question after launching her first book was: What do we do with seasons of longing and/or waiting? 

UNMET LONGINGS 

We all have unmet desires on this side of Heaven. We all have moments where we feel like we are “too late for our life”. So often longing leads to more longing. We are living between two edens. Our life is not what it was intended to be when humanity lived in perfect union with The Father in the Garden of Eden, and we are not yet united with Christ in Heaven. We are living in the in between– it’s not what it was and it is not yet what it will be. Christ will return and restore all things. 

So often the things that we long for here on earth are from The Lord. It is not bad for us to have desires, but these desires will never end on this side of Heaven. 

We must shift from doubt to hope, and hope’s prerequisite is longing. One day we will not have a reason to hope any longer because everything we are hoping for will be made new and right by Christ. 

Our longings are a good reminder that this life is not the end goal or all that there is. We are navigating brokenness imperfectly and the process can be really difficult. 

You never know how God is at work behind the scenes. We have such a limited perspective of eternity and how He is at work. So often we long to see the fruit in the here and now. Yet our perspective is finite. He often gives us glimpses along the way, but there are so many things that we will not fully see and understand until we get to Heaven. 

God is so kind, specific and intentional with how He writes our stories. If we could only trust Him. 

CHARACTER OF GOD 

God doesn’t change. We can anchor our lives in Him because He is immutable. We can place the full weight of our trust and hope in Him because He is unchanging, faithful and in control. 

Yes, we live in a broken world and we experience fear, insecurity and doubt, but God doesn’t want to leave us there. There is always hope in Him. 

CHILL HOURS 

Rebecca and her husband had the opportunity to spend time in Israel and while they were there, they fell in love with the olive trees. When they returned home, Rebecca’s husband did research on the best olive tree varietal to suit their climate back home. They learned that olive trees have something called “chill hours”-- the number of hours that a tree needs to withstand cold temperatures in order to bear fruit. 

One day, Rebecca was praying on her back porch during a season of waiting. She realized that as humans we tend to want to get away with the least amount of “chill hours” as possible with The Lord while still being able to bear fruit. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to walk through a life without waiting or suffering or hardship? Yet, so often those seasons in our lives are the greatest teachers. These are the seasons that mold us more into the likeness of Jesus. Without those hardships, who would we have become? It is in those “chill hours” that we become who we were created to be and Christ molds us into his likeness. 

God is at work in our chill hours. 

YOU’RE NOT TOO LATE BOOK 

Each chapter is about turning from one thing to another thing. The last chapter is turning from resentment to redemption. 

Ask The Lord to give you His perspective on things. 

“Search Me Prayers” - based on Psalm 139:1-3

“Search me, O God, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.”

Always go back to The Lord and be honest with Him. We will not see the fullness of His redemption until Heaven, but sometimes we can get glimpses of it here on earth. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

We must set out sights intentionally on the things of The Lord. We can make an active choice to turn to Christ. 

N E X T S T E P S

Here are a few action steps to help you dip deeper this week!

  1. Take time today to try a “Search Me Prayer”. Ask God to search your heart and reveal any anxious thoughts. Ask Him to lead you back to the truth. Ask Him to give you His perspective on whatever you are facing. 

CONNECT WITH REBECCA:

| Instagram | Get Rebecca’s Book! | Website | Facebook |

Thank you, as always, for listening! Please remember that everything we do is funded by those who benefit from our ministry. Our ministry a 501(c)3, so your contribution is tax-deductible.

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  • The Collected Podcast is a production of Collected Ministries, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping disciples of Jesus discover and live from their true identity in Christ, recognize and walk in their divine purpose within the Kingdom of God, and experience growth in their capacity for mature, healthy relationships.

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  • The Collected Podcast is produced by Jes French and edited by Jacob Early. Cover art designed by Ben Biondo.

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