The Best of You

Today's Scripture: 1 Peter 4:8–11 (Listener Request)

What does Scripture really mean when it says that “love covers over a multitude of sins”? Deep love protects dignity and makes room for mercy—but it also tells the truth, creates boundaries, and seeks genuine repair. You'll learn:

*The crucial difference between covering and covering up

*Why biblical love never requires you to hide ongoing harm

*How fear of conflict can disguise itself as “keeping the peace”

*Why forgiveness and repair are not the same thing

*How to hold truth, boundaries, dignity, and mercy together

Go Deeper: Share this episode with someone who might need to hear it. Today is the last day to get all the preorder bonus items when you order your copy of 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.‍
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What if being secure doesn’t mean you never second-guess yourself?

If you replay conversations, second-guess yourself, worry about how you came across, or compare yourself to other people, you may assume security is something other people naturally have—and you somehow missed. But real security isn’t the absence of insecurity. It’s knowing where to return when insecurity shows up.

In this deeply personal episode, Dr. Alison shares her own lifelong struggle with insecurity, self-doubt, and the fear of not being enough—and why writing The Secure Soul changed the way she understands security altogether.

You’ll learn:

*Why insecurity can linger even as you become stronger and healthier

*The hidden reason self-doubt can feel so convincing

*How old experiences can shape the stories you still tell about yourself

*How to become a safe person for your own soul

*A simple practice for recognizing God’s presence in the places where you still feel afraid, ashamed, or unsure

A secure soul isn’t one that never feels insecure. It’s one that has somewhere to return to when the insecurity comes.

More Resources:

With every purchase of Dr. Alison’s newest book, The Secure Soul, you’ll get exclusive access to her Soul Tending Video Library, including “Boundaries for the Deeply Feeling Woman” and her masterclass “Healing the Wounds That Still Shape You” and over $350 worth of bonuses.

Connect further with @dralisoncook on Instagram

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

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*Some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

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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Today's Scripture: Jeremiah 29:4–7

What do you do when your life looks nothing like the one you imagined? Today's scripture is a surprising invitation to stop postponing your life until everything changes, without pretending that what happened was good or that your grief doesn’t matter. You'll learn:

*Why acceptance is different from approval or giving up

*How fighting reality can keep your nervous system perpetually braced

*The difference between resistance, giving up, and grounded agency

*Why investing in the present doesn’t mean abandoning hope for the future

*How to identify one “garden” you can begin tending right where you are

Go Deeper: Read The Secure Soul to learn how to stay rooted in God’s love when life feels uncertain, painful, or different from what you hoped.

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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Today's Scripture: Mark 2:1–12

Sometimes you can pray, hope, and keep moving forward. And sometimes you simply can’t carry it all by yourself. Today's Scripture is powerful picture of what healing can look like in community—and a reminder that needing someone else to hold hope with you is not a failure of faith. You'll learn:

*The loneliness of self-sufficiency

*What the friends in Mark 2 teach us about shared faith

*Why healing is often an interdependent rather than solitary process

*How to distinguish sacred support from unsafe vulnerability

*What it means to let someone carry a corner of your mat without asking them to fix you

Go Deeper: Share this episode with a friend, and check The Secure Soul and the Companion Guide—out today! Order here and get the full Soul Tending Video Resource library

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: Proverbs 18:10

When fear rises, where do you run? We often reach instinctively for overthinking, control, numbing, busyness, or escape. But Scripture gives us another image. Today, we’ll explore what it means to run to the name of the Lord—not as a spiritual formula or magic phrase, but as a return to the character and presence of a God who is strong enough to hold what scares us. You'll learn:

*Why fear often sends us toward overthinking, control, or escape

*What Scripture actually means by “the name of the Lord”

*Why saying “in Jesus’ name” isn’t an incantation

*How God can become a secure base when safety has felt complicated

*How to recognize your old shelters and return to refuge instead of shame

Go Deeper: For more on returning to God as a source of safety, check out The Secure Soul⁠—it will be in your hands tomorrow, and you'll still get all the bonus items when you order this week.

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