Setting boundaries as a parent can feel confusing — especially in painful or estranged relationships. Many parents worry that boundaries mean rejection, distance, or giving up on their child.

In this episode of the Still Faithful series, we talk about healthy, faith-aligned boundaries that protect love rather than punish it. This conversation reframes boundaries as stewardship — not withdrawal — and offers permission to care for your heart without guilt.

This episode is especially for parents who feel emotionally drained, reactive, or consumed after interactions with their child, and who want to love well without losing themselves.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why boundaries can feel so hard for parents who love deeply

• Boundaries as stewardship, not rejection

• Emotional boundaries that help parents stay grounded

• How to remain open-hearted without being consumed

• Why boundaries can actually preserve love rather than damage it

Reflection questions:
Take your time with these — there's no pressure to resolve anything quickly.

• Where do I feel most drained after interactions with my child?

• What boundaries might bring peace rather than distance?

• What am I allowed to protect — emotionally, spiritually, or relationally?

An important reassurance:
Setting boundaries does not mean you've stopped loving your child.
Boundaries are often what make faithful, sustainable love possible.

A gentle next step:
For many parents, boundaries are where discernment becomes difficult. Knowing what to set, how to hold it, and how to release guilt takes support.

Coaching is available for parents who want help discerning next faithful steps — without pressure, formulas, or forced decisions.

You can learn more at https://melindapatrick.org/coaching-for-christian-parents-when-parenting-hurts/.

If January was about stabilizing the heart, February invites us to reimagine love — not as fixing or chasing, but as something steady, humble, and true.

In this episode, we talk about what it means to love well when relationships are strained, distant, or uncertain. Together, we'll explore:

• Why love is not the same as control or agreement

• How to love without losing yourself

• What it looks like to respond instead of react

• How to anchor your heart in truth — even when outcomes are unclear

You'll also find space to reflect on questions like:

• Where have I confused love with fixing?

• How has my definition of love changed?

• What does loving well look like from where I stand now?

This is for the parent who's still showing up in faith — even when there's silence.
Even when there's grief.
Even when there's no clear path forward.

Listen and share if you need the reminder:
You can still love well. Even here. Even now.

If this episode resonated with you, would you consider:

• Sharing it with someone who needs the same reminder

• Leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

• Following The Bridge Between Us so you never miss an episode

Your support helps more parents find their way back to hope.

Subscribe to the Bridge Between Us Newletter for updates, equipping and encouragement:

https://mailchi.mp/1e8513b0df62/the-daring-rescue

Some parenting stories don't resolve neatly. Relationships remain strained. Questions remain unanswered. And the waiting can feel exhausting.

In Episode 5 of the Still Faithful series, we talk about what faithfulness looks like when nothing is resolved — when there is no closure, no clear outcome, and no timeline for change.

This episode invites parents to consider how to live fully, love well, and stay faithful even when the story is still unfinished.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The emotional weight of unresolved parenting seasons

• Why faithfulness is not waiting for resolution before living

• How to hold hope without demanding outcomes

• Allowing joy and grief to exist together

• Moving forward while trusting God with what remains unanswered

Reflection questions:

• Where am I waiting for resolution before allowing myself to live fully?

• What might it look like to move forward faithfully, even while something remains unfinished?

• How can I hold hope without attaching it to a specific outcome?

A closing encouragement:
Faithfulness does not require closure.
It requires presence.

If you would like more information on the coaching Melinda offers, send an email to: melinda@melindapatrickorg

Trusting God can feel especially fragile in painful parenting seasons. For many parents, faith doesn't feel confident or clear — it feels cautious, tender, and uncertain.

In Episode 4 of the Still Faithful series, we talk honestly about what it means to stay rooted in Christ when trust feels shaky. This episode offers reassurance that fragile trust is still real trust — and that staying connected to God does not require certainty, clarity, or emotional confidence.

This conversation is for parents who are still showing up, still listening, still praying — even when faith feels quiet or hesitant.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why trust can feel fragile after prolonged pain or unanswered prayers

• The difference between being rooted and being certain

• How faith often deepens underground, unseen

• What staying rooted can look like in everyday life

• Why small acts of faithfulness matter deeply

A gentle reflection:

• Where does trust feel tender for me right now?

• What helps me stay connected to God, even when I feel unsure?

• What would it look like to trust God with just today — not everything at once?

A reminder for this week:
You don't have to trust God with the whole story.
You can trust Him with the next step.

God has entrusted this journey and your child to you.
As you remain connected to Him — even quietly — He will equip you for each next step.

If you would like more information on coaching, send Melinda an email: melinda@melindapatrick.org

In hard parenting seasons, recognizing God's presence can feel complicated.
Not because God is absent — but because His faithfulness often shows up quietly.

In Episode 3 of the Still Faithful series, we explore what it means to notice God's hand without forcing gratitude, positivity, or resolution. This episode is an invitation to spiritual awareness rooted in honesty, not pressure.

If you've ever wondered whether you're "missing" God in a painful season — or felt unsure how to talk about His presence when nothing feels resolved — this episode offers a gentle place to pause and reflect.

This conversation isn't about finding silver linings.
It's about making room to notice what's been steady, subtle, and sustaining.

• Why God's faithfulness often feels quiet in hard years

• The difference between spiritual awareness and forced positivity

• How God's presence may show up through people, restraint, or truth rather than outcomes

• Why "I don't know yet" can still be a faithful answer

• How to remain open to God without demanding clarity

Reflection questions:

Take your time with these — there's no rush.

• Where do I recognize God's hand, even faintly, in this past season?

• Who did God place in my life to steady me when I felt unsure?

• What truth did God gently remind me of when everything felt uncertain?

And remember:
If the answer feels like "I don't know yet," that's okay.
God meets us there too.

God's faithfulness doesn't disappear in hard years.
Sometimes it just shows up quietly.

Faith doesn't require forced meaning or immediate clarity — only continued presence.

Still Faithful is a podcast series for Christian parents navigating painful, unresolved parenting journeys — including estrangement, distance, and seasons where a child's choices challenge deeply held beliefs.

This series is designed to help you:

• Release shame

• Name pain honestly

• Recognize God's presence without pressure

• Stay rooted when trust feels fragile

• Move forward faithfully, one step at a time

God has entrusted this journey and your child to you.
As you engage with Him — even quietly, even uncertainly —
He will equip you for each next step.

If you've ever whispered, "God, what do I do with this grief I can't even name?" — this episode is for you.

So many parents are trying to stay faithful… while quietly carrying spiritual pain no one else sees.
Grief that doesn't have a name.
Disappointment that feels "un-Christian" to admit.
Anguish that lingers, even when you're doing all the "right" things.

In this episode, we talk honestly about the kind of pain that doesn't fit into neat categories — and the courage it takes to stay when your heart feels like it's breaking.

What we cover:

• Why unspoken pain doesn't disappear — it just goes underground

• The difference between doubt and honest faith

• How lament can actually be one of the most faithful things you do

• Naming grief when your child is still alive

• What to pray when you're too tired for long prayers

• Why your sorrow does not disqualify your faithfulness

Take this with you:
You are not just a parent in pain.
You are a parent in position.
And God is still working in the dark.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Last week's episode on releasing shame (Ep 1: "It Wasn't Your Fault")

• Scripture-based reflections on grief and lament

• A simple practice of honest prayer you can begin this week

Resources for you:

1. Morning Worship Text Series (Free)
   This is something I personally use to start many of my weekdays. It's short, simple, and it grounds my heart before I ask for anything. The time of worship includes a song and Scripture read aloud.
   You'll get a morning text with a link to worship — you can listen whenever it fits your rhythm.
   Here's the link: https://sing.theworshipinitiative.com

2. Devotional Recommendation:
   The Hidden Face of God: Finding the Missing Door to the Father Through Lament by Michael Card
   This book will meet you in the deeper place. If you're craving more intimacy with the Father — especially when He feels quiet — this is for you. {This is an affiliate link - it doesn't change anything for you on your end but helps support my ministry if you decide to purchase through this link}

Let's stay connected:
If today's episode spoke to you, would you take a moment to share it with someone who's navigating a similar journey?
You're not alone — and neither are they.

💌 Subscribe, review, or send me a message with what stood out. I'd love to hear from you.

You can connect with Melinda: melinda@melindapatrick.org

As we begin a new year, many parents are carrying more than they expected — unresolved relationships, unanswered prayers, and the quiet weight of loving a child through pain, distance, or deep disagreement.

In this first episode of the Still Faithful series, we slow down together and begin with something essential: releasing shame.

This episode is for parents who are questioning themselves, their faith, or what faithfulness looks like after a hard year. It's a grounding invitation to look back honestly — without self-blame — and to begin moving forward with steadiness, clarity, and grace.

This is not about fixing your child or forcing outcomes.
It's about strengthening you.

• The difference between faithfulness and outcomes

• How to look back at the past year without self-condemnation

• What you may be carrying that was never meant to be yours

• Why faithfulness can coexist with heartbreak

• How to begin a new year grounded rather than striving

• Where have I been harder on myself than God has been?

• What did faithfulness look like for me this past year — even if it felt quiet or unseen?

• What responsibility or guilt do I need to release as I move forward?

You can be deeply faithful and deeply heartbroken at the same time.
Faithfulness does not require resolution — only presence.

As we move through this series, we'll continue to explore how to stay spiritually anchored, emotionally steady, and rooted in love — even when the story isn't finished.

Still Faithful is a season created for Christian parents navigating painful, unresolved parenting journeys — including estrangement, distance, and moments when a child's choices challenge deeply held beliefs.

This series is designed to help you:

• Stay grounded when parenting hurts

• Discern next faithful steps without pressure

• Love well without losing yourself

• Trust God even when outcomes are uncertain

As this year comes to a close, I want to take a moment with you — not to fix anything, not to sum it all up, but simply to pause.

Reflect on these questions:

What did this year ask of you that you didn't expect?

What did you continue to do this year, even when it hurt?

As this year closes, there may be things you're still carrying that were never meant to come with you into the next one.

For just a moment, imagine setting those things down — not forever, but for now.

They do not need to define the threshold you're crossing.

When we return in the new year, we'll be entering a slower, more intentional season together — one focused on helping you stay grounded and faithful when parenting hurts.

If you need a place to land as the new year begins, I'll be here.

For now, take care of yourself.

Rest where you can. Celebrate where you can.

And know that you are not alone.