Ep 88 - How do we let go of bitterness without excusing what happened or allowing an unsafe person back into our lives?

In this episode of Say Goodbye and Imagine!, Rose Ann Forte speaks with licensed clinical therapist Sue Warwick about the difference between legitimate anger and bitterness, how unresolved hurt affects our thoughts and relationships, and why we may turn to alcohol or other unhealthy habits for temporary relief.

Sue brings more than 40 years of counseling experience to a conversation about the physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual consequences of allowing bitterness to take root. She explains why forgiveness does not require restored trust, why healthy boundaries may still be necessary, and how turning to God can help us pause before responding from anger.

Rose Ann also shares how the brain learns to connect painful emotions with the behaviors we repeatedly use to escape them. Alcohol, food, work, control, isolation, or another life-interfering behavior may provide temporary relief, but as Sue says, "It takes more than it gives."

Together, Rose Ann and Sue explore:

• When legitimate anger begins developing into bitterness
• How unresolved pain can influence substance use and other habits
• Why old wounds can make us more reactive
• The difference between forgiveness, reconciliation, and restored trust
• How to "practice the pause" and respond differently
• Why renewing our minds requires replacing old responses with healthier ones

Featured Scriptures include Hebrews 12:15, Ephesians 4:31–32, and Romans 12:2.

Releasing bitterness does not mean the offense no longer matters. It means the offense no longer gets to determine how we think, how we live, how we treat others, or what we reach for to cope.

RESOURCES

Learn more about Sue Warwick: suebwarwick.com

Find Winning Women: Becoming a Woman of Resilience by Sue Warwick

Find accountability through a Choose Freedom® coach

BOOKS BY ROSE ANN FORTE

Prepare to Quit

The Plans He Has for Me

Transformed by His Promises

#LetGoOfBitterness #ChristianHealing #Forgiveness #RenewYourMind #ChooseFreedom

87 - Why do so many Christians hide their deepest struggles from the very people who should be helping them heal?

The Church should be one of the safest places to admit that we are broken. Yet Christians struggling with addiction, anxiety, depression, sexual integrity, eating disorders, and other life-interfering thoughts, emotions, and behaviors may sit in church believing they can't tell anyone what's really happening.

In this episode of Say Goodbye and Imagine!, Rose Ann Forte talks with Jolie Vogliardo, author of America: The Sleeping Giant and Her Slumbering Church, about shame, spiritual awakening, and what it would look like for the Church to become a safer place for people who are struggling.

Jolie candidly shares from her own past and the shame she experienced, raising a question many people silently carry: If people really knew me and what I've done, would they still love and accept me?

Together, Rose Ann and Jolie explore why shame causes people to hide, the difference between God's loving conviction and condemnation, and how to identify someone safe enough to trust with your struggle.

The conversation also leads to an important realization: The Church isn't just the pastor or the people on staff. We are the Church.

That means each of us has an opportunity to become a safe person who responds to another person's struggle with truth, grace, compassion, and love.

If you're carrying something you're ashamed to tell anyone, this conversation is for you. And if someone has trusted you with their struggle, it's for you too.

Connect with Jolie Vogliardo

Jolie Vogliardo is the author of America: The Sleeping Giant and Her Slumbering Church, winner of the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association Golden Scroll Award for Nonfiction Book of the Year.

Jolie's website: Www.pursueholiness.com

America: The Sleeping Giant and Her Slumbering Church: https://amzn.to/4z3DPgX

Resources from Rose Ann Forte

Prepare to Quit: https://amzn.to/4umJs6l
The Plans He Has for Me: https://amzn.to/3Qk3MHL
Transformed by His Promises: https://amzn.to/43PWhvf
Choose Freedom®: https://choosefreedom.today

If this episode encouraged you, please follow Say Goodbye and Imagine!, share it with someone who may need to hear it, and leave a review. Your support helps more people discover a message of hope and freedom.

Hashtags: #ChristianPodcast #ChristianLiving #FaithAndHealing #Shame #ChurchAndAddiction #ChooseFreedom

Ep 86 - What if the painful seasons of your life could lead to greater wisdom, transformation, and purpose? In Ecclesiastes 7:3–4, we're told that sorrow has a refining influence on us and that a wise person thinks about death. At first, those words may sound discouraging, but they point to a surprisingly hopeful truth: pain can interrupt our autopilot, cause us to reflect on where our choices are taking us, and help us reconsider what truly matters.

In this episode of Say Goodbye and Imagine!, Rose Ann Forte explores the biblical wisdom and science behind sorrow, reflection, and transformation. She shares how some of the most painful experiences in her own life became catalysts for meaningful change and examines the concepts of post-traumatic growth and meaning-making after difficult experiences.

You'll also discover why our instinct to numb uncomfortable emotions through alcohol, substances, life-interfering behaviors, or distractions can sometimes keep us from recognizing what our pain may be trying to show us.

Through the stories of Peter, the prodigal son, and King Manasseh, Rose Ann explores a pattern we see throughout Scripture: painful circumstances can get our attention, but pain alone does not necessarily transform us. Transformation can begin when we stop, become aware, reflect on what has happened, seek God's truth, and make a different choice about what comes next.

Finally, we explore the surprising second half of Ecclesiastes 7:4: Why does a wise person think about death? Because remembering that our days are limited can clarify how we want to live them.

What kind of person are you becoming? What story is your life telling? What will your legacy be? And are the choices you're making today leading you toward the life and purpose God has for you?

Stay until the end for three powerful reflection questions and a closing prayer.

Featured Scripture: Ecclesiastes 7:3–4 (NLT)

Related Episode:
Episode #79, Why We Wait for Pain to Change: The Story of Manasseh
Rose Ann explores the story of King Manasseh and why sometimes it takes painful consequences to finally get our attention and move us toward change.

Featured Resource: Prepare to Quit

If you find yourself repeatedly turning to alcohol or another substance to numb uncomfortable emotions, but you aren't sure you're ready to quit, Prepare to Quit was created for this very stage of the journey. It helps you step back, honestly evaluate where you are, and prepare yourself to make a confident decision about what comes next.

https://amzn.to/4umJs6l

Additional Resources:

The Plans He Has for Me
A 12-week devotional for those seeking freedom from alcohol through biblical wisdom and daily reflection.
https://amzn.to/3Qk3MHL

Transformed by His Promises
For anyone seeking freedom from life-interfering thoughts, emotions, and behaviors through God's promises and practical action.
https://amzn.to/43PWhvf

Find additional resources and learn more about Choose Freedom at:

https://choosefreedom.today