Episode 21: The Beauty of Belonging: A conversation with Sarah E. Westfall. This engaging dialogue with author, speaker, and podcaster Sarah E. Westfall explores the beauty of belonging, loss and faith.
Sarah’s publisher, IVY PRESS is kindly offering me a book to giveaway to one of our listeners. Please sign up: The Way of Belonging Book Giveway.
“I began to experience the nearness of God amidst my darkest days and began to speak to God in very uncensored, unfiltered, raw rawest of raw kind of ways.” Sarah E. Westfall #infantloss #suffering #Goddrawsnear
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Sarah reflects on her journey in community development, her experiences as a mother when she lost her son, Carter, how God drew near her, and the biblical story of Hagar and the concept of ‘El Roy’—the God who sees. The conversation explores the emotional complexities of seeking internal and external belonging, emphasizing the importance of reflecting on personal needs, practicing patience, and building genuine connections. Practical strategies like the ‘circles of belonging’ exercise are discussed for fostering authentic and reciprocal relationships while highlighting the balance between transparency and gradual trust-building. The session underscores the power of reciprocal generosity, creativity in everyday life, and intentional spiritual practices for cultivating love and connection. The discussion concludes with insights into Sarah’s book ‘The Way of Belonging,’ her ‘Liturgy of the Little Things challenge on Instagram, and heartfelt prayer, inviting the audience to embrace a life of deeper spiritual awareness and connection.
That is one of the hardest things for me is to receive God’s goodness, to say and to, to let myself actually taste it of His goodness.
Sarah E. Westfall
Something shifts in us when we aren’t just out to receive, but we are also willing to give, to give without expectation and simply allow ourselves to become containers of the love that we have been given and who get to just pour it out wherever we go.
Sarah E. Westfall
Episode 21
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Introduction music Everlasting Covenant by Don Rutherford.
SHOW NOTES:
00:00 Introduction to Beholder Beauty
00:15 Meet Sarah E. Westfall
00:33 Sarah’s Professional and Personal Life
02:12 Beauty Tips and Personal Preferences
04:13 Struggles with Beauty and Self-Acceptance
08:27 The God Who Sees: Finding Belonging
13:08 The Journey of Belonging
22:10 The Parable of the Prodigal Son
25:15 A Mother’s Grief and Faith
32:15 Defining Belonging: A Heartfelt Conversation
32:53 The Four Values of Home
36:29 Navigating Authenticity and Transparency
42:56 Circles of Belonging: An Exercise
50:43 Embracing Creativity in Everyday Life
57:24 Cultivating Relationships and Belonging
58:19 Final Thoughts and Reflections
Meet our Author, Sarah E. Westfall
Sarah E. Westfall is a writer, speaker, and host of the Human Together podcast. Her previous work includes serving as director of community for online writing groups and as a student development professional on college campuses. She has been published in RELEVANT, Fathom Mag, and (in)courage. Sarah lives in Indiana with her husband, Ben, and four sons.
Visit her website at sarahewestfall.com.
Follow her on Twitter: @sarah_westfall and Instagram: sarah_westfall
PICK UP YOUR COPY OF UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS
There are blessings that we can readily say off the top of our head, and then there are things in our life that don’t feel like blessings at all.
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The Behold-Her Beauty Podcast is a sacred space for the soul moving from broken to beloved. Together, we seek God’s beauty in the everyday and make room for peace in the mess of life. Through poetry, heart-to-heart conversations, and the Son’s renewing warmth, we watch our regrets become seeds of hope as we embrace our identity as God’s beautiful daughters.
Read, listen, and soar. 🕊️✨
Giving a voice to the journey from broken to beloved. 🕊️ Today I am sharing a special episode of Behold-Her Beauty Podcast with author, Sarah Freymuthto discuss her book, All the Hard Things: 50 Days Through the Valley.
Also join the conversation by subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing your thoughts in the comments. We would love it if you would leave a ❤️ to let us know you’re reading and listening!
Sarah is the author of All the Hard Things: 50 Days Through the Valley, a devotional journey shaped by her own experiences of long COVID, anxiety, depression, and the repeated hardships that quietly reshape a life.
In our conversation, she opens up about what it means to find God’s presence not after the hard things—but in the middle of them. Through her story, we talk about what it looks like to anchor identity in Christ when everything else feels uncertain, and how God often speaks through unexpected “trail markers” of hope—like friendships, nature, music, and even the small reminders we almost overlook.
We also talk about beauty, soul care, and what it means to believe God is still good when life feels heavy.
If you’ve ever found yourself in a season where the “valley” feels long or confusing, this conversation will gently meet you there.
Because sometimes hope doesn’t arrive as a rescue from the valley—but as a companion within it.
The episode closes with a beautiful heartfelt prayer from Sarah to guide you through your week.
A Reflection For You
Where in your life do you feel like you are in a “valley” season—and what might God be inviting you to notice right there? I’ll meet you in the comments.
You can pick up her book here: https://amzn.to/3Zdtr5W
Sarah Freymuth is the content and storytelling manager for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and she writes for numerous platforms, including Proverbs 31 Ministries, YouVersion, (in)Courage, and She Reads Truth. Sarah loves unearthing God’s goodness in places that don’t feel good, with a heart especially for faith and mental health. She enjoys a simple Wisconsin life by Lake Michigan with her husband, Eric, and Beaglier pup, Alfie.
Links: Website, Substack, Instagram, Facebook
Music by Samuel F. Johanns from Pixabay
Watch the whole episode on my Youtube Channel and be sure to subscribe and follow.
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Prodigal Daughter: Poems of Light for the Lost debuted at the Cultivate Rooted Retreat with The Way Back Books!
Let’s tell the world that stories of redemption and grace are still the ones we crave.
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This book is my heart on paper, written for every soul who has ever felt ‘too far gone’ to sit at the Father’s table.
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With love, Deborah (residing in Georgia) 🕊️✨🌿
Podcaster, Author, Poet, and Speaker
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Remember, you are Beautiful!
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Together, we delve into the beauty of life. Our God is our redeemer, and it is an ashes-to-beauty kind of story. STAY AWHILE.
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