In this episode, we sit down with counselor Hillary Marvin to unpack how our past—especially our family of origin—shapes the way we relate to God, ourselves, and others. Hillary walks us through the “old house vs. new house” analogy, showing how the gospel reshapes our values, our emotional patterns, and our relationships.
We talk about how childhood experiences affect our parenting, our friendships, even our spiritual practices, and why it’s so important to slow down, reflect, and let the Holy Spirit rewire how we live and love. From parenting and marriage to church community and personal healing, this conversation invites all of us to step more fully into the family of God—and to do it with grace, humility, and hope.
Topics Discussed
- [05:00] Entering the Counseling World
- How an unexpected internship with boys at a children’s home shaped her calling
- [09:00] Understanding“Old House vs. New House”
- Using Ed Welch’s analogy to understand emotional and spiritual formation
- [13:00] How Family of Origin Shapes Our View of God
- Why earthly relationships impact how we see our heavenly Father
- [18:00] Slowing Down to Understand Our Emotions
- Curiosity over condemnation—and how to tell the difference
- [23:00] Parenting from a Place of Healing
- Recognizing triggers and values from our past that affect how we parent today
- [27:00] Modeling Emotion Well in Christian Community
- Learning from the body of Christ how to engage emotions like anger and fear in healthy, godly ways
- [32:00] Repairing Relationships with Parents as Adults
- What it looks like to bring humility, honesty, and lament into grown-up family dynamics
- [38:00] Confession, Repentance, and Freedom in the New House
- How embracing our limitations makes space for the gospel to transform
Guest Mentioned
Restore Christian Counseling: Hillary’s private counseling practice
Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI): A method for working with children from hard places
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