I had to just find myself in the presence of God to be able to say,

you know, Lord, I'm trying so hard to be the person you want me to be.

And I felt unworthy of God's love for a number of reasons.

And I remember kneeling there and just having this conversation with him and saying,

I feel so unworthy, I feel so broken, I don't understand why you would let life be so difficult for me.

And instead of him berating me or whatever, I just felt this overwhelming love that said,

you are loved, you are a recipient of my mercy.

Welcome to the Jesus Calling Podcast.

In a culture that rewards hard work, long hours, and stretching ourselves too thin,

we might find ourselves leaving less and less time to accept mercy and find real rest.

The kind that only comes from being in God's presence.

This week we have two women who attest to the power of allowing God to speak into our busy days.

And what it looks like to find mercy and rest by finding closeness with him.

Author a musician, Julie Carrick, and physician and author, Dr. Sandra Dalton Smith.

Julie Carrick is a renowned recording artist, speaker and now author,

that shares her unyielding faith through her writing and music.

As the founder of Catechetical Artistry and co-founder of Carrick Ministries Foundation,

she has written and recorded 16 music projects and has written a book about her life called Unfailing Grace.

The theme of God's Grace has been a strong one in Julie's life.

As she experienced the heartbreak of infidelity in her marriage, multiple miscarriages,

and a lung cancer diagnosis.

Julie believes that being a Christian doesn't exclude us from having hard things come our way.

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