BROADCASTS.com

b'

Hello everyone and welcome to today\'s episode, no. 66, where as always I\\u2019m here to help us consider ways we can find more joy in our relationships. Because after all, we were made for this.

In the past few episodes (episode 65\\xa0\\xa0 episode 64\\xa0 \\xa0episode 63 \\xa0episode 62 )we\\u2019ve been considering the only two questions you need to remember in getting to know someone better. Just two questions to ask that will lead to a meaningful conversation with most anyone.

Namely, first of all asking myself\\xa0 \\u201cFrom what I know about this person, what might it be like to be them?\\u201d And secondly, asking the other person a follow-up question.

I don\\u2019t know about you, but I often learn best by seeing something demonstrated. So that\\u2019s what we\\u2019re doing in today\\u2019s program. I\\u2019m going to let you listen in on a recent conversation I had with someone to show what it\\u2019s like to stretch our curiosity muscles by asking the two questions we\\u2019ve been talking about lately: What might it be like to be them, and follow-up questions.

Now even if this topic doesn\\u2019t really interest you, I\\u2019m pretty sure you\\u2019ll at least be interested in the story our guest has to share.

I\\u2019ve wanted to talk with Maureen Kasdorf for 8 months or so because of a post she put on Facebook about the time she felt so depressed she considered ending her life because the emotional pain she was experiencing at the time was so unbearable.

Maureen and I go to the same church, but I didn\\u2019t know her all that well until we started working together on the search team looking for a new pastor for our congregation several years ago. She put in a lot of work for our team, and was always enthusiastic and fun to be around.

So when I saw her Facebook post it stunned me that there was this dark chapter in her life I never would guessed was part of her story.

Well, let\\u2019s get to the phone call I had arranged with Maureen. She settled in her 3 young children so we could talk, and their patience with their mom on the phone isn\\u2019t going to last forever. So let\\u2019s get to it.

[Interview starts with phone ringing. Sorry, there\'s no transcript available]

If you forget everything else, here\\u2019s the one thing I hope you remember from today\\u2019s episode.

God often uses the most broken among us to care for us when WE are broken. Look for the broken people to help. They get you.

\\xa0

Well what can we do in response to today\\u2019s show?

This episode is first airing in May of 2020. Every year, since 1949, May has been designated as National Mental Health Month. One way we can respond to today\\u2019s program is to ask, what can I do to nurture my own mental health, as well as the mental health of others?

As an example, we can follow Maureen\\u2019s suggestion near the end of our conversation. She said recognize when things are not right, name it if you can, and ask for help. Maureen said it\\u2019s okay to ask for help, so don\\u2019t let your pride get in the way. If you don\\u2019t have anyone in your life you feel you can ask, call the suicide hotline number any time, day or night.

That number is 800. 273. 8255.

As for nurturing the mental health of others, I suggest let\\u2019s reflect the character of Jesus in our relationships. Be the kind of person people are drawn to because of our kindness, our wisdom, our compassion. God uses these kinds of people to help others, too. Just like the broken among us. Often they are one and the same.

As always, another thing you could do is let me and your fellow listeners know what resonated with you about today\\u2019s episode. You can share your thoughts in the \\u201cLeave a Reply\\u201d box at the bottom of the show notes. Or you can send them to me in an email to john@caringforothers.org.

Closing

I have more to say about today\\u2019s episode, but I don\\u2019t want to take anything away from Maureen\\u2019s story right now. So we\\u2019ll save that for next week when I come back and talk about the listening component to today\\u2019s show. We\\u2019ll examine more closely how well I did in using the two questions we\\u2019ve been talking about the past few episodes, What might it be like to be her?, and follow-up questions.

I can tell you now, if I were to give myself a grade for how well I listened today, my first thought would be a B-. So please come back next week, to catch episode 67. I\\u2019ll explain my self-evaluation, why I don\\u2019t deserve an \\u201cA,\\u201d and what we can all learn from my mistakes, as well as what went right.

Next week, by the way is the last episode for Season Three. I\\u2019ll explain what will be happening this summer before Season Four starts up again, right after Labor Day in September.

I hope your thinking was stimulated by today\\u2019s show, to both reflect and to act. So that you will find the joy God intends for you through your relationships. Because after all, You Were Made for This.

Now for Our Relationship Quote of the Week
I\\u2019m going to go with the pivotal moment in Maureen\\u2019s story when she\\u2019s lying on her bathroom floor, sobbing, thinking \\u201chow am I going to get out of this life?\\u201d Yet God gave her the presence of mind to text a girlfriend who lived 17 seconds down the block these words:

"Help me!\\u201d

Help me. That\\u2019s our quote of the week We all need more help than we realize. Hmm.

Well that\\u2019s all for today. See you next week. Goodbye for now.