Author, speaker, and Bible teacher, Jennifer Rothschild joins host Stephanie Daniels to share her story of literally walking by faith and not by sight. Since losing her sight at age 15, Jennifer hasn’t let blindness stop her from seeing and sharing God’s goodness. You will be encouraged by their conversation and reminded to trust God even when life doesn’t look like what you planned. And that God’s strength shines brightest in our weakness and hope can bloom in the darkest places.
Author, speaker, and Bible teacher, Jennifer Rothschild joins host Stephanie Daniels to share her story of literally walking by faith and not by sight. Since losing her sight at age 15, Jennifer hasn’t let blindness stop her from seeing and sharing God’s goodness. You will be encouraged by their conversation and reminded to trust God even when life doesn’t look like what you planned. And that God’s strength shines brightest in our weakness and hope can bloom in the darkest places.
Connect with Jennifer and listen to her podcast at her website jenniferrosthschild.com
Check out Joni’s books in the Joni and Friends Bookstore
KEY QUESTIONS:
KEY SCRIPTURES:
Stephanie Daniels:
Hi friends! I’m your host, Stephanie Daniels, and you’re listening to the Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast. We’re sharing hope as we answer real questions about disability. Join us every week for an honest and encouraging conversation, along with practical ways to include people with disability in your church and community. So, grab a seat, and let’s jump in!
I am so excited for today's episode because we're welcoming a guest whose story has inspired so many people around the world. She knows firsthand what it means to walk by faith and not by sight, literally. Jennifer Rothschild lost her sight as a teenager, but she hasn't let blindness stop her from seeing and sharing God's goodness. She's an author, speaker, Bible teacher, and all-around joyful encourager who helps people like you and me trust God when life doesn't look like what we planned.
Whether you're living with a disability yourself, raising a child with special needs, or just feeling worn out from hard seasons, I think this conversation will strengthen your faith and fill you with hope. Welcome to the podcast, Jennifer.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Wow. I'm so happy to be here with you all. Thank you.
Stephanie Daniels:
I'm so happy you're here too. You are just overflowing with joy, and I absolutely love it. So, I know our listeners are going to enjoy you today.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Well, I am all about anything that Joni and Friends does. I love the community she serves. I have so much respect. So, Stephanie, this really is, it's my joy to be here. It is. You have increased my joy today, sister.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yay. I'm glad. So, you've shared how losing your sight as a teenager turned your world upside down, and I can only imagine how that would. But you also said that blindness has taught you to truly walk by faith. Can you share what that journey was like for you in those early years?
Jennifer Rothschild:
Yeah, I was 15 years old, and I had been able to see perfectly fine, throughout my childhood. I did wear glasses, nothing extraordinary. But within just a few months as a 15-year-old girl, I began to have some real radical issues with my eyesight. But the thing is, Stephanie, I, you know, you remember being 15, I just thought it was clumsy or dumb because I was tripping down stairs, and my math grades were terrible, when I would look at the chalkboard I just thought, "Well, I'm dumb." And it was really 'cause I couldn't see numbers.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
So, one night I was walking with my mom, we were going to a friend's upstairs apartment. And I was tripping up the stairs because, of course, I could not see them. And my mom paused and asked "Jennifer, can you not see the stairs?" And I was just as shocked, like, "What do you mean mom? You can?"
Stephanie Daniels:
Aw.
Jennifer Rothschild:
So, I mean, you can imagine. And, and those of us who are listening in this disability family, get it. Like my mom had me at the eye doctor the next day, who had me at an eye hospital within a week. And it was diagnosed that I had a disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa.
Stephanie Daniels:
Hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
So, both of my retinas were deteriorating, and at that point enough had deteriorated that I was legally blind. So, I couldn't see to read. I couldn't see at night. I had no depth perception. I couldn't see my own face.
Stephanie Daniels:
Wow.
Jennifer Rothschild:
But the nature of the disease was that that same kind of loss that had already occurred, the deterioration, would continue over just a nameless amount of years until eventually the remainder of my retinas would be gone. And that meant total blindness. So, you know, I was 15 years old, this was not what any of us expected.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And yes, I had to learn in a very practical way what it meant to "walk by faith," because I literally could not see. But it also became this interesting classroom, though I didn't embrace it immediately, it became this interesting classroom to really learn faith lessons because walking in the dark and walking by faith are not very different.
Stephanie Daniels:
Wow.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And oh man, did I find so much joy and courage just in the word of God and in the faith that I already had in Him.
Stephanie Daniels:
I think I'm curious, as a teenager and just thinking about your future, did you deal with fear at all in the midst of that? And what helped you trust God when life felt uncertain? What helped you to trust Him more?
Jennifer Rothschild:
Mm-hmm. I don't know that I dealt with fear, or at least I couldn't have named the emotion I dealt with was fear.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Partly because I think God had already wired me with a real native kind of perseverance and drive.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And also, because I think I had more frustration with the limitation than I had fear. But when you're 15, you don't have a ton of emotional experience from which to draw. And so, when you ask like, how did I learn to trust, or how did I navigate when it was so uncertain? I think I watched my parents initially. So, my dad was actually my pastor.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And...
Stephanie Daniels:
Wow.
Jennifer Rothschild:
…um, just solid believers.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
But I think when I didn't know exactly how to feel or what to do with my feelings, I watched them. They modeled such a can-do spirit.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
They modeled such faith, but they weren't "Pollyanna" about it. I mean, they cried. We prayed together. I mean, it was hard, and I knew they were processing it realistically.
Stephanie Daniels:
Sure.
Jennifer Rothschild:
But I think I just copied them at first until I could embrace the trust...
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
...and the faith for myself, which I think is important for us as parents, to realize that it matters. You know, it matters how we respond.
Stephanie Daniels:
100%. I mean, having a godly example right there in the natural to just, like you said, mimic their faith.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Mm-hmm.
Stephanie Daniels:
And how they trusted the Lord. What a beautiful setup for you.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Yeah.
Stephanie Daniels:
I think a lot of teens don't have that and it can be scary. I just think of a 15-year-old and what I was like at 15 and I think I would be like, "My world is ending." Even though I was a believer and in church. But I'm just so thankful you had good godly models to walk you through that.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Yeah.
Stephanie Daniels:
That's beautiful. Was there a moment when you realized that God could still use you in a powerful way? Or that he had a purpose even in the midst of this loss?
Jennifer Rothschild:
Well yes Stephanie, because fear wasn't one of my emotions, but great frustration was.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And so, part of the reason I, it was so frustrating is because I was very visual. I loved art and that's what I wanted to do when I grew up.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And you know, since none of us will ever really know, I can tell you I was so good at it and had such a future.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
But I actually was decent enough that I was chosen by my class often to be the artist whenever we had to create something. And my favorite thing was cartooning.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Which meant I would just study people's faces and create caricatures, capturing their personality, and exaggerating the features. So, I loved drawing. I loved lettering. I loved painting. That was the greatest disappointment.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
That was my superpower I thought. But when you ask, "Was there a moment?" There was a moment. When I came home from the eye hospital, it was silent on that ride home because I think my parents and me were just, we were processing so many things. It was such a shock. And I even remember feeling my fingertips and thinking, "Oh my goodness, I can't, how am I gonna read braille? And I'm not gonna be an artist?" And we got home, and I sat down at our old upright piano. We'd had it since I was a little girl. And I was one of those kids who had taken piano lessons off and on, and so therefore I wasn't a really good pianist.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And I could pretty much only play outta the key of C, which anyone musical out there understands what I'm saying.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
It wasn't that great, but that day the silence was broken from the eye hospital ride home when I began to play the piano by ear.
It was as if God, who had allowed one door to close, just gifted me to play by ear for the very first time. I understood what I was doing on the piano that day in a way I had never understood before.
So, I look at it, and I think in the moment, I don't think, "Wow, everything's going to be okay now. God giveth, God taketh away, blessed it be the name of the Lord." I don't think that was my reaction at the time. But I think what's important to recognize is that we can look at all these little moments in our life, and then sometimes you get a little further down the road and you can look back and say, “Oh, that was the moment when God took that gift of art, which is really just communication through beauty, and he transferred it from the palette to the piano keyboard.”
Stephanie Daniels:
Wow.
Jennifer Rothschild:
So, I think that was for me, a moment when I realized, “Yeah, God's, He's got me. There's purpose here.”
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm. That's so good and so beautiful. And I just even wonder, I mean, I know everybody can appreciate beauty, but sometimes music just speaks to you in a way that a picture may not. So that's really awesome.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Yeah, yeah.
Stephanie Daniels:
Well, you spoke with Joni Eareckson Tada on your podcast, and in that conversation, you mentioned that her book was the last one you read before losing your vision, and it was like the Lord tucked a hero in your heart. I love that so much. How did you first learn about Joni's story?
Jennifer Rothschild:
You know, it's interesting, I, I couldn't tell you the exact time, but I remember growing up I had an awareness when I was in junior high...
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
…middle school, of who she was. I think there was a movie on her life. And then that summer right before I started ninth grade, I had read her autobiography...
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
…that was simply called Joni, 'cause someone had given it to me. And I was mesmerized, having no idea that just a few months later my eyes would never be able to read a book again. And she's a couple years older than me, which made her very relatable to me. So, I have always been grateful that, you know she had no idea who I was, but her stewardship and her faithfulness, God used deeply in my life to motivate me and help me to persevere, and just really gave me a hero. And honestly, there were times, you know, people wear the WWJD bracelet back in the day.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
I wore an invisible WWJD as in, ‘What would Joni do?’ Because there were times I was just like, “Oh, I don't know how to handle this feeling, this emotion, this frustration, feeling like a burden,” whatever it was. And I literally would think back to what I had read.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And of course I've consumed everything she's written ever since.
Stephanie Daniels:
I know she's got so many great books. And we will link those in our show notes for anyone who's interested. And you are right; she does have a movie about her life called Joni.
So many people they're like, I just remember her from a movie I think I saw about her life. So, I love that...
Jennifer Rothschild:
Oh wow.
Stephanie Daniels:
Your, your testament is the same as so many that we hear from. Well, you know Joni is an incredible artist and she does everything by mouth, and you had dreams of being an artist. And I know you just kind of spoke to that about how the Lord transferred that artistic communication into music. But did you have to process laying that dream down when you lost your vision?
Jennifer Rothschild:
You know, it's funny, I never want to be dishonest in my answers, but I also never want to be simple.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Did I have to process it? Yes. Did I process it? I'm not sure.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Not immediately. And I think it's important for people to understand that we can accept what God allows, but we may constantly adjust to it.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And so, I think that would more describe my process, was constantly adjusting. And I will say this, that one of the things God did for me that was so very kind is, when I did play the piano by ear that day for the first time. I do think that was God's kindness...
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
…and it was a miracle. But I do believe that the song I played was the greater miracle. Because the song I played that day was that old hymn, It Is Well With My Soul. And so, I believe part of the way that I processed the laying down of the dream is that God was teaching me deeply in my heart that it was well with my soul.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
That whatever my lot, He's taught me to say ‘it is well.’ And like I said, that's a process and I adjusted to it. But I do believe that that was part of the way God helped me with that. And then the other thing, Stephanie, we can never negate, is we don't understand the depth of grace that God is giving us to sustain us.
Stephanie Daniels:
Right.
Jennifer Rothschild:
We just don't.
Stephanie Daniels:
Right.
Jennifer Rothschild:
We don't, and so I, I wouldn't speak to that because I just know that if not for God, I would not be where I am and who I am, if not for the grace that I can't even measure.
Stephanie Daniels:
Right.
Jennifer Rothschild:
I, I don't know that I would've made it through.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm. He is so kind. I love that.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Mm-hmm.
Stephanie Daniels:
I love the word kind and I love to say that about God because, he is.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Yeah.
Stephanie Daniels:
And that kind of struck me what you said, things can happen to us and we are making constant adjustments. The way we're processing it, the way we're feeling about it, the actions we're taking to become the people that he is called us to be.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Mm-hmm.
Stephanie Daniels:
That's really, I, I like that. It's very profound. I'm gonna have to think on that for a little while. Because I mean, anybody, no matter what their lot in life has to...
Jennifer Rothschild:
Yeah.
Stephanie Daniels:
…make adjustments to come to a place of accepting, you know, what the Lord is doing. So that's a good one.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And sometimes when we face those adjustments, we think, "Oh, well I don't have faith." Or, "Oh, I haven't accepted God's sovereignty." And that's not true.
Stephanie Daniels:
Right.
Jennifer Rothschild:
It's part of the process...
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
…of acceptance.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yes.
Jennifer Rothschild:
You know? And so, we need to be patient with that process.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah. That's good. That's good. Well, in light of that, how has blindness taught you to see life? And how maybe has it given you a unique perspective? You know, I think...
Jennifer Rothschild:
Mm-hmm.
Stephanie Daniels:
…you are a wealth of wisdom here. And so, I think you probably are able to see things that cited people miss.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Well, I don't know. I, I will say this, it's given me an eternal perspective for sure, because I recognize so clearly, like 2 Corinthians 4 says, “What is seen as temporary and what is unseen is eternal."
So it's given me an eternal perspective. It's kind of connected with my heart, helping me to see life more as this beautiful pointer to the point of my life, which is Jesus. You know, pointing me to heaven someday. But the other thing that has surprised me that it's enabled me to see, blindness has enabled me to see myself.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And I think what it has done is, it has exposed, mercifully God has used it to expose in me, the areas where I am not humble and want to be prideful. The areas where I wanna clinging to my independence instead of release. The areas where I have such need for growth or humility. And so, you know, sometimes we think when bad things or difficult things happen to us, it creates these issues. I really believe it's what exposes these issues.
So, for me, blindness constantly introduces me to myself, and to my need for grace, and it just allows me to see how much I need Jesus every day.
Stephanie Daniels:
That's so good. We all need him so deeply every day. But wow.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Yeah.
Stephanie Daniels:
What would you tell your 17-year-old self if you could go back to those early days of losing your sight?
Jennifer Rothschild:
Well, first of all, I would tell her she did not have to wear skirts and pantyhose, okay. That's the first thing I'm would tell her. Come on, back in the day, I, that's all I wore for a long time because just of my Christian culture that I absolute grew in.
Stephanie Daniels:
Same, same.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Alright, so first, let's get free. Let's...
Stephanie Daniels:
Get free.
Jennifer Rothschild:
…get free from the pantyhose...
Stephanie Daniels:
I love it.
Jennifer Rothschild:
…young Jennifer.
Okay. But what I would really, I think, look back, you know, and it's not very different than what I say to this age, Jennifer. You do not have to prove yourself. You just don't have to prove yourself. I think with blindness, I had a need to prove myself, “Oh, if a sighted person can do it, I can do it. In fact, I can probably do it better.” That was nothing but inverted pride.
So I think what I would do is tell my 17-year-old self, darling, sweet, young woman...
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
…you do not need to prove yourself. You are accepted. But you know what? I think that's all I'd really say. And then. I would just hug her.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And I would just hug her and say, you are loved and it's gonna be okay because of Jesus, and you're gonna be okay because of Jesus. And that's it. I just think that's it.
Stephanie Daniels:
Man, my 43-year-old self needed to hear that today. And I think a lot of people need to hear that. And...
Jennifer Rothschild:
Yeah.
Stephanie Daniels:
…especially a hug. That's just...
Jennifer Rothschild:
A hug. Right?
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah. Those are so critical.
You know, I'm struck by something you've said. "It isn't well with my circumstances all the time, but it's forever well with my soul." And how fitting that was the first song you played by ear. How have you come to that understanding?
Jennifer Rothschild:
Hmm. What's the word I want? I wanna say dogged faith, but I don't want it to sound haughty because it's not.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
So, I am super committed to this, when we really trust Jesus, it means that we can be honest about the hard feelings. We cry when we're hurting. We invite others into our pain. But when it's all said and done. I'm gonna choose loyalty to the Lord over logic, over my way.
So, I think the only way that I've really been able to say that it's well with my soul is because I am unwilling to not say it.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Like I am gonna be, through the grace of God, loyal to Jesus no matter what.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And here's the thing Stephanie, life gets hard and we get frustrated and we can get bitter, and I understand it. I don't judge somebody who feels that way. But for me, I have learned that I cannot be angry at God. Because number one, I just, I wanna love Him more than that and respect Him more than that. That's just me. But from a very practical sense, I need Him too much.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
If I'm mad at Him and I shake my fist at Him, then I cut myself off from the...
Stephanie Daniels:
Yes.
Jennifer Rothschild:
…only true source of peace...
Stephanie Daniels:
Yes.
Jennifer Rothschild:
…and hope I have in this life.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And so, I am doggedly committed to just trusting Him and of being loyal.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yes. I love that. That's so beautiful. And it just helps you to, like you said, stay in a place of humility with the Lord. I, yeah. That's good.
Jennifer Rothschild:
It's decided once.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yes.
Jennifer Rothschild:
I don't have to decide every time I have a feeling.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
It's decided once.
Stephanie Daniels:
That's right.
Jennifer Rothschild:
That's the one decision.
Stephanie Daniels:
That's right.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Yeah.
Stephanie Daniels:
And I'm like, how can I be mad at Him? Like He's...
Jennifer Rothschild:
I know.
Stephanie Daniels:
He's just been so good and so kind.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Yeah. So kind.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm. You talk about God's strength showing up in your weakness, and I love that because so many caregivers and families that we talk to feel stretched thin. And I wanna know how have you learned to embrace that truth in your own life?
Jennifer Rothschild:
Hm. Well, it's such a abstract truth, you know, because when we don't feel strong, all we're aware of is our weakness.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
So, I, I literally do something physically that helps me, helps me. So I'm just gonna tell you how I do it. Okay?
Stephanie Daniels:
Okay.
Jennifer Rothschild:
I take both of my hands and I make 'em into fist.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And I remind myself when I'm doing this that I'm trying to hold on to something, my control, my pride, whatever it is. And literally Stephanie, like right now I'm squeezing up and I want you to do it to, I'm doing it as tight as you can and just make it so you're almost seeing indentions in the palms of your hand from your nails, right?
Stephanie Daniels:
Uhhuh.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Now, once you've done it and you are squeezing as hard as you possibly can, then you let go and open your hands. Do you feel the relief?
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
So, for me, what I have recognized, and so that's why I do this exercise. I remind myself that when I release, then I feel relief. I will never feel the spiritual, physical relief that I need until I am willing to stop holding on so tight. Stop squeezing so tight, and just release.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And so for me it's a practical way.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
That I experience what it means to have strength in my weakness.
Stephanie Daniels:
That's so great. And I love that you just showed us that example 'cause I was gonna ask, are there practical ways to lean into that strength?
Jennifer Rothschild:
Yeah that. Honestly.
Stephanie Daniels:
In our day to day.
Jennifer Rothschild:
That is one of my ways.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah, that's a great reminder. Yeah, I'm gonna, I'm gonna borrow that. Thank you.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Yeah. Yeah 'cause there's no sweeter relief than when you finally let go and it's like, oh...
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
I feel so much better. And it does.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah. That's so true. Well Jennifer, a lot of families listening are walking through long, hard seasons. So, when you think about your own journey, what would you say to someone who feels maybe unseen or like their prayers aren't being answered?
Jennifer Rothschild:
Well, I'd say a couple things, and one of them is hard: how do we know that our prayers are not being answered?
Stephanie Daniels:
Ooh.
Jennifer Rothschild:
You know?
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
That's the thing. I always, when people will ask me, "Well, have you prayed for healing? And why do you think?" I say, how do you know God isn't answering the prayer I need to be praying? Because there's something deeper than just the physical healing.
Stephanie Daniels:
Right?
Jennifer Rothschild:
And so, we don't always know. That just because we have not seen the evidence of our prayer being answered, that God is not in the midst of answering our prayer.
Stephanie Daniels:
That's good.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And so, that leads me to this, something my dad told me that ministers to my heart and I hope it will to these caregivers or to anyone who's just in the middle of doing life and it’s hard.
My daddy was very ill near the end of his life. And he couldn't walk well, kind of wobbled, and we didn't think we were going to be on this family vacation together because he wasn't well enough. And then he knocks on the door and surprises all of us. And so it was this great moment of elation. Well, everyone went down to the shoreline and me and my dad were going to be walking down together. So, I'm holding on to my dad's arm because, you know, I can't see.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And he's wobbling.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And I'm sure people looked at us and thought, "Who is helping who?" Because I mean, it was just, we were a scene. Well, my daddy, I knew he was in such pain all the time.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And you know, my own frustration, the loss, the ache to see, it's never far from my heart. And so I looked at my dad and I asked him, “How do you do it?”
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
“How do you do this?” And my daddy's super southern, and he said, “Well, I've learned you gotta be patient with yourself, patient with others, and patient with God.”
Stephanie Daniels:
Wow.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And I have never forgotten it. And I preach it to my soul. I gotta be patient with myself. I gotta be patient with others. I gotta be patient with God.
We don't know what He's doing, so let's be patient with him. Patient with others who carry their own invisible burdens.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And, and the ones who feel like burdens sometimes they just need a little extra more patience. And be patient with yourself.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
You give, you serve, you love, you are seen, you are known. Be patient with yourself. You don't have to be a perfect parent, a perfect caregiver, just a patient one. But that doesn't mean always patient with the person you're serving. It also means patient with yourself.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
You're in process.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And it's okay.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah. That's really deep. I think sometimes our own self is the person that it's hardest to be patient with.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Yeah.
Stephanie Daniels:
And so what a great reminder. And since we're talking about caregivers, for parents raising kids with disabilities, or loved ones caring for family members, how can they care for their own souls and avoid burnout?
Jennifer Rothschild:
You know, this one is a harder one for me to answer in a practical way because I am not a caregiver.
Stephanie Daniels:
Sure.
Jennifer Rothschild:
So, I wouldn't assume that I know that. I have such respect for those who this is their 24 hour a day job.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
But what I will say is something that has helped me more philosophically.
You know, in um, 2 Corinthians Paul talks about God's grace being sufficient. And I remember one time someone was interviewing me for a magazine article. And when she got to the end of the article, she asked if my mother would be willing to talk to her. And I said, "I don't know, I'll check." Well the reason I hesitated Stephanie, is because my mom was kind of private.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And that's her prerogative. There's nothing wrong with that, you know? So I called my mom and I said, "Hey mom, this interviewer did a great job. I think that it's gonna have a great angle. Would you be willing to talk to her about my blindness?" And my mom said something that has taught me so much about the burden that a caregiver carries.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
She said, "I wish I could, but I can't." She said, "Because to that writer, your blindness is a story. But to me, your blindness is a wound that still hurts."
Stephanie Daniels:
Wow.
Jennifer Rothschild:
I was in my forties when she said that. I was married, I had written books, I was a happy girl.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And she still carried the wound. So what I would say to you dear caregivers, is sometimes the heaviness of the burden that you feel for that person you love, is not the same burden that they carry. And so God's grace, being sufficient means that you can trust that God's grace for that person you love is sufficient for them to participate with that burden. But you might have just kind of a different kind of grace, you know? Now, this is not in the Bible. I just personally call it, spectator Grace. Is just enough grace to watch.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And so what I would say to you is don't assign to that person you love the pain, the burden, the fear that you feel. And don't assign it to that person because for that person you love, God's grace is sufficient.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
He's absorbing that burden that he is asking them to carry. So, trust that His grace is sufficient.
Stephanie Daniels:
Amen. Amen. That's so good. You know, I pilfered around in some of your podcasts and oh my goodness, I can just hear that the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Mm-hmm.
Stephanie Daniels:
You have so much joy Jennifer. Is there a verse or promise from God's Word that's carried you through hard seasons? Anything that you come back to you again and again?
Jennifer Rothschild:
Oh, my goodness. Yes. Like every single day.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18. I will preach it to my stubborn soul every day 'cause I need it.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
It's talking about having an internal perspective. And it says, “Therefore we do not lose heart (In other words, we don't quit, we don't have no courage, we don't lose heart). Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we're being renewed day by day. And these light and temporary troubles, they're working within us a far greater weight of glory. So therefore we're gonna fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.”
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Because what is seen is temporary.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And what is unseen is eternal. That's what gives me joy. That's what gives me strength.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Knowing that earth is short and heaven is long.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And this stuff here is temporary.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yes. Is that what brings you joy on hard days? Just reminding yourself of those truths?
Jennifer Rothschild:
Well, reminding myself of those truths, plus really good, strong dark coffee, really good dark chocolate, and audio books.
Stephanie Daniels:
Absolutely. I think those things are allowed too. Those would bring me joy as well. Something that you and Joni spoke about was how Christians often wade in the shallow waters with the Lord. And you talked about how they don't allow themselves to be drawn out to the deep with the Lord.
And I know you're particularly good at, and known for making God's word accessible, to those just starting out in Scripture. Do you have any advice on going deeper with the Lord and in His Word?
Jennifer Rothschild:
Yes, and it's the way I do it even now as a Bible teacher. One verse at a time.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
I think we have these laudable goals, "I'm gonna do such and such Bible study, I'm gonna get up every morning at 5:30 and I'm going to spend 47 minutes in the Book of John," you know, whatever. And we pick these, and they're laudable, they're wonderful. But the best Bible study that's gonna take you into the depths is the Bible study you will do.
And so, for me. It is one verse a day and I literally, in the morning, I read the verse. I have it on my phone so every time I swipe my phone, which talks, I hear it. I try to meditate on it all day long. I turn it into a prayer, I pray it. I try to memorize it. I wanna go deep with one verse, not shallow with 47 verses.
And so that is how I would recommend any of us go into the deep, just like you would take one step at a time into the ocean.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And you'd get your footing. You go one verse at a time. And because His Word is alive, it will bring you life, and it will connect you to the life of the spirit.
Stephanie Daniels:
That's good. That's so good. I feel like we could go home after that. That was such a good nugget.
You know, Jennifer, we hear from a lot of people who are blind and they share the difficulty that they have integrating into the church. And so I would love to know how can the church be more welcoming to people who are blind or have low vision?
Jennifer Rothschild:
Mm-hmm. One of the things about blindness, or low vision, it's very isolating.
Stephanie Daniels:
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And you can be in a crowded room and feel totally alone. So one of the ways that I would suggest that any of us, just as we would be kind and inclusive to anyone else around us, that you always initiate. And like even in my church where I've been 25 years, people will still come up, they'll touch me on the arm. Sometimes they'll even ask me, can I touch you on the arm, which, you know, everybody's different. I don't mind, you can touch me. But even though I've known these people for 20 years, they'll say, it's so and so and they'll tell me their name.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
That is a generous thing to do for a blind person. I don't have to think so hard. Even if I know their voice, they're helping me not to think so hard. And so I think to be mindful...
Stephanie Daniels:
Yes.
Jennifer Rothschild:
…of touch and reminding them of your name is helpful. But then the other thing is to involve them in your community. As a church, offer. Do not say, "If there's anything you need, please call me." But instead say, "Hey, I go near your house to Walmart for groceries on Thursdays. Can I pick up something for you or pick you up? Hey, our small group is having a barbecue. Would you like me to take you? I can help you. Show me how to help you with your food." You know what I mean?
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Just get, get very proactive. It's just empathy in action.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yes.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And, we are equipped as the body of Christ to do that.
Stephanie Daniels:
I love that. I always say it, I love practical tips and that is just so practical with being a little bit more forward in offering. That's so...
Jennifer Rothschild:
Yeah.
Stephanie Daniels:
…because people, they won't always, you know...
Jennifer Rothschild:
Oh gosh.
Stephanie Daniels:
…answer honestly, so.
Jennifer Rothschild:
No, it's hard. If somebody says, "If you ever need anything..." It's very hard. Now it's on me. I still need to have the humility to ask. But what a generosity for someone to offer...
Stephanie Daniels:
Yes.
Jennifer Rothschild:
…specifics.
Stephanie Daniels:
So good. Well, Jennifer, you put out a lot of encouragement. You've written 20 books and Bible studies, and you host the 4:13 Podcast to help women live the ‘I can’ life of Philippians 4:13. Can you tell us a bit about your podcast, or your ministry? Because I know you and your husband put on events as well. So can you tell us a little bit about that?
Jennifer Rothschild:
Yeah. Well my husband who I affectionately call my own doctor Phil, 'cause he's a professor. Me and my own doctor Phil, we have done conferences throughout the nation for the last 18 years called Fresh Grounded Faith, and those will actually be retiring in 2025. I am not, but those are. And I'm going to begin doing a different kind of tour model. But I'm also speaking all over the country at different churches and events, and it is my joy to teach Scripture. That's just my joy. I love writing Bibles studies and teaching Scripture, and I love hearing from and lifting up the body of Christ. So that's one of the reasons I love our 4:13 Podcast. It's me and my cohost, KC. I call him my "Seeing Eye Guy." And we always say it's just two friends and one topic and zero stress. And we invite somebody in, an author, someone that the body of Christ is familiar with, like Joni.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yeah.
Jennifer Rothschild:
And we just talk about one topic and it just allows us to celebrate who God is, to learn to get that practical encouragement, and I am so blessed by it. So, I'm grateful it's a blessing to others because I'm super blessed by it.
Stephanie Daniels:
Oh wow. You are a blessing. How can people connect with you?
Jennifer Rothschild:
Well, of course I'm all over the socials. Instagram @JenRothschild and Facebook, but my website is just my name, jenniferrothschild.com. And yeah, there you can find more than you would ever want to know about Jennifer, but I would love for us to connect. That'd be really sweet to connect there.
Stephanie Daniels:
Yes, you are such an encouragement and just a joy for the body of Christ and so I hope people will go find you, give your podcast to listen, and just be encouraged in their faith by what they hear.
Jennifer, thank you so much for sharing your heart with us today. Your words remind us that God's strength shines brightest in our weakness and that hope can bloom in the darkest places. So, thank you so much for encouraging us to keep walking by faith and not by sight.
Jennifer Rothschild:
Mm-hmm. Thanks, Stephanie. Bless you.
Stephanie Daniels:
Well friends, we hope this episode with Jennifer Rothschild, and our entire season of conversations, has blessed your heart. If so, would you consider sharing our podcast with a friend? It's been an absolute joy to walk with you this season and to host so many incredible guests.
As we wrap today, my prayer is that you are encouraged to draw near to Jesus and to lean on him in your most challenging moments. We'll be taking a short break until 2026, but we can't wait to be back with you for season eight.
In the meantime, please revisit any of our past episodes on your favorite podcast platform. And while you're there, would you leave a review? This helps us bring more relevant and impactful conversations to listeners like you. Thank you for listening to the Joni and Friends Ministry podcast and may God bless you richly until we're together again.
© Joni and Friends