#391 Joy & Hope After Heartache with Mattie Jackson Smith

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My guest this week is the incredible Mattie Jackson Smith. Mattie is an author, podcaster, and speaker whose life took an unexpected turn when she tragically lost her 28-year-old husband to a traumatic brain injury just weeks before their first anniversary. 

Her first book, Lemons on Friday, offers a raw and honest account of her journey through grief, providing solace and guidance to others navigating the lonely and difficult path of widowhood. Outside of her writing career, Mattie is the host of the podcast In Joy Life, where she encourages her listeners to choose joy in any season or circumstance. 

We dive deep into Mattie’s story today as she transparently shares what it looked like to wrestle with God in life’s darkest moments, ask hard questions, and bring her hurt and doubts to Jesus. She has so many powerful things to say about finding God in the questions and navigating life after loss. I absolutely loved getting to spend time with her in this episode and know you will too!

2:21 – Mattie 101

  • Born and raised in Nashville in a country music family
  • A passion for creative writing
  • Owning a wine bar in Nashville
  • Losing her husband after a brain injury
  • Mattie’s memoir, Lemons on Friday

14:04 – Honesty in Grief

  • Sitting in anger with God
  • Biblical examples of emotions and suffering
  • Embracing your emotions instead of suppressing them

24:45 – Finding God in the Questions

  • Lamentations 3
  • How writing helped Mattie begin to heal
  • God’s invitation to bring our questions, doubts, and struggles to Him 

36:09 – Navigating New Beginnings

  • The secondary losses that come with grief
  • Redemption is not a replacement 
  • Navigating dating after experiencing loss
  • Honoring the past while embracing the future
  • Connecting with Mattie

FEATURED QUOTES

“I lived my life and the worst thing I could have imagined happened. And through that God not only has worked miracles in me through the grief and healing process, but he fulfilled this desire that he planted in my heart at 19.”

“God not only can handle it but invites me to bring it to Him.”

“What I hope people see from my life is you do have agency to choose joy, even in the worst of the worst of it.”

Learn more about Mattie:

Get your copy of Lemons on Friday

In Joy Life podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-joy-life-with-mattie-jackson/id1667357187

Mattie on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/mattiejackson/?hl=en

Mattie on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/mattiejacksonofficial/

Connect with me: 

http://www.stillbeingmolly.com 

http://instagram.com/stillbeingmolly

http://instagram.com/canilaughpod

http://twitter.com/stillbeingmolly

http://facebook.com/stillbeingmolly

http://facebook.com/canilaughpod

http://tiktok.com/@stillbeingmolly

GET YOUR COPY TODAY:

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/IIDLICbn 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/48VYFkG 

ChristianBook: https://bit.ly/IIDLICcb 

Target: https://bit.ly/3Shh3Q2

Walmart: https://bit.ly/3MmGVpJ

Indie Bound: https://bit.ly/IIDLICib

Audible: https://amzn.to/3ITcdm8 

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3ITaSvv 

About Can I Laugh On Your Shoulder?

Can I Laugh On Your Shoulder? Podcast is a weekly podcast where we have honest conversations about faith, business, life, and everything in between. Hosted by speaker and author, Molly Stillman, her mission is to make you laugh, cry, and laugh till you cry. She wants to create a community of people who are unafraid to be themselves and have honest conversations about the things that matter most. Her vision is to create a safe space for people to explore their faith and share their stories and gifts with the world.