“Choosing Joy in the Midst of Suffering: An Advent Conversation” With Wendy Blight, Ellen Adkins, and Kaley Olson
The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast
Proverbs 31 Ministries
4.7 • 4.7K Ratings
🗓️ 16 December 2025
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Joy sounds simple at Christmastime … until life brings loss, disappointment, or unanswered prayers. In this Advent episode, Wendy Blight joins Kaley Olson and Ellen Adkins to share how Jesus brings joy — not to replace suffering but right in the middle of it. Through Wendy’s honest personal story and a biblical look at joy throughout Scripture, you’ll discover how true joy isn’t rooted in circumstances — it's rooted in the presence of Jesus who meets us, sustains us, and carries us through things we never asked for.
A powerful message for anyone who’s wondering how joy is possible in a season that feels anything but joyful.
You’ll learn:
- Why biblical joy is more than a feeling — it’s something God gifts us through His Spirit.
- How joy grows in seasons of pain, unanswered prayer, or physical and emotional suffering.
- Why lament isn’t the opposite of joy — it's often the doorway to it.
- Practical ways to shift your gaze from your circumstances to Christ.
- What Scripture teaches about a future joy that no loss or sorrow can take away.
Resources From This Episode:
- Join us for Advent in the First 5 app!
Download the free app, and spend five minutes each day studying God’s Word with women around the world. - Go deeper with our brand-new Advent study guide, More Than a Manger.
Experience the Christmas story with fresh eyes through rich biblical teaching and meaningful daily reflections. - Help more women access biblical Truth this season.
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[Give to Proverbs 31 Ministries today.] - Click here to download a transcript of this episode
Want More on This Topic?
- Listen to this Therapy & Theology episode titled “How Can I Trust God When I Don’t Understand What He Allows?”
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | As this year ends, I can't help but thank God for all he's done through Proverbs 31 ministries |
| 0:05.4 | and through generous friends like you. Because of your support, women around the world are |
| 0:10.6 | finding peace, hope, and truth right when they need it most. As we look to a new year, we're |
| 0:16.5 | excited to keep reaching even more women through our podcasts, the First Vibe Mobile app, our daily devotions, and new Bible studies, but we can't do it without you. |
| 0:26.8 | When you give today, your gift is doubled through our year-in matching grant. |
| 0:31.5 | Visit proverbs 31.org slash give to make your gift and help more women experience the hope of God's word. |
| 0:51.7 | Well, hey, everyone. Thanks for tuning in to the Proverbs 31 Ministries podcast where we share biblical truth for any girl in any season. I'm your host, Kaylee Olson, and I'm joined with my co-host for today's episode, Ellen Adkins. Hey, Ellen. |
| 1:05.1 | Hey, glad to be back. What is up? And our teacher for today, Wendy Blight. Hey, guys, how are we doing? Good. Yeah. You're doing good, good, good. If you are just |
| 1:17.4 | joining us, we're in part three of a four week series where we're doing a deep dive into the four |
| 1:23.9 | themes of Advent. Hope, peace, joy, and love. Each week we're looking at a new theme, |
| 1:30.5 | seeing how it plays a part in one big story God is telling, a story that shows us where we've been, |
| 1:35.9 | where we are, and where we're headed. And I know this series has been such a gift to me as I've |
| 1:41.4 | learned more about how Jesus brings hope to my brokenness and peace |
| 1:45.9 | to my chaos. It's been deeply impactful and profound and I would honestly say it wasn't what I |
| 1:52.6 | thought in the best way. Like I'm learning so much more about hope and peace than I thought that I would |
| 1:58.5 | and it's been really deep and really great. And we're only halfway |
| 2:01.5 | through. We're only halfway through. But Ellen, I want to know what's something you've been grateful to |
| 2:04.8 | learn. Okay. So week one, Wendy taught on hope in the midst of our brokenness. And something that you |
| 2:11.5 | said that really stuck with me is how our hope is not rooted in our circumstances or even any particular outcome, but it is rooted in God. And that's just really stuck with me ever since you said that. Oh, thanks. That's sweet. It's always sweet to hear what, you know, you pray for every person who's listening to whatever the Lord has for them. So thanks, Alan, that means a lot. We forget how much we need it too. So it's always a gift. You know, as you are listening, guys, wherever you're listening, if you're on the road, if you're folding your laundry or whatever, like we are receiving this right now alongside with you. You're just hearing it after it's been recorded. So it's pretty special. So this week, Wendy, you're here with us to share about how Jesus's arrival brings joy in the midst |
| 2:53.1 | of our suffering. And so take it away for this week's teaching in our Advent series. |
| 2:58.1 | All right. Thanks so much, Kaylee. You know, I remember the season I'm about to share with you |
| 3:03.8 | like it was yesterday. My daughter, was 13 and suffered constant back pain and |
... |
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