On the Podcast: When All Is Not Well
Story, Resources, & Listening Guide for Imagination Redeemed S4E4 (plus a giveaway!)
In the spring of 1373, a thirty-year-old woman lay dying in Norwich, England. Her name was Julian.
We know very little about her. What we do know is that earlier in her life, she had earnestly prayed for three things: to understand Christ's Passion more deeply, to experience severe bodily illness while still young, and to receive "three wounds" from God—true contrition, natural compassion, and steadfast longing toward God.
As she gazed upon the crucifix her priest had placed before her, the room darkened except for a strange light emanating from the cross. And then something extraordinary happened.
Not only did her pain suddenly cease, but the veil between heaven and earth seemed to part. There, in what she would later call her showings or revelations, the bleeding Christ appeared to her with such vivid reality that she could see the blood trickling from beneath His crown of thorns.
In the midst of these visions, Julian was shown something seemingly insignificant—a small object in the palm of her hand, round as a ball and no larger than a hazelnut.
"What may this be?" she asked.
"It is all that is made," came the answer.
Julian marveled at this tiny thing representing the entirety of creation. How could something so small continue to exist at all? Wouldn't it simply collapse into nothingness? The tendency of every living thing, after all, is to move relentlessly toward death and dust.
"It lasteth, and ever shall last, for that God loveth it," the voice told her.
In that moment, Julian understood three profound truths crystallized in this humble hazelnut.
First, that God made it—and all things.
Second, that God loved it—and all things.
Third, that God keeps it—sustaining all things moment by moment through His love alone.
This revelation left Julian in wonder. "What is he indeed that is maker and lover and keeper?" Her awe was mingled with a deep reassurance that settled in her soul, leading her to record the words that would become her most famous declaration: "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."
But what could these words possibly mean in a world filled with suffering?
If all shall be well, what do we make of what is not well now?
And how do we live in this tension—this liminal space between our weeping and our joy?
In this episode of the Imagination Redeemed podcast, Brian Brown is joined by cohost Sarah Howell and special guest Christina Brown, who is in such demand that neither this podcast nor our Believe to See podcast can get along without her!
Resources Mentioned in the Episode:
A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful by Edmund Burke
The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke
Lenten Meditations by Malcolm Guite
Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis
Supper of the Lamb1 by Robert Farrar Capon
Why We Create2, edited by Jane Scharl and Brian Brown
Four Quartets by T. S. Eliot
A Theology of the Ordinary by Julie Canlis
When Prayer Becomes Real by Kyle Strobel
Into the Heart of Romans by N. T. Wright
Dr. Who Season 5, Episode 10: “Vincent and the Doctor”
“More and More Beautiful” song by Skye Peterson
“How I See the World” song by Skye Peterson
“All Will be Well” song by Paul Zach
An Exercise
Grab a pencil, a piece of paper, a timer, and your shoe. Yep, your shoe! Simply set the shoe on top of your table, set the timer for five minutes, and draw the shoe without interruption. You'll be amazed at the design and the intricacies of what encloses your foot.
When the five minutes are up, write down your thoughts!
A Collaborative Playlist
We added the songs mentioned in this episode to a playlist: please add your own favorite songs for when you need to be reminded that “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”
Further Recommended Reading and Listening:
“Honest Songs” by Caroline Williams
“Re-Enchanting Time” by Josh Robinson
“Finding Meaning in Time” essay by Jane Scharl, read and discussed on the Believe to See podcast by Matt and Mandy
What has not been assumed, has not been healed; what is united to the Godhead is saved.” Gregory of Nazianzus, Epistle 101
For the Senses
Blackberry Hazelnut Spring Salad
Discussion Questions for the Episode
If “all shall be well,” what does that mean practically for the here and now?
What is the significance of Julian’s hazelnut?
What do you think it would mean for your life to intentionally pay attention to small things and practice stillness and attention in the face of all the distractions we have?
Why do we struggle so much to hold sorrow and joy simultaneously?
It's in that space between the already of God's love and the not yet of complete healing that we learn to hold both our joy and our weeping together. Christina reminds us all the time that a seed must die before it bears fruit.
Resurrection is built into the nature of reality. Our hope often takes us through darkness before it blooms into new life. But we're never alone in that darkness.
The one who is maker and lover and keeper enters it with us, not as a distant observer, but as our companion who knows suffering intimately.
And somehow, as we face whatever we're going through at any given point, we are held in the palm of God's hand. And even though we don't fully understand it yet, all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.
-Brian Brown
Giveaway:
Want to win a copy of a book we mentioned in today’s episode? We love the book When Prayer Becomes Real, co-authored by Kyle Strobel and John Coe, and we’re giving two copies away!
How to enter:
Rate and review the Imagination Redeemed podcast wherever you listen to podcasts
Once you’ve done that, click here to tell us how to contact you if you win!
Two winners will be chosen and contacted on April 16.
In Closing
The Imagination Redeemed podcast is a production of The Anselm Society. It’s easy to see this world as disenchanted, and to give up hope that there’s more. But you were made to see the world with the eyes of heaven. And to live a bountiful life that participates in the life of God…like in the great stories. To help make this show possible, go to anselmsociety.org/podcast25 and make a donation.
The Anselm Society is a place where you can come in and experience that beauty, joyful celebration, and ancient wisdom. And go out renewed, bringing that life to your vocation, home, & church. Learn more at anselmsociety.org, and join us next time as we pursue a renaissance of the Christian imagination together.
Specifically his meditation on an onion
Specifically chapter three