Have you ever looked at the way you respond in friendships and relationships and wondered, "Why do I do that?" Sometimes what looks like being distant, guarded, overly independent, avoidant, or even a "bad friend" isn't really about the friendship in front of you. Sometimes it's connected to something that happened years ago. In Part 2, Larissa and I go deeper into trauma, friendship, healing, forgiveness, and the experiences that shaped how we show up in relationships today. We're not just talking about what happened. We're talking about what happened after it happened. How did the people around you respond when you were hurt? Did you feel protected? Believed? Heard? Did someone create a safe space for you, or did life just move on while you were left to figure out what to do with it? In this episode, I share more of my story, including experiences with abuse and the complicated family dynamics that followed. We talk about what it looks like when someone can love you, support you, and give you space to process, while also making decisions you may not fully understand. Then we get into forgiveness. Because forgiveness does not automatically mean reconciliation. It doesn't mean pretending something didn't happen. It doesn't mean giving someone unlimited access to you. And it doesn't necessarily mean rebuilding the relationship with the person who hurt you. There are people I've forgiven that I still choose to keep my distance from. I can do that without hatred. I can release what happened, trust God with what I cannot change, set boundaries, and keep living my life. We also sit with a hard truth: sometimes people make terrible decisions out of their own brokenness, and those decisions create wounds in other people's lives. Those wounds can follow us into friendships, marriages, family, and even the way we see ourselves. But they don't have to stay in control. Sometimes healing starts the moment you connect the dots: "Ohhhh, that's why I respond like that." This conversation is raw, layered, and personal. But ultimately, it's about hope. No matter what happened, no matter who failed you, no matter how long you've carried it, no matter what healing still looks like for you: Friend, you're gonna make it. ❤️ 🎙️ SEX ED FOR SAINTSBecause not enough of us are talking about sex, intimacy, relationships, healing, and the things that affect them, from a faith-based perspective. CONNECT WITH TAMMY + THE MARRIAGE LAB💜 yourmarriagelab.com📸 Instagram: @themarriagelabllc | @sexedforsaints📘 Facebook: Candid Talks with Tammy🎧 Subscribe to Sex Ed for Saints and turn on notifications so you don't miss the next conversation. 🛡️ COVENANT EYESLooking for accountability and resources to help you or your marriage navigate pornography and unwanted sexual content? Covenant Eyes provides accountability tools designed to help individuals and couples pursue freedom.👉 https://covenanteyes.sjv.io/marriagelab (code MARRIAGELAB)Disclosure: this is an affiliate link. I may receive compensation if you sign up through it, at no additional cost to you. ⚠️ CONTENT NOTE: This episode contains conversations about childhood trauma, abuse, and other sensitive experiences. Please listen with care. 💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATIONHave you ever realized something you thought was part of your "personality" was actually connected to something you experienced? Tell me in the comments: what has healing taught you about the way you show up in relationships? If this episode made you think of somebody who needs to hear "you're gonna make it," send it to them. ❤️ #SexEdForSaints #TraumaResponse #HealingJourney #ChristianRelationships #Forgiveness #Friendship #FaithAndHealing
