Girls Night #80: How to Love Your Difficult Family Members While Also Setting Boundaries
IN THIS PODCAST EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
How to love our families for who they are, instead of being angry at them for not being who we wish they were
What it looks like to have healthy boundaries in family relationships
How to love your family while making intentional decisions not to follow in their footsteps
Resources for dealing with difficult family members
(You can also listen right here!👇)
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Hey friends! Welcome to Girls’ Night!
Our guest for today’s episode is my friend, Sarah Mae. Sarah is an author, a nationally known speaker, and the host of The Complicated Heart Podcast. In her newest book, also called The Complicated Heart, Sarah tells the story of her most difficult relationship — her relationship with her mother.
And that’s what we’re talking about today. Today’s episode is all about our relationships with our family members — particularly the ones that are hard, painful, frustrating, or that feel impossibly broken.
Friends, the truth is, family is hard. Especially with the holidays coming up, I think we’re all more aware of this than ever.
Families are complicated. Our relationships with our family members are complicated, and if you’re anything like… well… most of us… you’re not ever totally sure how to navigate this.
How do you love your family well? What do you do about family members who don’t love you very well? How do you forgive people who have hurt you? Does forgiveness mean you continue to keep them close? If not, how do you set boundaries with family members? Is there a way of doing that without totally cutting them off? Is there a time when you need to cut off a member of your family? How do you heal from the things that have happened in the past, and how do you prevent those patterns from continuing into the future?
These are just a few of the things we’re talking about in this episode, and I am SO grateful that Sarah is here to walk us through this.
PIN ME!
LINKS FROM THE SHOW
Steph’s book, The Lipstick Gospel (here’s a paperback copy and here’s a free digital download!)
Stephanie’s new prayer journal, Every Single Moment
Sarah Mae’s new book, The Complicated Heart
Sarah’s Podcast, The Complicated Heart Podcast
Adam Young’s Podcast, The Place We Find Ourselves (scroll down to find 3-part healing series)
Quotes Mentioned:
“Boundaries are, what will I tolerate and what will I not tolerate” – Sarah
“We are not responsible for our mothers feelings” – Sarah
“We’re not responsible for how people respond” – Sarah
“We want to pass along truth and grace and freedom” – Sarah
“Pay attention to the things that make you angry, anxious, and the things that make you depressed” – Sarah
“Lord is there something you want to teach me?” – Sarah
CONNECT WITH SARAH MAE:
Website // Instagram // Facebook
CONNECT WITH STEPHANIE:
WE LOVE OUR SPONSORS!
Our sponsor for today’s episode is Hello Fresh! Get 9 free meals with HelloFresh by going to HelloFresh.com/GIRLSNIGHT9 and using code GIRLSNIGHT9.
WHILE WE’RE ON THE SUBJECT
here’s another resource I know you’ll love!
Every Single Moment
A 100-day prayer journal to help you savor the present and prepare for the future!