<p>What if the people right in front of you are the ones you&#39;re seeing the least clearly? Welcome to a brand new series — Roots in the Storm — where we&#39;re going to get honest about what&#39;s holding us up when everything else is shaking.</p><p>In this first episode, I&#39;m talking about my new book cover (yes, the little plant pushing up through dry ground into a storm), why so many people had a hard time with that image, and the question underneath this whole series: when was the last time you felt loved for who you are — not for what you do?</p><p>🔑 5 Takeaways from this episode:</p><ol><li>The hardest part of growth isn&#39;t always the digging in the dark — sometimes it&#39;s what waits for us once we break the surface.</li><li>When we&#39;re stuck inside our own storm, it&#39;s easy to stop really seeing the people around us.</li><li>So many of us — especially those of us with disabilities, in ministry, or in caregiving roles — have learned to earn love instead of receive it.</li><li>Living to be loved for what you do instead of who you are doesn&#39;t just hurt you — it disconnects your roots from who God made you to be.</li><li>This week&#39;s challenge: before you do the next thing, pause and tell yourself — &quot;No matter what happens, I am loved.&quot;</li></ol><p>📚 Grab my book, Step Out &amp; Thrive: Finding God in the Everyday When Nothing Makes Sense → <a href="https://a.co/d/0bEoBuU1">https://a.co/d/0bEoBuU1</a></p><p>🌱 Join the free Step Out &amp; Thrive community → <a href="https://community.stepoutandthrive.com">https://community.stepoutandthrive.com</a></p><p>Dare to do more than just survive. Step Out &amp; Thrive.</p><p></p>