The God of the Holy Bible has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. So when life becomes overwhelming we have the option to turn to Him and let Him be the support we need. Guest, Karen Dittman shares the insight she’s gained through her seasons of life on the hamster wheel. She knows that God meets on that wheel and she’s here to share the various ways we can do more than survive, we can thrive even in the midst of overwhelming situations.
Summary:
– Karen Dittman discusses her journey of faith and personal growth amidst challenging life circumstances.
– Of her two books, one focuses on the benefits of 7 minutes with Jesus, practicing gratitude and the other is a simple yet life changing perspective on wellness from a biblical perspective, introducing concepts like the Grace Cycle.
– Karen’s life was profoundly impacted by her daughter’s addiction, which led her to seek a deeper connection with God.
– She describes feeling overwhelmed during a difficult period, likened to being on a “hamster wheel,” with multiple personal and family challenges.
– A pivotal moment was when she learned to surrender control and place her daughter “on the altar,” trusting God’s plan for her.
– Karen emphasizes the importance of experiencing God’s presence in the midst of life’s struggles, rather than seeking to change the circumstances.
– Her journey led to a deeper understanding of God’s love, transforming her perception of her own worth and identity in Christ.
– She discusses the concept of the grace cycle in her latest book, promoting gradual, supportive changes rather than drastic overhauls.
– Karen concludes by reassuring the audience that they are not alone in their struggles, as God is always present and ready to offer support and love.
Podcast Intro:
Karen Dittman, my guest on this episode, shares her journey through overwhelming personal challenges. I say overwhelming because in an by itself each one of these challenges could take its toll on any of us and Karen was juggling many of these life challenges at the same time.
In Karen’s personal example she didn’t have the option to put life on hold, catch her breath and reengage. Life was coming non-stop, fast and furious and in serious ways. Serious responsibilities that included her husband and her children. She and her husband fostered and adopted, and after struggling years with infertility she’s surprised with a bio child at 47 (God has a sense of humor right!). She discovers that her adult daughter is struggling with addiction, and Karen has walked through other challenges with her children, things like anxiety, ADHD, autism.
Rather than delve into each one of these areas we touched on a couple but I thought it important to discover how did Karen learn to lift our head under the weight of everyday life. I want to know not only how she survives but actually thrives. What did she discover about Jesus in the midst of what she terms as life on the hamster wheel?
Life can be very chaotic and I loved the way Karen pursed the heart of God for a practical solution that met her where she was at. She discovered that God cares about the hamster wheel and that He had solutions and practices that would keep her tethered to His heart, walking His pace and staying in grace, peace and true joy.
We talked about her book: Thriving in Grace: Unleashing Wellness from a Biblical Perspective. I found great value in the Grace Cycle. A process for change that focuses on acceptance, small steps to turn things around and celebrating progress. The Grace Cycle is so simple and yet life changing. I scratch my head sometimes. How is it that I overlook the power of Christ’s simplicity. There are often times when the simplicity of God is my stumbling block to breakthrough!
Also, Karen has a spiritual discipline of spending 7 minutes with Jesus throughout the day. I knew immediately the value of this because when I am intentional about making this a priority to my day I’m refreshed, I have clarity and I’m motivated. So I loved this reminder. She gives us great info on the benefits of 7 minutes with Jesus and how she practices that but she goes into greater detail in her book The Fruit of Gratitude: Cultivate a Thankful heart of Experiencing God’s Goodness.
Karen’s ability to find peace and purpose through pain serves as a beautiful inspiration for those of us facing similar challenges, offering hope and practical guidance for deepening one’s relationship with God. That my friend, intimate relationship with our Creator enables us to lift our head under the weight of life in its most crushing seasons.
Let’s listen in so that we might discover how to live loved and thrive in the midst of the overwhelming seasons of life!
Live Loved and Thrive!
Sherrie Pilk
Additional Podcast Episodes/blogs related to this topic (overwhelm):
Navigating the Empty Nest with a Healthy Mental Well-being with Dr. Mel Tavares: https://alifeofthrive.com/2025/01/29/navigating-the-empty-nest-with-a-healthy-mental-well-being/
Letting God Rewrite Trauma and Abuse, with LaShaundra Barnes: https://alifeofthrive.com/2024/11/20/letting-god-rewrite-trauma-and-abuse-with-lashaundra-barnes/
A Caregiving Season with No Regrets, with Rayna Neises: https://alifeofthrive.com/2024/12/04/a-caregiving-season-with-no-regrets-rayna-neises/
Connect with Karen:
Website: https://karenadittman.com/
Amazon Book Links:
Thriving in Grace: Unleashing Wellness from a Biblical Perspective: https://www.amazon.com/Thriving-Grace-Unleashing-Wellness-Perspective/dp/B0DM94K8WQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3DKMXZ6XUFBGS&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.MSQ7EVS050XpCoYZtpIDqkSP-cOA3wSuqYTBXq8rfanGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.vL5mBiSEDHbpA22T3kya2s6Ob1cZiGiNJ9kM1CPmqlw&dib_tag=se&keywords=Karen+Dittman&qid=1744664473&sprefix=karen+dittman%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-1
Bringing Grace Home: A Bible Study Companion to Thriving in Grace: https://www.amazon.com/Bringing-Grace-Home-Companion-Thriving/dp/B0DR2ZFP9M/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3DKMXZ6XUFBGS&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.MSQ7EVS050XpCoYZtpIDqkSP-cOA3wSuqYTBXq8rfanGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.vL5mBiSEDHbpA22T3kya2s6Ob1cZiGiNJ9kM1CPmqlw&dib_tag=se&keywords=Karen+Dittman&qid=1744664473&sprefix=karen+dittman%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-3
The Fruit of Gratitude: Cultivate a Thankful Heart by Experiencing God’s Goodness: https://www.amazon.com/Fruit-Gratitude-Cultivate-Thankful-Experiencing/dp/B08PQWGSZC/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3DKMXZ6XUFBGS&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.MSQ7EVS050XpCoYZtpIDqkSP-cOA3wSuqYTBXq8rfanGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.vL5mBiSEDHbpA22T3kya2s6Ob1cZiGiNJ9kM1CPmqlw&dib_tag=se&keywords=Karen+Dittman&qid=1744664574&sprefix=karen+dittman%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-2
Karen’s Bio:
As a mom, Karen has supported her kids through Five Big A’s: Adoption, Anxiety, ADHD, Autism and Addiction. Her 25+ years of parenting has been bookended by infertility on one end and on the other end conceiving a bio child at 46 and raising a grandchild. She has seen it all and not only survived to tell the stories – she can thrive, not in spite of it all but because of it all.
Karen and her husband Michael have co-authored Thriving in Grace: Unleashing Wellness from a Biblical Perspective and The Fruit of Gratitude.
