Broken Can Be Beautiful | Part 2

Broken Can Be Beautiful | Part 2

What are the common struggles and victories in addiction recovery? This instalment of the Rising Mother Series brings a gentle, faith-filled chat between host Lena Cebula and guest Jess Ward, centred on healing for Christian women who feel worn out, ashamed, or forgotten. Jess, an author, speaker, Bible teacher, mum and grandmother, talks about what many women get wrong about healing. She explains that growth is a long process, not a single prayer or moment of surrender.

As she puts it, "healing is not about an arrival point. It's really about growing in the image of Christ," with grace all along the way. You’ll hear them talk honestly about isolation – both from people and from God. Jess shares how women can ask themselves hard questions like, "Have I been trying to isolate myself more lately?" and whether they have anyone in their circle who truly knows how they’re doing, not just what they’re doing.

She uses Jesus’ pattern of relationships — the one, the three, the twelve, and the wider crowds — to encourage women to seek a trusted inner circle while keeping their first "one" as God himself. Lena adds her own stories of resisting rest, wrestling with "stinking thinking", and learning to stop chasing pity and start accepting God’s presence.

Together they highlight biblical examples like Hagar and the woman at the well to remind women that God is "the God who sees me" and that "there is nothing that is too big for our God," whether it’s a mistake made or a miracle prayed for. Jess’s heart for women shines in her hope that readers of her book *Broken Can Be Beautiful* will remember that "beauty emerges when we allow ourselves to be carried" and seen by God.

The episode closes with a tender reflection on being loved for who you are, not for your roles or achievements. If you’re tired, hurting, or feeling like you should be "further along" by now, could this gentle conversation be the reminder you’ve been waiting for?