The Best of You

Today's Scripture: 2 Peter 1:3–8

What do you do when even spiritual growth starts to feel like another standard you’re failing to meet?

Today’s Scripture reminds us that growth begins not with deficiency, but with what God has already given. This episode helps you notice when healing turns into hustle, receive growth as participation with grace, and remember that the goal is not flawless self-mastery, but love.

You’ll learn:

*Why spiritual growth can become another form of pressure

*How to tell the difference between effort rooted in fear and effort rooted in love

*Why growth happens in“increasing measure”

*How healing can become hustle when it’s driven by proving yourself

*One way to notice the fruit already growing in you

Go Deeper: This weekend, pause and name one area where you can already see the fruit of growth.

Connect with Dr. Alison on Instagram: @dralisoncook

Join 80,000+ Soul Menders in Dr. Alison’s free email community for ongoing reflection and support.

While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍
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Rejection has a way of feeling bigger than the moment itself.

A missed invitation. An unanswered text. A friendship that seems to be slipping away. An opportunity that goes to someone else. Even when we can understand why it happened, something inside us can begin telling a much older story: I'm not enough. I don't belong. This always happens to me.

In this deeply personal solo episode, Dr. Alison shares a recent experience with rejection and explores why present-day disappointments often awaken wounds from the past. Drawing from Psalm 27, attachment psychology, and the healing practice she calls Recognize and Return, she offers a compassionate framework for tending the sting of rejection without letting it define your worth.

You'll learn:

Why rejection often activates emotional memories far older than the present moment

How to recognize when today's hurt has become an old inner narrative

Why logic alone can't heal wounded places inside us

How self-compassion helps right-size present disappointments

The difference between extending grace to others and abandoning yourself

A practical practice for moving through rejection with God's loving presence

Rejection may still hurt. But it doesn't have to become the story you tell about yourself.

Healing begins when today's pain is allowed to be today's pain—instead of carrying every hurt you've ever known.

More Resources:

You can now preorder Dr. Alison’s newest book, The Secure Soul, and immediately receive the first 3 chapters as well as early access to the companion guide!

Connect further with @dralisoncook on Instagram

Curious what Family Role may have shaped you? Take the Family Role Quiz to learn how you may be showing up in your relationships with others.

Want to hear more like this? Start here:

Episode 201: “This Must Be My Fault”—Why We Take Rejection So Personally

📖 Find a full transcript and list of resources from this episode here

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While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Scripture: Nehemiah 2:11–18

What do you do when something in your life has been broken for a long time, but rebuilding feels overwhelming?

Today’s Scripture shows us that restoration often begins by honestly looking at the damage, listening for what God is stirring, and taking one faithful next step. This episode helps you name what has been left unprotected, discern what is yours to rebuild, and begin the good work one brick at a time.

You’ll learn:

*Why rebuilding begins with honest assessment

*How to look at damage without becoming defined by it

*Why some early hopes need to be protected before they are shared

*How healthy boundaries create safety for love

*One small “brick” you can put in place today

Go Deeper:

Share this episode with someone you trust to walk with you in the work of rebuilding.

Connect with Dr. Alison on Instagram: @dralisoncook

Join 80,000+ Soul Menders in Dr. Alison’s free email community for ongoing reflection and support.

While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Scripture: Mark 10:13–16

What do you do when being tender, dependent, or open feels risky?

Today’s Scripture shows Jesus welcoming the children others tried to push aside — and inviting us to receive the kingdom like a child. This episode helps you reconnect with the tender, curious, receptive part of you without abandoning wisdom, discernment, or strength.

You’ll learn:

*Why childlike faith is not the same as being childish

*How early experiences can teach us to hide tenderness or need

*Why strength does not have to mean needing nothing

*How Jesus welcomes the childlike part of you

*What it means to receive love without earning it

Go Deeper: Take the Family Roles Quiz at dralisoncook.com/quiz to better understand the role you learned to play early in life.

Connect with Dr. Alison on Instagram: @dralisoncook

Join 80,000+ Soul Menders in Dr. Alison’s free email community for ongoing reflection and support.

While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Scripture: Psalm 73:21–28

What do you do when pain, bitterness, fear, or loneliness makes it hard to sense that God is near?

Today’s Scripture gives language for the honest ache of feeling disconnected from God while still being held by him. This episode helps you practice recognizing what is happening inside of you and returning to the love that has never left.

You’ll learn:

*Why feeling far from God is normal

*How to recognize what is happening inside without shame

*Why “yet I am always with you” is a practice of return

*How pain can magnify certain feelings

*One small way to return to God when your heart feels weak

Go Deeper: Join my live roundtable with Jenna Riemersma and Tammy Sollenberger on July 29 when you pre-order The Secure Soul ⁠

Connect with Dr. Alison on Instagram: @dralisoncook

Join 80,000+ Soul Menders in Dr. Alison’s free email community for ongoing reflection and support.

While Dr. Cook is a counselor, the content of this podcast and any of the products provided by Dr. Cook are not specific counseling advice nor are they a substitute for individual counseling. The content and products provided on this podcast are for informational purposes only.‍
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices