Season 4 is here! Let’s Catch Up! | S4 E53
We are SO back! After the long-awaited return of the podcast, today's episode is a full catch up of where I've been. Season 3 unintentionally ended abruptly due to a lot of life changes all at once. In this episode, I talk about everything that's been going on as well as how to hold grief and joy at the same time.
Show Notes for Episode 53:
It’s been a year and a half since we last gathered here, and in that time, God has taken me on a journey of both loss and restoration. In this episode, I share my heart on how I’ve learned to hold both grief and joy, walking through hard seasons in my corporate job, losing loved ones, and taking a bold leap to start working for myself.
What you can learn in today’s episode:
How do you navigate seasons that feel both joyful and painful at once?
Why do small, faithful steps matter, even when the path feels unclear?
How can God use even your hardest seasons to birth new dreams?
What are practical ways to hold grief and joy together without losing hope?
How can you lean on God’s promises of restoration when it feels like years have been “lost”?
This solo episode is a gentle invitation for you to reflect on your own season. I hope it reminds you that God sees you, holds you, and restores what has felt lost.
Episode Blog:
Holding Grief and Joy in the Same Season:
Learn how to hold grief and joy together when life doesn’t go as planned. Courtney shares her journey from corporate burnout to entrepreneurship and how God’s promises bring restoration.
Learning to Hold Grief and Joy at the Same Time
We often think that life’s seasons should come neatly packaged. Whether it’s full of joy or marked by grief. But what happens when both arrive together, weaving a complex story we didn’t expect?
For the past year and a half, I found myself caught between those two worlds. In this season, I’ve walked through deep grief and surprising joy. I’ve seen dreams delayed and prayers answered. And in the midst of it all, I’ve sensed God’s steady hand reminding me that He is both good and present, even when the road feels unclear.
In this post, I want to share my story of navigating this tension. My hope is that it will give you courage to keep going in your own journey, even if you’re carrying both sorrow and celebration at the same time.
The Year Everything Changed
When I look back on the past year and a half, it’s been marked by more change than I ever imagined.
In May of 2023, I got engaged to my now-husband. We planned a December wedding that was everything I had prayed for. But during that same year, I walked through heartbreak at work. My beloved boss, who had mentored and championed me, passed away unexpectedly from a rare cancer. Losing her so quickly was a deep grief that touched every part of my life.
At the same time, I was grappling with feeling burnt out in my corporate job. I loved my work, but the culture shifted and the environment became heavy. Every day felt like an uphill climb. The grief I carried from losing my boss and the exhaustion from my job left me feeling drained, even while I was planning one of the happiest days of my life.
The Nudge to Step Out
In the middle of this tension, God began stirring something deeper in my heart. I had dreamed of working for myself for years, but it never felt like the right time. Now, in the midst of so much loss and uncertainty, I sensed Him nudging me to step out.
I prayed and sought counsel from those closest to me. And even though the numbers didn’t always add up, there was a deep peace that God was inviting me to trust Him with this leap.
So, after our December wedding and a beautiful honeymoon in Iceland, my husband and I made a plan. By the summer of 2024, I would leave my corporate job to pursue my own business full time.
Taking the Leap
In June of 2024, I put in my notice. I took a mini sabbatical in July to rest and breathe after years of corporate life. And by August, I stepped fully into the work I felt called to. Helping people share their message through web design, branding, SEO, and marketing strategy at Little Creative Company.
The transition wasn’t easy. There were months when I wondered if I had heard God correctly. Times when finances felt tight and fear crept in. But I kept coming back to His promise: “I will restore to you the years the locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25).
Even in the slow months, God has been faithful. He has provided for us, not always in the ways I expected, but always in ways that reminded me of His kindness.
Learning to Hold Both
Through it all, I’ve learned that it’s possible to hold grief and joy together. One doesn’t cancel out the other. Grief reminds us of what we’ve lost. Joy reminds us of what’s still possible.
There were days I felt like grief was stealing the joy of being engaged and planning a wedding. And there were moments when joy felt like a betrayal of the loss I was carrying. But God kept showing me that He was present in both. He was restoring what felt broken and calling me to trust Him one small step at a time.
Here are a few lessons I’ve carried from this season:
It’s possible to hold both grief and joy. You don’t have to wait for one to end before you can embrace the other. God is with you in both.
God’s nudges often come in the hardest seasons. Sometimes it’s when everything feels like it’s falling apart that He invites you to step into something new.
Small steps of faith matter. You don’t need all the answers to move forward. Obedience is often one step at a time.
Restoration is part of His promise. Even when dreams seem delayed or seasons feel lost, God sees every tear and every hope.
A Season of Restoration
As I step into this new chapter, I’m holding tight to the promise that God is restoring what felt lost. I’m leaning into the call to work for myself, to write, to create, and to trust that He is guiding every step.
If you’re in a season where grief and joy feel tangled together, I want you to know you’re not alone. God is holding you in both. He sees the dreams you’re carrying and the disappointments that weigh heavy. And He is faithful to restore what feels lost.
God’s presence is the gift. Whether or not the outcomes look like what you hoped, His nearness is the greatest treasure.
Subscribe to the show wherever you listen! Connect with me on Instagram at @courthopejones.
