Is joy easy for you to give… but hard to receive?

So many women pour out love, care, and celebration for everyone else — yet when it comes to their own joy, something inside quietly shuts down.

In today’s episode, Bonnie shares a tender birthday story from her own life — a moment when receiving joy felt unsafe — and how Jesus gently invited her into healing, delight, and emotional restoration.

You’ll discover why receiving joy feels so hard for so many of us, how to reshape our nervous systems for health, and how Jesus wants to rewrite those tender places with His love this Christmas.

Through Scripture, emotional wellness insights, and a beautiful Advent soul care practice, you’ll learn how to take steps to healing, rewiring old beliefs, and experiencing God’s delight in a personal way. 

Key Takeaways:

Why giving joy feels easy — but receiving joy feels risky

The neuroscience of “protective inhibition” and how childhood stories shape our ability to receive love

Why healing requires new emotional experiences

How one simple soul care practice of chosen joy can rewire your brain toward peace & delight

Breath Prayer:

Inhale: You delight in me, Lord
Exhale: Quiet me with Your love

Scripture
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak… Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” — Isaiah 40:29–31
 → Register "Advent Wellness Course" to lower holiday stress with God's peace, hope, joy, and love at mysoulcareschool.com
 →  Eucalyptus Shower Steamers for instant calm at Bonnie's Soul Care Store

 → Take the FREE Soul Care Quiz at soulcarequiz.com
Get your personal wellness assessment and learn which area of soul care you need most.

Connect with Bonnie:

Join the Soul Care Newsletter:
https://thebonniegray.com/subscribe

Watch Weekly YouTube Devotionals:
https://youtube.com/thebonniegray

Bestselling Books by Bonnie:
https://amzn.to/3NpVYQd

Follow Bonnie on Instagram & Facebook:
@thebonniegray

Is joy easy for you to give&hellip; but hard to receive? So many women pour out love, care, and celebration for everyone else &mdash; yet when it comes to their own joy, something inside quietly shuts down. In today&rsquo;s episode, Bonnie shares a tender birthday story from her own life &mdash; a moment when receiving joy felt unsafe &mdash; and how Jesus gently invited her into healing, delight, and emotional restoration. You&rsquo;ll discover why receiving joy feels so hard for so many of us, how to reshape our nervous systems for health, and how Jesus wants to rewrite those tender places with His love this Christmas. Through Scripture, emotional wellness insights, and a beautiful Advent soul care practice, you&rsquo;ll learn how to take steps to healing, rewiring old beliefs, and experiencing God&rsquo;s delight in a personal way.&nbsp; Key Takeaways:
Why giving joy feels easy &mdash; but receiving joy feels risky
The neuroscience of &ldquo;protective inhibition&rdquo; and how childhood stories shape our ability to receive love
Why healing requires new emotional experiences
How one simple soul care practice of chosen joy can rewire your brain toward peace &amp; delight
Breath Prayer:
Inhale: You delight in me, Lord Exhale: Quiet me with Your love Scripture &ldquo;He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak&hellip; Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.&rdquo; &mdash; Isaiah 40:29&ndash;31 &nbsp;&rarr;&nbsp;Register&nbsp;"Advent Wellness Course"&nbsp;to lower holiday stress with God's peace, hope, joy, and love&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href="http://mysoulcareschool.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://mysoulcareschool.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1765237491067000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1C6L-ZHpsOB-sJnbDoGE2r">mysoulcareschool.com</a> &nbsp;&rarr;&nbsp;&nbsp;Eucalyptus Shower Steamers for instant calm at&nbsp;<a href="https://amzn.to/488VVBI" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://amzn.to/488VVBI&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1765237491067000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0Tj18Bc513xb5n4AKWFqJ-">Bonnie's Soul Care Store</a> &nbsp;&rarr;&nbsp;Take the FREE Soul Care Quiz&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href="http://soulcarequiz.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://soulcarequiz.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1765237491067000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0ym43sXp6i5DUWvQcBD2Nw">soulcarequiz.com</a> Get your personal wellness assessment and learn which area of soul care you need most.
Connect with Bonnie: Join the Soul Care Newsletter: <a href="https://thebonniegray.com/subscribe" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://thebonniegray.com/subscribe&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1765237491067000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0CQTAkAJQJQ0AXPD8QcEAu">https://thebonniegray.com/subscribe</a> Watch Weekly YouTube Devotionals: <a href="https://youtube.com/thebonniegray" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtube.com/thebonniegray&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1765237491067000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3dXDNWlkm-BPsq5b5dHgBV">https://youtube.com/thebonniegray</a> Bestselling Books by Bonnie: <a href="https://amzn.to/3NpVYQd" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://amzn.to/3NpVYQd&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1765237491067000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1TrrsUZG67GSg1VKjS2LMo">https://amzn.to/3NpVYQd</a> Follow Bonnie on Instagram &amp; Facebook: @thebonniegray

Breathe: The Stress Less Podcast hosted by Christian author Bonnie Gray is dedicated to refreshing your soul with rest and sparking joy, so you can feel God’s love and peace. We'll walk you through scientific, scripture-backed methods of restoring calm, in order to help you stress less, take better care of yourself, and create new rhythms to rest in daily life.

Here are some topics covered in this podcast: 

🌸 Feeling Anxious? Cast Your Cares on God Because He Cares For You
🌸 3 Ways to Break Free from Stress, Worry & Anxiety
🌸 How to Say No to Fear & Yes to God PLUS What's the Difference Between Secular & Biblical Meditation?
🌸 Is It Burnout Or Is God Stretching You? 4 Signs to Know the Difference PLUS 4 Mental Health Benefits of Stories
🌸 3 Surprising Ways to Stop Overthinking, Improve Your Mood During the Day, & Get the Sleep Your Body Needs
🌸 The Antidote to Stress & Fatigue + The Surprising Causes – Plus Raising Stress-Resilient Kids

FOLLOW BONNIE:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebonniegray
Facebook: https://facebook.com/thebonniegray
Her site: http://www.thebonniegray.com

Breathe: The Stress Less Podcast hosted by Christian author Bonnie Gray is dedicated to refreshing your soul with rest and sparking joy, so you can feel God’s love and peace. We'll walk you through scientific, scripture-backed methods of restoring calm, in order to help you stress less, take better care of yourself, and create new rhythms to rest in daily life.
Here are some topics covered in this podcast: 
🌸 Feeling Anxious? Cast Your Cares on God Because He Cares For You 🌸 3 Ways to Break Free from Stress, Worry &amp; Anxiety 🌸 How to Say No to Fear &amp; Yes to God PLUS What's the Difference Between Secular &amp; Biblical Meditation? 🌸 Is It Burnout Or Is God Stretching You? 4 Signs to Know the Difference PLUS 4 Mental Health Benefits of Stories 🌸 3 Surprising Ways to Stop Overthinking, Improve Your Mood During the Day, &amp; Get the Sleep Your Body Needs 🌸 The Antidote to Stress &amp; Fatigue + The Surprising Causes – Plus Raising Stress-Resilient Kids
FOLLOW BONNIE: Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thebonniegray">https://instagram.com/thebonniegray</a> Facebook: <a href="https://facebook.com/thebonniegray">https://facebook.com/thebonniegray</a> Her site: <a href="http://www.thebonniegray.com/">http://www.thebonniegray.com</a>

Breathe: The Stress Less Podcast is dedicated to refreshing your soul with rest and sparking joy, so you can feel God’s love and peace. We'll walk you through scientific, scripture-backed methods of restoring calm, in order to help you stress less,...

Breathe: The Stress Less Podcast

Breathe: The Stress Less Podcast hosted by Christian author Bonnie Gray is dedicated to refreshing your soul with rest and sparking joy, so you can feel God’s love and peace. We'll walk you through scientific, scripture-backed methods of restoring calm, in order to help you stress less, take better care of yourself, and create new rhythms to rest in daily life.

Here are some topics covered in this podcast: 
Ways to Eliminate Anxiety & Cast Your Cares on God 
Tips to Break Free from Stress, Worry & Anxiety
Recommendations on How to Say No to Fear & Yes to God
Ways to Raise Stress-Resilient Kids
Mental Health Benefits of Stories of Stories & Activities 
Surprising Ways to Stop Overthinking
Tips to Improve Your Mood During the Day & Get the Sleep Your Body Needs
The Difference Between Secular & Biblical Meditation
The Difference Between Burnout & God Stretching You
The Antidote to Stress & Fatigue + The Surprising Causes 

FOLLOW BONNIE:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thebonniegray
Facebook: https://facebook.com/thebonniegray
Her site: http://www.thebonniegray.com 

Breathe: The Stress Less Podcast hosted by Christian author Bonnie Gray is dedicated to refreshing your soul with rest and sparking joy, so you can feel God’s love and peace. We'll walk you through scientific, scripture-backed methods of restoring calm, in order to help you stress less, take better care of yourself, and create new rhythms to rest in daily life.
Here are some topics covered in this podcast: 
<ul>
<li>Ways to Eliminate Anxiety &amp; Cast Your Cares on God </li>
<li>Tips to Break Free from Stress, Worry &amp; Anxiety</li>
<li>Recommendations on How to Say No to Fear &amp; Yes to God</li>
<li>Ways to Raise Stress-Resilient Kids</li>
<li>Mental Health Benefits of Stories of Stories &amp; Activities </li>
<li>Surprising Ways to Stop Overthinking</li>
<li>Tips to Improve Your Mood During the Day &amp; Get the Sleep Your Body Needs</li>
<li>The Difference Between Secular &amp; Biblical Meditation</li>
<li>The Difference Between Burnout &amp; God Stretching You</li>
<li>The Antidote to Stress &amp; Fatigue + The Surprising Causes </li>
</ul>
FOLLOW BONNIE: Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/thebonniegray">https://instagram.com/thebonniegray</a> Facebook: <a href="https://facebook.com/thebonniegray">https://facebook.com/thebonniegray</a> Her site: <a href="http://www.thebonniegray.com/">http://www.thebonniegray.com </a>

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