42. Fear Gone Wild with Kayla Stoecklein

On August 25, 2018, Kayla Stoecklein lost her husband to suicide. Andrew was a pastor of Inland Hills Church in Chino, California. In the wake of the tragedy, Kayla embarked upon a brave journey to better understand her husband’s battle with mental illness. She ultimately sought to overcome the stigma of suicide. 

Shortly after losing Andrew, Kayla wrote a letter that went viral. She apologized for not truly understanding his pain and promised to honor his name. I remember reading her letter, posted alongside the picture of their three beautiful children, and being shaken by the grief she was experiencing. I couldn’t help but wonder how God could possibly redeem such hardship in their lives. Two years later, I’m blessed with the opportunity to speak with Kayla and hear how God is faithfully using her story to help people navigate the difficult waters of mental health. 

September is National Suicide Prevention month. The statistics are a stark reminder that each of us will likely be impacted by suicide in some manner. On this episode of Pardon the Mess, Kayla bravely shares her difficult story. She gives us proactive steps for our own mental health and emphasizes the importance of letting others into our pain. 

Kayla is determined to ensure Andrew’s life is defined by how he lived, not how he died. I want to end with these beautiful words from Andrew’s last sermon, shared in Kayla’s book:

“We are all a mess, none of us have it figured out, all of us are broken, and all of us fall short. It’s the mess that brings us together and draws God near. If we weren’t all a mess, we wouldn’t need God.”

See more from Kayla:

Fear Gone Wild 

https://www.godsgotthis.com/

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

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