"My Daughter Was Fighting for Her Life — Here's Where My Trust Went" | Sheila Krygsheld"My Daughter Was Fighting for Her Life — Here's Where My Trust Went" | Sheila Krygsheld
Sober on Purpose
Host Tanya Gioia talks with Sheila Rae Krygsheld about how her daughter’s traumatic brain injury shook her faith and pushed her into deep doubt and survivor’s guilt. Their conversation focuses on identity in Christ, the role of Scripture, community prayer and honest questions in living sober and rooted in God’s peace.
46:10•31 Jul 2026
Trusting God When Your World Breaks: Sheila Krygsheld on Doubt, Faith and Identity
Episode Overview
- Doubt is not the enemy of faith; questioning can strengthen what you truly believe when you “believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts.”
- Studying Scripture intentionally helps build a solid belief system that can hold you during crises like a child’s injury or a loved one’s addiction.
- Survivor’s guilt and hard questions about why some live and others die can be faced by focusing on the nature and character of God rather than quick answers.
- Vulnerability, prayer and honest community support are vital when you feel too exhausted, angry or unheard to pray or read the Bible on your own.
- Remembering your identity in Christ and setting boundaries allows you to create a safe, loving space for healing in your home and family.
“Believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This conversation between host Tanya Gioia and guest Sheila Rae Krygsheld gives a raw, faith-filled answer for anyone worn out by addiction’s chaos and suffering. Sheila, a Bible teacher, apologist and author of *What Makes You Say That? How to Study What You Believe So You Can Share It With Others*, shares how her faith was shaken when her 17-year-old daughter suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Watching her child relearn how to walk and talk pushed her into doubt, survivor’s guilt and sheer spiritual exhaustion. She recalls kneeling at her daughter’s bedside praying, “Lord, I got nothing left,” and wondering where her trust in God had gone. Rather than offering neat clichés, Sheila talks honestly about questions like why some children live and others don’t, and how to keep trusting God when you feel unheard.
She explains how studying Scripture and theology didn’t magically fix the pain, but gave her a framework to wrestle with questions about God’s goodness, free will and suffering. Her mantra, “Believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts,” becomes a practical tool for anyone who feels scared by their own questions. The episode speaks especially to Christian women living with a loved one’s addiction, juggling grief, anger and responsibility.
Tanya roots the chat in identity in Christ, boundaries and the idea that “your faith is the foundation and your boundaries are the bridge,” while Sheila shows how doubt can sit alongside faith rather than cancel it. You’ll hear stories about prayer groups that carry you when you can’t pray, using the Psalms as a script when you’re too tired to find your own words, and finding peace in vulnerability instead of performance.
If you’re hanging on by a thread and wondering if God still sees you, this honest, gentle conversation might be the reminder you need to keep going.
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