What happens when God gives you a word for a season - and then life seems to become the exact opposite?

At the beginning of 2026, Shirley felt God give her one simple word: rooted. At the time, it didn’t feel particularly significant. But in the months that followed, Shirley walked through profound loss and transition - the closing of a church plant she and her husband had led for five years, changing ministry roles, a move, and the unexpected loss of her mom.

Everything around her felt uprooted.

In this deeply personal conversation, Shirley shares how God met her in grief, disappointment, uncertainty, and the places where she wrestled with shame and feelings of failure. She talks about learning that the things we call failure are not our identity - and that God’s definition of success may look very different from our own.

Ashley and Shirley also talk about the hidden work of becoming rooted: creating rhythms of quiet, learning to simply sit in God’s presence without needing an answer, and trusting that the roots God grows beneath the surface are what hold us steady when the storms come.

This is a conversation about grief, transition, identity, and discovering that even when everything around us changes, God does not.

Shirley puts it simply: I may not know the outcome, but I know Him.

If you’re walking through a season that feels uncertain, disappointing, or completely uprooted, this episode is a reminder that the hard chapters are still part of your story - and God’s grace is present there too.

EmpowerOne is a nine-month journey for women who are ready to grow - in their faith, in their leadership, and in who God created them to be. Through real community, deep curriculum, and coaching that actually goes somewhere, EmpowerOne equips women to step into the calling that has always had their name on it.

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