Rachel Wojo
7 min read ⭑
“When painful circumstances enter your life, it’s tempting to push God away. Pain and anger may prompt us to distance ourselves from God, but I’ve learned they can also prompt us to prioritize prayer.”
When Rachel Wojo felt the call to online ministry in 2009, she didn’t know how to run a website or reach people on social media. But she knew Jesus — and she trusted him to lead her step by step. Since then, Rachel has grown a large following through her blog, podcast and books as she shares her story of trial, loss and faith. Today, she’s getting honest about her daughter’s 22-year-long struggle with a neurological disease, how she relied on prayer while wrestling with pain and anger, and the books and worship songs that have carried her through her darkest times.
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?
Ah, food! One of my favorite topics. The closest thing I have to a favorite hometown restaurant is Cap City Diner. I typically choose the pecan-crusted pork chop with chipotle mashed potatoes, and my husband gets the balsamic chicken. But my home kitchen is actually my favorite kitchen. With a houseful of teens and young adults, dirty dishes continually stalk the sink. I’ve learned to view dirty dishes as great kitchen island conversation. Baking is my therapy, and the small group my husband and I host weekly are the benefactors. Last week featured a lemon poppyseed bundt cake from the “Sweet Polish Kitchen” cookbook.
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QUESTION #2: REVEAL
We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activity (or activities) do you love engaging in, which also help you find essential spiritual renewal?
The year my daughter Taylor graduated to heaven, my husband and I took an anniversary trip to eat PB&J on the beach. (Because we are fancy like that.) Life felt grave with grief, and the ocean waves soothed our souls with inconsistent consistency. We decided to rent bikes on the beach, and I couldn’t believe how glorious it felt to ride by the ocean with the wind blowing my hair wild. After that trip, my husband gave me a bike for Mother’s Day. It’s the perfect pale sky blue with a comfortable white seat and a matching white basket on the front. Somehow, getting on that bike makes me feel like a little girl again. I think there will be bikes in heaven.
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness. Every human, too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite, and how do you hide it?
I always say that the thing you love the most about someone also drives you crazy. Our passions can go haywire on us humans, and for me, that means second-guessing myself and my work.
When I first became a mother, I didn’t go to bed unless the toilet paper hung correctly. Obviously, a bazillion kids (okay, six) later, that isn’t the case, but I still have to work at accepting “good enough” over continually perfecting.
That struggle carries over to my books, writing work, podcast and blog, and it causes me to question whether or not I’m following God’s will. Giving myself the grace God gives me is a constant work in my heart.
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your current obsession? And why should it be ours?
When painful circumstances enter your life, it’s tempting to push God away. Pain and anger may prompt us to distance ourselves from God, but I’ve learned they can also prompt us to prioritize prayer.
While caring for my Taylor girl for 22 years as she suffered from incurable neurologically degenerative disease, the only way I could get out of bed in the mornings was by begging God for strength. After she died, my conversations with God deepened, and I embarked on a journey to fully recognize the incredible power of prayer.
My newest book, “Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life’s Darkest Moments,” helps readers move from frenzied desperation to dependent faith. It invites readers to recognize that praying in a panic creates a powerful pathway to peace.
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Cashiers, CEOs, contractors, or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?
Signing a book contract means deadlines. Deadlines don’t feel very Spirit-anointed when you have one hanging over your head. When crunch time arrived for my latest book deadline, my husband drove me to my brother’s cabin in the West Virginia woods, where I spent a few days pounding out words to form chapters.
Many times during those few days, I stopped typing, bowed my head in the chair, and whispered, “Lord, this has to be you.” Even more often, I stared at the screen and whispered, “Okay, God, what next?” Continually deflecting the work to him was all I knew to do.
It’s amazing how the Holy Spirit shows off when we submit ourselves to his presence and power. Some of the illustrations in my book, Desperate Prayers, happened in God’s perfect timing, making it obvious that he wanted those stories shared.
QUESTION #6: inspire
Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied habits that open our hearts to the presence of God. So, let us in. Which spiritual practice is working best for you right now?
Well, last week, the sorrows and demise of this world were getting to me. My mind was racing at something I’d seen on social media, something that I never imagined existed. It propelled me to a deep level of compassion for people while I pondered our society’s sinful state.
A few minutes later, I was driving alone in the mini-van and just started quietly singing. I’m far from being able to belt it, but the tune rolled out, and I sang, “This world is not my home. I’m just a-passin’ through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door, and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”
This simple praise gave me the mental strength to go about the remainder of the day with a fresh perspective. Right now, offering praise to God is my best spiritual discipline and tactic for dealing with challenges.
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Looking backward, considering the full sweep of your unique faith journey and all you encountered along the way, what top three resources stand out to you? What changed the game and changed your heart? What radically altered your life? What changed your reality?
Because I’ve confessed my people-pleasing and perfectionistic tendencies, it might come as no surprise that Lysa Terkeurst’s book “The Best Yes” was a pivotal resource that helped me learn how and when to say no. I still refer to it years later.
I’ve read nearly every Christian book on learning to cope with loss. “Grace Disguised” by Jerry Sittser provided the most help for me. When I found myself at the point of being able to read and process again, I read this book, finished it, and then immediately read it again. I needed it that much.
I don’t see how anyone could not know who the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir is, but their worship carried me through the times when all I could do was cry. Do you need freedom? Pause and listen to “I Bless Your Name.” Whew, y’all. Another album that has ministered to me deeply is “Beauty Will Rise” by Steven Curtis Chapman. It’s chock full of hope to move you toward healing.
We all have things we cling to to survive (or even thrive) in tough times—times like these! Name one resource you’re savoring and/or finding indispensable in this current season, and tell us what it’s doing for you.
I just finished reading Granger Smith’s “Like A River” last night. Such an easy book to read yet so profound. As a fellow parent who has experienced child loss, Granger reminded me of the importance of sharing the simple gospel. God loves us so much that he gave the world his only Son, and people need to know this. Granger also inspired me to continue to dive into God’s Word daily. I’m still thinking about my takeaways from this book and how to put them into practice.
QUESTION #8: dream
God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?
Last month, I had the opportunity to speak at several events, and it moved my heart so much. Seeing women’s faces as they share their heartaches and joys after the events is a humbling and honoring opportunity. Writing is a privilege I love, but lately, God has been nudging me that it’s time to spend less time behind the screen and more time seeing faces and talking in person. I’m curious to see how this unfolds. Lately, I’ve been knocking on doors to figure out which ones might be open. All in God’s timing!
Losing a loved one — whether a child, a spouse, a parent, a sibling or a friend — is one of the most difficult things we can face on this earth. Psychologists compare it to losing a part of ourselves (like a limb) and say it even changes our brain chemistry as we try to cope with the loss.
No wonder the Bible calls death “the last enemy” (1 Corinthians 15:26, ESV).
But thankfully, death is a defeated enemy. This pain won’t last forever. For now, we fix our hearts on when Jesus comes back for us and “death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55, ESV).
Rachel Wojo is an inspirational author, public speaker and podcaster known for her popular blog, rachelwojo.com. With biblical truth and personal experiences, Rachel empowers women to discover strength and hope. Despite the loss of her mother, father and adult special needs daughter, Rachel remains resilient. She wrote One More Step: Finding Strength When You Feel Like Giving Up and is set to release her latest work, Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life’s Darkest Moments. Rachel is crazy in love with her husband, Matt and cherishes her motherhood with six children on earth and two in heaven.
