Seen, Known, and Still Searching: Wrestling with Loneliness and God’s Presence

Description:
Have you ever felt unseen - even when surrounded by people? Have you reached for God in prayer, only to wonder if He's still near?

In this deeply personal episode, I reflect on my own season of emotional and spiritual loneliness and the soul-deep longing for belonging, connection, and meaning.

Through vulnerability and scripture, I wrestle with the ache of feeling invisible, the struggle to wait on God, and the paradox of being faithful in a season that feels silent.

You'll hear honest questions like:

• What do I do when I feel unseen?

• How do I keep believing when God feels far away?

• Is this waiting season wasted?

You’re not alone in these questions - and this episode is your reminder that even in the silence, you are seen.

Scriptures referenced in this episode:

Psalm 68:6

“God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.”

Lamentations 3:25–26

“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

Psalm 42:1–2

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”

Thank you for spending this time with me today. If this episode spoke to you, would you consider sharing it with someone else who might need a reminder that they are not alone?

Leave a comment, a review, subscribe, or just reach out and let me know how God is working in your life. I love hearing from you. You can also find me on Substack at Why Faith Over Fear.

Episode 8: Shift Your Perspective

What if the thing that’s wearing you down isn’t the weight you’re carrying… but the way you’re seeing it?

In today’s episode, I invite you into a quiet, honest moment that began on an evening walk and turned into a divine whisper: “Shift your perspective.” Not your role. Not your circumstances. Not the people around you. Just your perspective.

Through the lens of caregiving, unmet expectations, and emotional exhaustion, I unpack how tunnel vision can lead us into bitterness, isolation, and assumptions. But what if the silence we hear isn’t rejection—but God’s invitation to see differently?

This episode explores:

• The emotional toll of unspoken expectations

• The power of reframing pain through God’s truth

• The danger of isolation and assumption

• What it means to see like Jesus and serve with compassion—even when we feel unseen
  

Scriptures referenced:

Romans 12:2 (NIV): “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Philippians 2:3–4 (NIV): “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV): “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

I share how one whisper from God began shifting everything - not my situation, but my mindset, and how that same shift may be exactly what you need today. I also share a powerful moment I had with my daughter that confirmed the message wasn’t just for me, but for someone else too.

If you've been sitting in silence, stewing in unmet needs, or waiting for someone to notice your pain - this one is for you. God might not be trying to remove your burden, but to reveal something sacred within it.

Tune in now and ask yourself: What if this hard place is actually holy ground?

Leave a review, share this episode, and reach out if this message resonated with you.

Let’s keep walking this faith journey together - shifting fear into faith, one perspective at a time.

What do you do when the tears won’t stop? When life keeps shifting, stretching, and breaking your heart in places you thought had already healed? In this deeply personal episode of Faith Over Fear, I share the raw reality of what it means to live in the in-between—a place where peace and chaos collide, and faith becomes an act of daily surrender.

From the overwhelm of caregiving to the ache of parenting adult children to navigating emotional cycles that revisit without warning, I open up about a moment in a parking lot—sparked by TobyMac’s song “Goodbye”—where my pain bubbled over in a flood of tears. But it’s in this vulnerable, tear-streaked moment that I encounter the nearness of God—not to fix everything, but to sit with me in the silence.

Through scripture, personal story, and gentle reflection, I invite listeners into the sacred space of not being okay, and still trusting anyway. If you’ve ever felt undone, stuck, or like you’re still wrestling with the same wounds in a different season—this episode will remind you that you are not alone, that your tears are seen, and that healing is rarely linear.

This is a tender, unfiltered conversation about grief, faith, depression, and the hope that holds steady in the unraveling. Because maybe… just maybe… the breaking is part of the healing.

Featured Song: Goodbye by TobyMac

Scripture: Psalm 56:8 – “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle...”

Join the conversation on Substack or inside the Facebook Community: Abide & Arise - A Sisterhood in Christ.

Obedience isn’t always easy. In fact, sometimes it costs us everything we once used to keep the peace—silence, suppression, self-protection.

But what if healing required us to stop hiding? What if surrender meant allowing others to misunderstand us for a season while we finally come home to the truth of who we are?

In this episode, I open up about the burden of silence I’ve carried for years—the pain I suppressed to keep the peace, the stories I swallowed because they were too uncomfortable for others to hear. But God didn’t create me to live in the shadows of someone else’s comfort. He called me to heal. He called me to speak. And He called me to obey.

I talk about what it means to walk in obedience when your healing shakes others. About releasing stories not out of blame, but out of surrender. About being misunderstood, hurt, and still choosing to trust God’s process. I share how caregiving for my mother is opening up unexpected layers of grace and insight, and how I’m learning that truth-telling and love can co-exist—even when it’s hard.

If you’re wrestling with what it means to obey God when others don’t understand your healing… this episode is for you.

🔑 Scriptures:

• John 15:10–11 — “That My joy may remain in you...”

• Isaiah 43:2 — “When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned...”

Let this be your invitation to surrender more deeply, speak more boldly, and trust more fully. There is joy on the other side of obedience—even when the path is painful.

If this episode stirred something in you… don’t push it away. Sit with it. Pray through it. Write it out. And know—you are not alone.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, please do. And share this with someone else who needs the courage to obey, even when it hurts.

If this episode stirred something in you… don’t push it away. Sit with it. Pray through it. Write it out. And know—you are not alone.

Leave a review, write a comment, or send me a message. Let me know how this resonated with you and what steps you're taking to walk in obedience.

I hope you leave encouraged, reminded that faith really does overcome fear — one small step, one surrendered heart at a time.

Stay rooted in His Word, anchored in His love, and confident that God is working in every part of your story.

Take care, friend —

"Until we meet again, may you always choose faith over fear."

For more words of encouragement, check out my writing on the ⁠WhyFaithOverFear⁠ Substack.

Episode 4 - Sacred Adversity: Walking the Hard Road of Faith

Description: What if suffering isn’t a sign you’ve gone the wrong way — but proof that you’re following in the footsteps of Jesus?

In this raw and hope-filled episode of Faith Over Fear, Kimberly Dunham invites you to consider that adversity can be sacred. That the suffering we endure in this life isn’t wasted. That our heartbreak, our exhaustion, our battles — they are not signs of failure… but sacred moments of surrender.

Drawing from her own experience of exhaustion, discouragement, and yet relentless faith, Kimberly explores what it means to walk the hard road of faith with honesty, courage, and hope.

She reminds us that Jesus warned us this road would be difficult — and still, He promised we would never walk it alone.

This episode is for the weary one. The one who wonders if God sees. The one holding a heavy cross and praying for strength to take the next step.

You are not forgotten. You are not fighting alone. And your Savior has already overcome the world.

Scriptures Referenced:

1 Peter 4:12–13: Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed

Romans 5:1–5: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

John 16:33: “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Matthew 16:24:“Take up your cross and follow Me.”

Isaiah 41:10 - Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

As we close, I want to invite you into something simple but powerful:

Find one scripture that speaks life into your weary soul today.

• Write it down.

• Pray it aloud.
• Let it become your sword for whatever battles tomorrow brings.

For me it will be:

Isaiah 41:10 - Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

If this message touched your heart today, would you share it with someone else who’s struggling to let go?

Subscribe to the podcast and my Substack - Why Faith Over Fear and leave a comment letting me know how this resonates with you.

Stay rooted in His Word, anchored in His love, and confident that God is working in every part of your story.

Take care, friend — "Until we meet again, walk boldly, live surrendered, and may you always choose faith over fear."

Episode 3 - Faith over Fear - Reflections of the heart

The Illusion of Control

Letting Go of the Reins and Finding True Freedom in Surrender

Do you ever feel like you have to keep everything together… like if you don’t stay in control, everything will fall apart?

In this episode of Faith Over Fear, we confront one of the most convincing lies we’ve bought into: the illusion of control.

For the greater part of my life I thought I was in control of my life, my destiny and that it was my job to figure out my purpose and to fulfill it. The idea of having to ask someone what it is that I am supposed to do, to help me live out my destiny and to be the leader and guide of my life seemed preposterous. I mean I am me. An individual fully capable of making my own choices, gaining the knowledge needed to carry out what it is I feel led and compelled to do and make my mark on this world under my own power. Right? Boy was I wrong. I missed the boat or class or chapter in the book of life that said we were here to please God that He created us for specific purposes and gave us gifts to fulfill those purposes.

For years, I thought I had to figure it all out—plan it, build it, manage it, fix it. I believed my life, my future, and even my purpose were solely mine to shape. But the truth is: I was never meant to lead - I was created to follow. Not aimlessly, but faithfully. God never called us to carry the weight of control. He called us to surrender.

We’ll explore:

• • The false promises of self-reliance
  • What surrender really means (and what it doesn’t)
  • How Jesus modeled surrender in Gethsemane
  • Why control leads to burnout, but surrender leads to peace
  • My personal story of letting go and what God did in the quiet afterward
    

• This isn’t about giving up—it’s about giving in to a God who already knows the plan and invites us to walk in step with Him.

  If you’re tired, burdened, overwhelmed, or just feeling like life is heavier than it should be—this episode is for you.

  Let’s talk about trading striving for trust. Let’s talk about laying it all down. Let’s talk about freedom in Christ.

  
  

  Scripture references:

  Proverbs 19:21 - Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

  Proverbs 16:3-4 - Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. The Lord works out everything to its proper end— even the wicked for a day of disaster.

  Luke 9:23 - Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

  Luke 22:42 - “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

  Philippians 4:7 - And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

  If you know someone who's struggling with this and could benefit from the ideas discussed please feel free to share it with them.

  To reach me to leave a comment my email address click hereTo subscribe to my Substack here is the link:

  And to read the original post this derived from here is the link: The Illusion of Control

  
  

Faith Over Fear - Episode 2:

What happens when God asks us to stop striving and start surrendering? What if the purpose we’ve been chasing is buried beneath the very pain we’ve tried to forget?

In this deeply personal episode, I share a story I’ve never told this way before - the moment when, as a little girl, I believed the lie that I didn’t matter. A moment that shaped decades of silence, self-doubt, and striving. But I also share how God, in His mercy, is gently unearthing those buried places—not to harm, but to heal. Not to shame, but to restore.

This is for those in a waiting season. The one wrestling with purpose, with pain, and with the fear that they’ve been overlooked by God. It’s for the one who feels tired—not hopeless, not defeated, just worn out from carrying it all. It’s for the one who wonders if their story still matters.

Through honest reflection, scripture, and a lot of grace, we talk about how God redeems what we bury, how He meets us in the stillness, and how sometimes the digging is what leads to the healing.

I don’t have all the answers. I don’t have clarity on every part of the journey. But I do know this: God sees you. He loves you. And He’s not finished with your story.

If this resonates with you, I invite you to reach out. Share your story. Leave a comment. Message me. Let’s walk this healing road together.

Scripture in this episode:

Exodus 14:14 – “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Psalm 34:18 – “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Want to read the original written reflection that inspired this episode? Subscribe on Substack at Why Faith Over Fear.

And if you found hope in this episode, don’t forget to follow, rate, and share. Your voice and presence here mean more than you know.