Sheila Walsh and Her Message of Hope
ISOLATION
During the initial weeks and months of the pandemic, Sheila realized that one of the hardest things about lockdown for many was being alone for the first time. To combat her own depression, she made a conscious decision to dive deeper into the Word of God. With so many things around her changing she needed to be reminded of what will not change. She shares three of God’s promises that hold us when we are struggling to hold on by ourselves:
• Promise One – “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love,” . When you come into relationship with Jesus nothing and no one can separate you from God’s love despite all the craziness going on in the world today (news, social media, etc.).
• Promise Two – “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” . Everything will work out for our good. Sheila has brought all her broken pieces to God: her father’s death by suicide, her depression, her month in a psychiatric hospital, her failures as a wife, a mum, and a friend. No matter what happens to us, God will bring good from it.
• Promise Three – “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength,” . Sheila looks at this verse very differently now. “To wait” means “to hope,” to look to God for everything. Trust He is holding you and hold on to Him.
The Bible is full of stories about men and women who found themselves in situations that felt out of control, but God was with them. Noah was told to build a boat when doing so made no sense. Abraham was told to leave his homeland and everything he knew for a promise that wouldn’t be fulfilled until his old age. Moses tended sheep for forty years before God called him to free the Israelites from slavery. Despite how we feel, our lives are not out of control.
“They may be out of comfort at times, we may be out of answers, we may be filled with pain, but our lives are not out of control,” shares Sheila. When God places missing pieces into the lives of His children Sheila calls them “miracles.” They happen in God’s time and with them comes hope.
MISSING PIECES
God has been writing our stories from the beginning. He has not abandoned you; He is holding the missing pieces of your life. “The missing pieces in our lives are not gone forever. They reappear at unexpected moments, and even when it hurts for them to be put back in place, the picture is so much clearer when they are,” shares Sheila. Some missing pieces that were put back into place in Sheila’s life include:
• Dealing with nightmares – Sheila’s son Christian, now twenty-three, was on a FaceTime call last year when he told her he’d been dealing with nightmares. The theme of these recurring nightmares left him with an overwhelming feeling of abandonment. As he talked about his feelings, Sheila realized that a brokenness in her from childhood pain had cast a shadow on Christian.
After Sheila’s father death by suicide, she was very vigilant about how other people were feeling, but not her own feelings. She had built a wall around her heart to keep herself safe. As she talked with Christian and her husband, Barry, that night Sheila realized that although she had always been there for Christian not all of her was always available. In his formative years, he had felt a distance. That night, as they talked Sheila reveals, “I felt God place a sacred piece back into the puzzle of my life, reminding me that it’s okay to be vulnerable because God is holding on to me, and I am holding on to Him.” She is still learning how to be healed and whole and to trust God with the missing pieces of her life.
• An unmarked grave – For many years, one of Sheila’s heartaches was that her dad was buried in an unmarked grave in the small-town of Scotland. The circumstances of his death were regarded as shameful back them – he went from being a respected deacon of a small church to being committed to an asylum to dying by drowning in a river.
After his death they left town and never returned. Although she had tried to find the spot twice where he was buried she never could. She and her siblings never talked about her dad or the events of her childhood because it was too painful. Two years ago, her sister was staying with her. She asked Sheila if there was anything she could do for her. Sheila asked her if she could help her find out where their dad was buried. Her sister said she knew where he was buried and even had the papers. Raising a stone in his memory with her siblings was a missing piece in Sheila’s life that meant so much to her.
SILENCING THE LIES
To prevent herself from becoming “fluffy” during the pandemic Sheila dusted off the treadmill and hopped on. She hit the power button, but nothing happened. So, she called the tech support number. The technician told her to make sure it was plugged in. When she followed his advice and hit start she says, “I was off like a winner at the Kentucky Derby.” She hit the incline button to level 10 and tried to hold on, but the treadmill tossed her off like a limp rag. Sheila hit the bedroom wall and broke her little toe.
In life, Sheila shares that often she feels like she messes up. It is easy to give way to negative messages in your head that come from the enemy. Tearing down those lies is a process. Some ways that Sheila recommends countering the enemy’s tactics include:
• Studying God’s word – Sheila reads the Bible out loud every day. Then she chooses a verse and meditates on it during the day.
• Prayer – Talk to God all day long no matter where you are because He is always listening and you can bring everything to Him.
• Worship – Find songs that speak to you. Play them throughout the day so it takes your mind off yourself and focuses instead on God.
• Thanksgiving – Although it can be challenging to be thankful when life is hard do it anyway. The simple act of thanksgiving reminds us that God is with us and that He is in control.
CBN 60TH ANNIVERSARY
Since leaving CBN in 1992, Sheila has traveled the world. As she meets people from around the globe, she is reminded of how much the ministry means to so many (thanks to Pat) and the massive impact it has had on eternity.
