Season 2 Introduction — Anchored in Peace

Anchored in Peace — Season 2 Introduction Trudie Vorster Lightly corrected transcript from the approved Producer master. Corrections are limited to obvious speech-recognition errors and proper names. Welcome to Season 2 of Anchored in Peace with Trudie. I am so thankful that you are here. Whether you've been with me since the beginning or this is your very first episode, I truly believe you are here for a reason. My hope is that every episode fills you with hope and reminds you no matter what storm you're facing you can remain anchored in His peace. This isn't how I imagined beginning Season 2. My original plan for Season 2 was to launch straight into our A to Z series on what healthy positive thinking should look like as soon as I finished Season 1. I was so excited to begin sharing practical biblical ways we can renew our minds, guard our thoughts and live with the joy, peace and purpose that God desires for each of us. But God had a different plan. This plan caused a delay of several months that I was unable to record any episodes. As many of you know my journey with leukemia took an unexpected turn. Just when I thought I knew what the next chapter would look like the road became more difficult than I anticipated and I had to pause everything including this podcast to focus on the treatment to reduce my blast cells. They doubled in a two-month period while receiving treatment to reduce them. There were moments of uncertainty, moments of waiting and moments when I simply had to trust God one day at a time. The month-long inpatient treatment was hard. Through every treatment, every setback and every prayer the Lord continued to prove himself faithful. He never left me. He carried me through the storm, strengthened me when I was weak, surrounded me with incredible family, friends and prayer warriors and reminded me over and over that He is still in control. By God's amazing grace I have the incredible privilege of sharing wonderful news with you. My leukemia is in remission. What once seemed impossible has become another beautiful testimony of his faithfulness, his mercy and his healing power. Now I am preparing for the next step in this journey, a bone marrow transplant. I will be admitted to Moffitt on October 8th to start the process. While there are still challenges ahead, I move forward with hope instead of fear because I know the one who goes before me. My confidence is not in the circumstances but in the God who has already brought me this far. He has been faithful every step of the way and I believe he will continue to be faithful until my healing is complete. Looking back, I realise that God wasn't delaying his plan. He was writing a great story. The lessons he taught me through the season have deepened my faith in ways I never could have imagined. And I believe they will encourage many of you who are walking through your own unexpected journeys. So while the season may not have started the way I originally planned, I believe it is beginning exactly the way God intended. I am so grateful you are here to walk this journey with me. Before being admitted for my bone marrow transplant, I made the decision to record the entire series in advance. I wanted to make sure there wouldn't be any interruptions in the podcast while I was going through this next chapter of my journey. So while I'm going through the transplant process and taking the time I need to recover, these episodes will continue to be released. There is something very meaningful to me about knowing that these conversations will continue even while I'm taking a step back to focus on my health and recovery. I've recorded these episodes with the hope that they will encourage you, give you something to think about and remind you that no matter what season you're walking through, you are not alone. This also gives me something very important, time to heal. I don't have to worry about rushing back to the microphone. I can focus on resting, recovering and allowing my body the time it needs. When all of these episodes have been released, I hope I'll be ready to begin recording the next season. I'm excited about what that season might look like. But for now, I'm taking this one day at a time. I'm trusting God with my recovery. I'm grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout this journey. I'm excited that even while I'm healing, my voice can still reach you through these episodes. So if you're listening while I'm away, know that I recorded these words before beginning my transplant journey. I recorded them with hope in my heart, faith in God and gratitude for you. Thank you for continuing to listen. Thank you for walking this journey with me. As we step into Season 2, I want to take you on a very intentional journey. One that's simple in structure, but powerful in impact. This season, we're going to walk through the alphabet from A to Z. And with each letter, we're going to uncover a truth, a mindset shift, something we can hold onto when life feels uncertain, overwhelming or heavy. I have decided to do what Jonathan Edwards said, resolve to live with all my might while I do live. Because here's what I've learned. A positive mindset is always important. When you're facing a serious health challenge or any other challenge, it becomes vital. Not optional, not just a nice idea, but something you lean on every single day. When you're walking through something like illness, when your body feels unpredictable, when your future feels unclear, your mind can quickly become a battlefield. Fear creeps in, questions get louder, and hope can feel distant. I know this because I've lived it. And that's why the season matters so much to me. While I may not be able to control everything happening in my body, I've learned that I can tend to what's happening in my mind. And that changes everything. Each letter in the season is going to give us something practical and powerful. Not perfectly, not pretending, but honestly. A is for acceptance, learning to face reality without losing hope. B is for belief, choosing what you anchor your thoughts in. C is for courage, showing up even when you are afraid. D is for discipline, choosing what strengthens me over what satisfies me. E is for endurance, continuing to move forward when the journey is hard. F is for faith, trusting when I don't know the future. G is for gratitude, being thankful changes the way I see everything. H is for hope. Hope is not in what I see, but in who holds my future. I is for identity, not being defined by what I walk through. J is for joy. Joy is not dependent on circumstances. K is for kindness, giving yourself the same grace, patience and kindness you give others. L is for letting go, letting go of what I cannot control. M is for mindfulness, learning to be fully present in the moment instead of being consumed by what has already happened or what might happen tomorrow. N is for nourish, feeding not just your body but your mind, because what you feed will grow. O is for overcome. Hardship does not have the final word. P is for patience, accepting delays and difficulties without complaining. Q is for question, asking the right questions. R is for resilience, the strength to keep going when life does not go as planned. S is for surrender, letting go of the need to control. T is for trust, confidence when you cannot see or control the outcome. U is for unshaken, remaining steady when everything feels uncertain. V is for victory, celebrating small victories. W is for waiting. It may be uncomfortable, but it is not meaningless. X is for exclaim, boldly declaring truth with joy, gratitude and confidence. Y is for yes, saying yes to what comes next. And Z is for zeal, a passion even when life is hard. This isn't about being positive all the time, it's about building a mindset that can hold you up when everything else feels shaky. It's about learning how to redirect your thoughts, strengthen your faith and find peace even in the middle of uncertainty. If you're walking through a health challenge right now or any season that feels heavy, I want you to know this, you are not powerless. You may not control every outcome, but you do have influence over your mindset. And sometimes that's where strength begins. A positive mindset isn't about pretending everything is okay, it's about how to choose to face what isn't. And that choice has a real impact on your mind, body and even your spiritual strength. Here is why it matters so much. So much research has been done that shows the effects of a positive mindset. Number one, it shapes how your brain responds to stress. When you lean toward hope instead of fear, your brain actually functions differently. Stress hormones like cortisol, decrease and your body can move out of survival mode. That leads to clearer thinking, better decision making, less emotional overwhelm. In difficult seasons, like walking through illness or uncertainty, this can make a huge difference in how you cope day to day. Number two, it supports your physical health. Your mindset doesn't just stay in your thoughts, it affects your body. A more positive outlook has been linked to a stronger immune response, better recovery from illness, lower inflammation and improved sleep. It doesn't replace medical care, but it works alongside it, strengthening your resilience. Number three, it builds emotional endurance. A positive mindset helps you keep going when things are hard. Not because life is easy, but because you believe there is still purpose. You expect that things can improve. You don't give up when it gets uncomfortable. It's the difference between I can't handle this and this is hard, but I can walk through it. Number four, it changes your perspective, not your reality. You can't always control what happens, but you can control how you see it. A positive mindset helps you find meaning in difficult moments. Notice small wins and moments of grace, and stay grounded instead of spiraling. Especially in uncertain seasons, perspective becomes your anchor. Number five, it strengthens your faith. If faith is part of your life, a positive mindset often grows from trust. It sounds like I don't understand this, but I trust God is with me. This is not the end of my story. Proverbs 23:7 says, as a man thinks in his heart, so he is. Your thoughts shape your inner world, and your inner world shapes how you live. Number six, it impacts the people around you. Your mindset doesn't just affect you, it influences others. When you carry hope, you encourage others without trying. You bring calm into stressful situations, and you become a source of strength for people around you. Even in your own journey, your mindset can become part of your testimony. A positive mindset doesn't mean you never feel afraid, you ignore pain, you always feel strong. It means you choose not to stay stuck there. So wherever you are today, whether you feel strong or tired or somewhere in between, I'm so glad you're here. Let's walk this journey together, one letter at a time as we stay anchored in peace. If this episode encouraged you, please share it with someone who could use a little hope today, and follow the podcast so you don't miss the next episode. Until next time, stay anchored.