Liuan Huska, author of Hurting Yet Whole, talks with Amy Julia about chronic pain and illness, experiencing wholeness while living in suffering, and the relationship between community and healing for both the individual and society. (Scroll to the end for Hurting Yet Whole book giveaway!)

TRANSCRIPT

SHOW NOTES

Liuan Huska is a freelance writer and speaker focusing on topics of embodiment and spirituality. Her writing, on everything from chronic pain to evangelical fertility trends, appears in publications including Christianity Today and The Christian Century. She lives with her husband and their three little boys in the Chicago area.

Connect with Liuan online: 

• Website: liuanhuska.com
• Facebook: @LiuanHuskaAuthor
• Twitter: @LiuanHuska

On the Podcast: 

• Hurting Yet Whole by Liuan Huska
• NY Times article: Americans, Stop Being Ashamed of Weakness
• Adam: God’s Beloved by Henry Nouwen

Liuan Huska on Chronic Pain and Wholeness

“For people with disabilities, so much of the suffering that happens has to do with how they do or don’t fit into society’s definitions and ideas of what’s a good life and a productive life and a meaningful life. That also plays into chronic illness.”

“When I first started having [chronic] pain and I couldn’t be in my body in ways that were joyful and life giving…being in my body felt like a death sentence…To me being whole meant going out on bike rides and dancing and backpacking around the world, and suddenly I didn’t have those avenues for flourishing in the world. My body is part of me, so how do I reconnect with my body?” 

“We don’t have to be perfect to be whole. How is my body still good? Can I find purpose in the imperfection? What does it mean to be present in my body? And what does it mean to experience God’s purpose and goodness as I am, being able to accept that this is the reality that I’ve been given…I can choose to live as I am, as the body that I am, without needing to wish myself back to a previous state of what I thought was normal.”

“We can promote the health of communities and groups of people as a whole by starting to pull back those layers of systemic issues.”

BOOK GIVEAWAY
To enter to win a copy of Hurting Yet Whole, complete Steps 1 & 2:⁠
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1. Go to your favorite podcast platform and rate or review my Love Is Stronger Than Fear podcast.
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2. Then let me know you’ve completed Step 1 by contacting me via messages on my Instagram or Facebook or via my Contact page.
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The book winner will be randomly selected on Monday, February 1, 2021.⁠

Thank you to Breaking Ground, the co-host for this podcast.

Head, Heart, Hands, Season 4 of the Love Is Stronger Than Fear podcast, is based on my e-book Head, Heart, Hands, which accompanies White Picket Fences. Check out free RESOURCES that are designed to help you respond to the harm of privilege and join in the work of healing. Learn more about my writing and speaking at amyjuliabecker.com.

To learn more with Amy Julia:

• Love is Stronger Than Fear | Season 4—Head, Heart, Hands
• S4 E1 | How Do We Fight Racism? with Jemar Tisby
• Faith Is Trusting in the End of the Story

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