Building a Beautiful Story from the Ashes of Pain – Nona Jones
As we close out the Faith in the Firestorm series, we hope each of us has found a connection point. We’ve wrestled with so many hard topics here—finding sanctuary, being a comfort for the wandering, moving forward and clinging to hope in the face of death. To wrap this powerful series, we’re going to talk with someone who shows us strength, perseverance and determination: author and director of faith-based partnerships at Facebook, Nona Jones. Nona lived through a childhood filled with trauma, and today she’s channeled her pain into serving and ministering others. Nona and Nancy talk through what it was like for Nona to grow up in an environment filled with abuse and neglect, how Nona found safety and love for the first time in church, and how she used her strength to launch herself into an executive role at a Fortune 100 company when she was only 23 years old—and also to create a ministry that serves women around the world. Nona shows us that we are not the thing that broke us. In fact, we are capable of anything. And with His love and power, we are unstoppable.
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Show Summary
Hi there, Nancy Hicks here, welcome back to So What? Why It Matters.
The faith in the firestorm series has given us so much to think about. We've talked about some hard topics in this series, haven't we? But today, I wanted to wrap up this series by sharing this story of a young woman who has lived a remarkable life and has an encouraging message to share with you. And here's the message--you can overcome anything.
Let me repeat that: you can overcome anything.
I don't mean this in a flippant motivational poster kind of way, I promise you that. I want to give you more to sink your teeth into.
Of course, you've heard that the season that my own family is in is a really hard one. Our beloved son, David, at 28 years old, is battling Stage IV colon cancer, and it's been going on for two years. And I'm not worried about the question of why, I'm not going to sort that out. The idea and the reality of overcoming is a big deal to me, and I want this for you.
Sometimes I don't even know what overcoming means in this situation. But today, in my life and in yours, I believe it means something like this: no matter what happens, a God in His goodness will carry me and will carry you from strength to strength. And how God does that remains a mystery.
I treasure my son today and will all of my days, and I will share in who he is and what he has to endure. And that and everything else God places in my hands to do, I will continue to do as long as I breathe. That is a big, big part of overcoming. And that's really enough for now.
So what obstacles are you facing today? What's in your way, what's clouding your view? You are capable of so much more than you know. You were set here for this very moment in time, and God has outfitted and prepared you for what you face this very day. Overcome the evil, the dark, the hard and the rough and rugged with good, with love, no matter where you are today.
This you can do. Not in isolation, but with the people God has put around you in one form or another, and sometimes people, He's dropping in right out of the blue. You can move forward knowing you are not alone. Those people are with you. And the God you thought you knew, but are growing to realize, you've only really begun to know him, is with you every step of the way.
All right, so let's talk about my guest today. She is a living picture of what it looks like to overcome, just wait till you meet her and hear her story.
Nona Jones is an author. She's a business leader, a pastor, and a speaker. And she knows the kind of power and faith it takes to overcome
After a childhood filled with horrific trauma and abuse, Nona found the strength to overcome the difficulties placed in front of her. At only 23 years old, Nona quickly moved up the corporate ladder and found herself with a seat at the executive table of a Fortune 100 company and eventually as the director of faith-based partnerships at Facebook. Since then, Nona has written multiple books and become a speaker with ministries across the country. She is empowered, strong, and bold in her faith, and I know that her story will find a way to help you remember the God-given power that you have in your hands right now.
So with all of that said, please enjoy my conversation with Nona Jones.
So What? Moments
Nona Jones
I think the reason why overcoming matters so much is because we have to remember that God doesn't make mistakes, nor does He make extras. And what that means is, if you are here on this Earth, you are not a mistake. You are not an extra. You are not an accident. And so there is a purpose for which you were created. But when we feel that we are constrained by situations and circumstances, and we don't live up to the potential that God placed within us, we can't realize that full purpose.
Nancy
If you're in a place where lofty ideas and adages about overcoming just aren't cutting it for you these days, there will come a time as you continue on step by step, hour by hour, day by day. Someone will come along, someone unexpected, like a teacher, a stranger, an old friend. And that someone will have just what you need, a missing piece of the puzzle, a key, a particular word right from the heart of God who loves you. And that love will carry you through.
Thought-Provoking Quotes
“Whenever I'm asked to describe myself, I like to use five words, which is that I am a ‘statistically improbable product of grace.’” - Nona Jones
“Sometimes we see the successful chapter and we compare our challenging chapter to it, and we're like, ugh, why can't I be like that?” - Nona Jones
“When I see people acting out, when I see people drinking alcohol, addicted to drugs, multiple relationships, I immediately think it's important to find out not, ‘What's wrong with you?’ but, ‘What happened to you?’” - Nona Jones
“When somebody walks into church, don't be so quick to overlook them, because you never know what someone is carrying. And you might be the very voice that speaks life and hope into the heart of someone who's thinking about ending their life. You just never know.” - Nona Jones
“So often, we limit our purpose, our capacity to the thing that most deeply hurt us. You're not the thing that broke you.” - Nona Jones
“[You may ask,] Why? Why did this happen to me? But knowing why doesn't bring peace. It doesn't bring healing. And what God really taught me is that healing is a choice. It's a choice. It's a decision that we make. We put a stake in the ground to say, ‘This thing happened, and it hurt. This thing happened, and it nearly broke me. But because of the grace of God, I'm going to allow the ashes of this pain to form the beautiful story of hope for somebody else.’” - Nona Jones
“Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is simply fear in the forward direction. But we can't move forward by ourselves when all we see is the pain and the hurt and the fire. We need somebody else to walk alongside us and hold us up when we feel weak.” - Nona Jones
“For whatever reason, when it comes to courage, we get amnesia, and we're like, ‘I've never done this before.’ And it's like, actually, you just did that before lunch yesterday.” - Nona Jones
“I think we overcome because there is something on the other side of the trial that is going to enable us to fully step into the purpose God gave us.” - Nona Jones
Where to Find Nona