Abide

Book excerpt: In this personal healing retreat from Heather Khym, cohost of the popular Abiding Together podcast, you are invited to break through the barriers that prevent you from trusting and experiencing the deep love of Jesus and be transformed by the freedom that comes when we vulnerably bring our entire selves to the foot of the Cross. Rooted in the teaching of Khym’s Vancouver-based ministry, Life Restoration, Abide shares scripture, essential Catholic teaching, and the author’s personal healing journey to reintroduce you to God as the Divine Healer, Restorer, and Miracle Worker. Khym offers you a compass to navigate your past as you dig into difficult memories that have disoriented your understanding of God and made you afraid to trust him. She challenges you to cast off your self-protective tendencies and to recognize your need for healing so you can be the person you were created to be. Jesus says, “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit because apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5). We are meant to abide in Jesus, to unite ourselves to him. Yet over the course of our lives, we experience brokenness and loss, which lead us to doubt God’s presence. Khym challenges you to step outside your comfort zone so that you can authentically: recognize God as a loving father who desires your happiness; practice spiritual and emotional vulnerability with Jesus; invite the Divine Healer into your past and relationships; acknowledge that you have an enemy who battles for your heart; and overcome false beliefs about God and learn to trust Jesus as a compelling, captivating, and trustworthy lover of your soul. Each chapter includes practical reflection-based exercises that help you recall troublesome memories, identify the roots of your feelings, and meditate on excerpts from scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. You’ll come away with a renewed hope in the power of God to bring freedom to your fearful heart as you start to live a life restored in Christ, one that begins with and is sustained by an intimate relationship with Jesus.