BONUS: Count It All Joy - Finding God's Goodness Through Trials & Joy In 2025

In this BONUS episode, I'm sharing a heartfelt year-end reflection as we close out 2025—a year that tested my faith through trials I never saw coming, yet revealed God's faithfulness in ways I couldn't have imagined.

This has been a year of unexpected challenges and profound growth. Just days after launching this podcast in April, I faced a serious mental health crisis with someone close to me, then a few months later found out I was pregnant with my third baby and experienced the darkest season of anxiety and depression I've ever walked through. Yet through it all, God has shown me that His strength is made perfect in my weakness.

As I share this update, I've felt the Lord clearly calling me to embrace a slower rhythm. This means shifting the podcast to an every-other-week schedule as I learn that fruitfulness isn't always about output—sometimes it's about faithfulness in resting.

Whether you're walking through your own trials, feeling called to slow down, or simply needing encouragement as we enter a new year—this episode is my heart poured out in gratitude for God's goodness and an invitation to trust Him in every season.

In this episode, I share: 

🙏 Why I'm choosing obedience over productivity in this new season 

👶 We're so excited to welcome our son Isaac (Due in March of 2026)

✨ How God used this year's trials to deepen my relationship with Him 

📅 What the podcast schedule will look like moving forward 

💛 A prayer of blessing over you as we step into 2026 together

Scripture Shared: 

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." – James 1:2-4 (ESV)"

Let’s keep choosing faith over fear together in this new year!

Transcript

Natalie Portman: 0:00

Hi there friend, and welcome back to Faith Over Fear, the Christian Pregnancy and Birth Podcast. As we come to the very end of this year, I wanted to sit down with you for just a few moments. Not to necessarily teach, but to just reflect and give thanks and to let you know about a transition that is coming in this next year. So this podcast began in April of this year, and when I recorded that very first trailer, I had no idea if anyone would even listen or if this space would mean anything to anyone beyond just my obedience to press publish. And yet watching the Lord move through this podcast has been nothing short of miraculous. The messages, the feedback, the stories of encouragement, they've completely humbled me, and every episode released feels like evidence of God's faithfulness, not my own strength. I can only praise the Lord for sustaining this work and allowing it to bear fruit in ways I could have never orchestrated. What you don't see though are the hurdles that. Come along with this calling and some of the stuff that happened in the very beginning. So just days after recording that, that trailer, someone very close to me, had a serious life threatening mental health crisis. I mentioned in one of the bonus episodes, I had someone close to me attempt suicide and um, and then a few months later, became pregnant, with my third baby. And unbeknownst to me, I entered a very, very dark season of anxiety and depression. It was the darkest season I've ever walked through and these were heavy, unexpected trials. And while I absolutely believe the enemy meant them for harm, I have seen how the Lord meant them for good, and he carried me when I could not carry myself. And he has continued to make a way for this podcast to exist even when I felt completely unworthy to share anything, and just too tired at times to continue with it. There was a passage, that the Lord just put on my heart and I wanted to share it with you. It comes from James one, two through four, and it says. Count it all joy my brothers. When you meet trials of various kinds for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness and let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. This year has been filled with trials and have definitely tested my faith in ways I never anticipated. And yet, in the midst of them, I have tasted and seen the Lord's goodness. I have felt him growing steadfastness in me again, not through my own strength, but through his faithfulness. And if I'm honest. I would've gladly avoided every single one of those hardships. But now looking back, I can already see the glimpses of why the Lord may be allowed those things to come into my life. And these trials have just drawn me into a deeper, more abiding relationship with him, because in my brokenness and helplessness, he graciously revealed himself to me as the Good Shepherd and that intimacy that I have come to know with him. That's the fruit that I wouldn't trade even for an easy year. So I am currently pregnant with my third baby who, we have decided to name him Isaac. And he's due in March. And as I've been praying and discerning what this next season is going to look like, you know, for my family for. For work for this podcast, I've really felt the Lord very clearly calling me to slow down and this has not been an easy invitation for me to receive. I absolutely love creating this podcast. I love teaching and encouraging and showing up here weekly. This podcast is really such a joy for me. But at the same time, I'm recognizing that obedience in this season looks like honoring my limits and embracing a very different rhythm. So I wanted to let you know that moving forward, this podcast will be shifting to an every other week release schedule And maybe that's for a season, maybe that's for the long haul. I'm not quite sure. I'm intentionally not setting a specific return to weekly date. Not because I'm disappearing, but because I just want to remain flexible and present and attentive to what that season holds and what the Lord ultimately is, asking me to do. So I pray that this podcast will continue to bless you, even if you are, only listening to, new episodes every other week. But feel free to always go back and listen to episodes you've listened to previously and, just revisit those if you ever need encouragement or wisdom on a particular topic. Or just a reminder that you are not alone in this journey. One thing that the Lord has gently been teaching me is that fruitfulness is not always about output. Sometimes it's about faithfulness in resting and I want this podcast to reflect that truth, not contradict that. So slowing down in this way is an act of trust for me. Trust that God will continue to work, even when I'm not recording episodes every week. But I'm trusting that. Obedience matters more than productivity, and that trust in this new season will bear fruit in ways that I cannot see. But when I return after welcoming our little baby boy Isaac, I do plan to share my birth story and an update as soon as I'm able. But until then, I'll be here every other week continuing to release episodes, that serve you. And I'm just so thankful again for you for listening to this little end of the year reflection with me. An update. It really means more than you could possibly know that you're here and that you've walked through this first year of the podcast with me, and that you've made space to hear my heart as I step into this new season. But before we close out, I just wanted to pray over you as we step into this new year together. Lord Jesus, I thank you so much for this sweet Mama. I pray that she has had a beautiful Merry Christmas celebrating your greatest gift to us, and as she steps into this new year, I ask that you would go before her, that you would give her clarity for whatever you have in store for her and her family. And I pray that you would just meet her in every season, the joyful and the hard ones, and just continue to remind her that she is. Held and she is known and she is deeply loved by you Lord. And I just pray that you would give her courage to trust you and the grace to rest when she needs it. And, and ultimately joy in this journey ahead. And I ask this all in Jesus name. Amen. Well, happy New Year my sweet friend and I will see you next episode as it drops in the new year 2026. Bye-bye for now.