“You’re Not Too Broken for This Table: 5 Lies Prodigal Women Believe (and the Truth That Sets You Free)”

Welcome to the very first episode of Prodigal Daughter: Light in the Shadows. 💜 

Have you ever loved Jesus but felt like you somehow missed the manual on following Him? Maybe you weren’t raised in church—or what you got was religion, not relationship. Maybe you’re carrying silent battles like chronic illness, church hurt, or spiritual burnout, and you’re wondering if God still sees you. 

In this episode, Sharon shares her personal story of exhaustion, wandering faith, and how God met her in the shadows. You’ll uncover the 5 lies prodigal women believe—and the biblical truth that sets us free. This isn’t surface-level Christianity. This is real talk about faith, identity, healing, and finding hope when the silence feels sacred. 

👉 What you’ll hear in this episode: 

• Sharon’s story of living with POTS and chronic migraines while rediscovering Jesus.
• The 5 lies women believe about faith—and how Scripture answers each one.
• Why you’re not too broken, too late, or too sick for God’s table.
• What to expect from this podcast: solo reflections, devotionals, testimonies, biblical deep dives, and encouragement for women walking through shadows.

Whether you’re a weary believer, a woman rediscovering her faith, or someone longing for authentic relationship with Jesus, this episode will remind you: there is light in the shadows, and there’s always room at the Father’s table.
 

Transcript

 Hey y'all. Welcome to the very first episode of Prodigal Daughter: Light in the Shadows. I'm Sharon, and I am so glad you are here. Let me be honest, right up front. I was ready to walk away from this podcast all together. I was tired. Tired of pretending, tired of noise, tired of shallow faith; until God whispered something that changed everything.

See, my story hasn't been neat or polished. I wasn't raised in the church and the pieces of faith I had picked up along the way, looked more like religion than relationship.  For years, I called myself a Christian, but I didn't know him. Oh, I would put on a show, that's for sure. I showed up in church sometimes, prayed when life got hard, and tried to be a good person. But deep down I was living a shallow faith, more cultural than Christ centered. When my health took a nose dive, it shook everything I thought I believed. 

POT'S episodes left me dizzy, sweating, feeling like my own body had betrayed me. Migraines that lasted days stole my strength and peace, and left me drained and frustrated. I felt unseen, forgotten, and worn out, yet on the outside people thought I was fine. That disconnect made me wonder if God even saw me. One night at rock bottom, I prayed a desperate gut level prayer. No fancy words, just a broken cry. And do you know what happened?

God met me right there in the shadows and this podcast, it's the safe space I wish I'd had back then. It was born out of that moment, and it's here for women like you. Women who've been carrying more than anyone knows, but still longing for Jesus to meet them in the shadows.

The shift, it wasn't in a sermon, it was in the wilderness. Luke 15:20 says, but while he was still a long way off, his father saw him. And was filled with compassion for him. He ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

That's how I felt like the father came running to me when I was too weak to take another step. This podcast exists because, I know I'm not the only one who's felt like a prodigal daughter in the pews.

Signs you might be her.

Well, let me tell you how they showed up in my life.

I loved Jesus, but I felt like I missed the manual on how to actually follow him. I tried to fake it, but I always felt behind.

I wasn't raised in church and the bits of religion I did get. It left me with guilt, not grace.

I carried silent battles like chronic illnesses and spiritual burnout that no sermon seemed to touch.

And most of all, I longed for a safe place. A comeback isn't a straight line, and I wanted to know I wasn't alone.

Friend, if that's you. I get it and hear me clearly. You are not too broken for this table. You're not too sick or too late, you're not too skeptical. There's room at the table and this podcast proves it.

When I first started digging deeper, I realized I had built a lot of my faith on what culture said about Jesus instead of who scripture revealed him to be. It took unlearning lies, sitting with the Bible and asking hard questions. That's what we'll do here. We will talk about rediscovering biblical truth.

We'll walk through chronic illness, not with false promises, but with honest hope. We'll name the five lies. Prodigal Women Believe, Lies I've believed myself. 

• I've missed my chance. 
• I don't know enough to come back. 
• God's tired of me. 
• I'm too sick to be used. 
• This isn't what real faith looks like. 

But here's what I've learned in my wilderness. The valley doesn't mean he's absent. Sometimes the silence is sacred and it's in that silence where I've seen him most clearly.

My story didn't stop at just finding Jesus in the shadows. Once I began to heal, I felt him nudging me to create the very kinds of resources and spaces I wish I'd had back then. That's where the Prodigal Daughter, VIP, Facebook community was born. It's not just another group. It is where real life and real faith meet. We share prayer requests, celebrate small wins, and remind each other that we're not walking alone. If you're looking for a safe place to be seen and heard, come join us there. It's a family, a place where we can laugh, cry, share wins, pray for each other, and walk this faith journey together. If you've ever longed for a safe space where you don't have to pretend, where your questions and your story matters, this is it.

Along the way, I also started creating journals and devotionals. These aren't fluffy or complicated. They're practical guides for when you feel stuck or dry in your faith. They ask the kinds of questions that pulled me deeper into scripture when I was running on empty. If you need help making scripture personal, again, these journals and devotionals are for you. Why? Because I know what it feels like to stare at your Bible, wanting to connect with God, but not knowing where to start. These journals walk you step by step into scripture with reflection questions. And the devotionals are written from the same place I'm talking to you from right now. Lived experience, from the wilderness, from Grace.

I also keep a blog where I share about faith, chronic illness, lessons I'm learning, and those little God whispers that keep us moving forward. I share my own journey, the lessons I'm learning as a woman who loves Jesus, but still wrestles with chronic illness and messy faith. It is like sitting down with me for coffee but in written form. You'll find encouragement, honesty, and biblical truth, woven into everyday life.

And because I believe in learning from others, and not trying to reinvent the wheel I've pulled together a compilation of resources; books, studies, articles and tools that helped me unlearn cultural Christianity and to rediscover authentic faith. If you're searching for where to start, these resources are a shortcut to the things that helped me the most. I don't want you to waste years searching like I did. These are the guides and voices that pointed me back to Jesus when I felt most lost.

Here's the heart behind all of this. It's not about filling shelves with journals or joining another group. These aren't just products or checklists, they're tools to help you encounter Jesus in the middle of your everyday life. They're lanterns for the shadows. It's about linking arms. It's about realizing that even in the shadows, there's light, and we get to carry that light together.

Isaiah 6:1 reminds us. The spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners.

That's the heartbeat behind every devotional, every blog, every prayer inside our community. Everything I create is meant to point you home to the father's  arms.  Friend, before I close, let me ask you, did anything I shared today ring true for you? Maybe you love Jesus, but you feel like somehow you missed the manual on how to follow him. Maybe you weren't raised in church or maybe what you got was religion, not relationship. Maybe you carry silent battles, like chronic illness or spiritual burnout, and maybe you're not looking for another checklist, you're longing for a safe place. If that's you, then you are in the right spot.

This podcast is where you belong and hear me clearly. You are not too broken for this table. You are not too sick. You are not too late. You are not too skeptical. There is room at the table.

Again, you can expect real talk about faith, identity, and healing. We'll dig deeper than surface level Christianity because the valley doesn't mean he's absent. Sometimes the silence really is sacred, and this show, it's where we'll explore how God meets us in the mystery, because this isn't just about personal growth, it's about kingdom impact.

That's the heartbeat of this space. This podcast is here to remind you, you are simply a daughter on her way home .

Let's pray.

Father, I lift up every listener right now. For the one who feels like she's in the shadows, remind her of your promise in Psalm 139:12, that even darkness is not dark to you and the night will shine like the day. For the one who feels like a prodigal in the pews, let her hear. Luke 15:20, that while she is still a long way off, you see her and run toward her with compassion. For the weary heart, speak, Isaiah 40 31. Renew her strength. So she can rise on wings like eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not faint. For the broken hearted. Pour out Isaiah 61:1, bind up what's been shattered. Proclaim freedom where she feels captive and comfort her mourning with joy. For the one worn out by sickness, remind her of 2 Corinthians 12:9. Your grace is sufficient and your power is made perfect in weakness, and for the one crushed by shame speak Romans 8:1 there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Lord, let every daughter listening know she is not too far gone, not too broken, not invisible. She is loved, chosen and called by name, just as you say in Isaiah 43:1. Fear not for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine. Draw her close Father wrap her in your arms and remind her she has a seat at your table.

In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen.

Thank you for joining me on this very first episode of Prodigal Daughter: Light In the Shadows. I can't wait to walk this journey with you. Until next time, keep holding onto hope because the father is waiting with open arms.