As the former wife of professional cyclist, Lance Armstrong, Kristin was living a luxurious lifestyle that many could only dream of. Years later, news of deceit and betrayal led to a painful divorce. Join us as we hear Kristin’s incredible story about how God has taught her to extend mercy and forgiveness in even the most difficult of situations
I hope you were doing well today I’m so
excited that you’re here this is the
chat where we well we chat about stuff
that I hope will be an encouragement to
you and an inspiration today I’m really
excited because I get the chance to just
get to know a woman that I really want
you to know her name is Kristin
Armstrong she was married to Lance
Armstrong for quite a bit and you know
kind of thrust into a very public life
and then a public divorce that was very
hurtful and lots of forgiveness had to
take place in restoration and she’s
gonna talk to us about how the Lord
accomplished that in her life it’s
really gonna be a inspiration to all of
us who are not going to want to miss
this
so stay tuned
[Music]
well listen this is part 2 of a
conversation we have already been having
you’re gonna want to make sure you go
back and view part 1 if you have not
already because we’ve already started
down an incredible path of life-changing
insight from an incredible woman would
you please help me to welcome Kristin
Armstrong today thank you so much so
glad that we’re here her book is happily
ever after it’s a devotional and what I
love about it we were just talking about
the fact that it doesn’t start on
January 1st
it just says day one why does it just
say day one Kristin because you just
never know when you’re gonna fall apart
and when someone’s gonna hand you
something and that’s day one
that’s right doesn’t happen always
January 1st in that the truth yeah those
New Year’s resolutions don’t pan out and
that’s turned out we just got a start
when we need to start that’s about that
listen to something that Kristin writes
she says funny how it works when
everything you thought was most valuable
is taken from you the thing that truly
is the most valuable is revealed when
you lose your marriage or family your
money your job your status your comfort
zone your health your home your friend
your reputation anything you thought you
could never do without it’s then that
you realize with amazement that you’re
still standing that is when you realize
that Jesus is the rock now listen to
this sometimes we have to chip away at
the earth to get to the rock
and God allowed the earth to be chipped
away in your life just a little bit yeah
you have quite a story of all the
chipping away and your choice to find
solace in the rock right absolutely why
do you think some people don’t make that
choice to forgive to move forward the
hard choices you had to make to find
happily ever after
why do some people not make that choice
I think some people choose to find
comfort in their story there the tape
that plays over and over again and so
they choose to relive those experiences
again and again and again because it’s
what they know and so they get stuck in
that place I also think that there are
people who decide that they are never
going to forgive because they confuse
forgiveness with condoning somebody’s
treatment of them excusing the baby yeah
like it’s approving of a situation or
saying it was okay that you that you did
that and it isn’t that at all but people
get confused and stuck there and so they
refuse to budge and so they continue on
down that path and nothing changes for
them they’re gripping so tightly on to
the past that they cannot open up and
see what God has for them in the present
yeah and it’s so sad but forgiveness
isn’t about that forgiveness is not
condoning something it’s not giving that
person permission to come and go as they
please and continue certain behaviors
the only permission that it gives is for
you to go free and to unhook yourself
from all that stuff that hurts you in
the past and let God have it yeah let
him take care of all of it while you go
about the business of rebuilding your
life after that yeah and sometimes
relationships have to end they have to
end good points and they don’t think
yeah you you you forgive someone so that
you let go you’re not tied to them
anymore but that doesn’t mean that that
relationship is healthy or good or can
continue because sometimes in this kind
of a conversation a lot of women who may
be in an abusive situation here I need
to stay continue to be abused and be a
doormat in this situation and that’s not
what you’re suggesting
forgiveness no not at all that’s that’s
kind of like Christ saying forgive them
they don’t know what they do forgive you
can forgive but that situation is
unhealthy and you should not stay in
that situation and some relationships
you have to stay in but they have to
change right and that’s not giving
someone access to come in and out of
your life or condoning certain things
all it is is saying I’m not going to be
tied to that anymore
I am giving myself the permission to
move forward and be free of that so I’m
gonna let that go and so it takes
forgiveness to me is like a choice that
you make like if you some people talk
about like the moment where you’re where
you’re saved
that’s a faith moment for you but you
spend the rest of your life kind of
walking out that without a shout
yourself you’re a sanctification or
whatever that is yeah I think
forgiveness is a lot like that you
choose I’m gonna forgive but of my own
power like can Kristin just forgive and
like be this person no Kristin is just a
regular old gal but God and me can do
that so to choose to forgive is a choice
but then the whole process of letting go
that can take a little bit a little bit
of time it’s not like all of a sudden
know about oh now everything’s better
I’m fine everything’s great you didn’t
wake up the next day and go all is
forgiven no no well here’s it’s not
quite so tidy not quite so tidy okay
tell us about the mess of walking out
your forgiveness then what did that
choice daily look like practically in
your life well it’s just an ongoing
thing I mean I forgive myself all the
time for falling short I’m sure I
forgave Lance for something last week I
mean but that particular book is a
journey of probably about a year and a
half maybe two years of doing the daily
work I mean people would send me
scriptures strangers would send me
things I would get cool books and I was
just letting it soak into me and I would
write down in a journal or on three by
five cards I had a whole bunch of papers
route write down the verses that really
stood out to me and I thought oh that’s
just for me yeah meant for me right now
and I saved all of those and I started
to compile them and I started to write
down how I felt in light of those verse
at the time because I thought I don’t
want to forget this yes because I know
that he’s gonna do an amazing thing in
my life and I know that after this is
over I’m gonna be better for it didn’t
feel like it at the time didn’t I didn’t
feel like it at the time but I thought
you know what I’m gonna go that way and
it was so neat because at the end of
this time this was the result of that
and really that is about gratitude to me
that’s what that yeah I read in here
that you said this is your thank-you
note to God yeah like thank you for
healing me and thank you and me yeah I
am you know I have three boys I three
kids like you do and one of my sons
he’s just accident-prone Kristen he just
keeps falling and breaking things and
fracturing things he’s got a cast on
right now as a matter of fact he fell
riding bikes with his cousin and
fractured one arm you know he I know
he’s got a huge sort of skinned patch
right here on his leg and so of course
we took him to the doctor and everything
and got a cast here but they gave him an
appointment that we needed to put on
just like this all that we needed to put
on his leg on a very regular basis to
get it all healed up and I was watching
this process one day because it just
stings just a tad to put it on when it
was just really raw and a brand new
wound and I thought man you know what if
we kind of hang on to this appointment
we have it in the house we’ve gotten the
prescription but we don’t apply it
because it stings that little bit and he
doesn’t want it applied then it does us
no good to have it if we’re not gonna
put this sucker on his leg you know
that’s where the healing comes in is
when we daily actually several times a
day we had to apply this point meant to
the wound for it ends on saying yeah
yeah and I’m thinking the Lord gave you
these scriptures whatever means they
came whether it was just through your
daily Bible reading or the pastor
preaching something more stranger
sending you this verse on a coffee mug
or something like that and there were
certain ones that jumped out to you and
that is God giving us ain’t meant that
that’s what he’s doing is he said it
hurts a little bit and it hurts a little
bit yeah it stings a little bit when you
receive kind of the directive that that
burger you gotta feel the conviction of
what you know but that’s what I think
Ephesians chapter 6 talks about the
sword of the Spirit is the Rhema word of
God and that’s when like the word comes
alive to you where it jumps off the page
when like you know it’s a verse you’ve
read before
but this day it’s like the Holy Spirit
has taken out a highlighter and it just
pops up off the page that’s the spirit
handing you his sword and saying hey
this right here is gonna do some work in
your life and it’s gonna change your
life if you’ll apply it to the wound and
so you were daily proactively
practically putting it on the wound even
though it’s stung a little bit that’s
awesome that is true that’s exactly what
it was like and it did sting a little
bit but if you really do want to be
healed it’s just like a the story of the
paralytic and the mat like do you want
to be healed do you want to be here or
not I mean you want like a silly
question in the moment it’s not it’s not
no cuz some people really don’t and they
say they do but they’re not willing to
pick up their mat you know they’re not
yeah so if you want it he’s offering it
mm-hmm
but we do we have to apply it we have to
do the work we have to be willing to go
there within ourselves to say what do i
what do I need to let go of what do I
need to change yeah how do I need to
grow instead of going hey you did you
you you oh we get so comfortable
pointing fingers at our I else yeah
we have pity parties and we invite all
our friends to our pity party and we
love rehearsing and going over the
details of what happened to us over and
over and over again and it really causes
us to think about what kind of friend we
are to those people because if we’re
enabling and applauding and supporting
that friend of ours who’s constantly
going over her drama maybe it’s time for
one of us to be friend enough to her to
say it’s time for you to wake up out of
this spiritual summer and get on with
the business of putting appointment on
so that you can be healed yes so did you
have friends like that and you know
absolutely yeah one of them is here
today really yeah were you a little bit
mad at her at the time for making you
wake up and move on like did it feel
uncomfortable for her to kind of or one
of your friends to kind of have to look
you in the eyes and say let’s go today I
know you’re having a bad day you don’t
feel like getting up out of bed all that
but you got kids to raise you have a
life to live God is in you let’s go I
there was a time kind of in the
immediate wake of that where I was not
eating or sleeping well and it was just
a really strenuous time and
have a really dear friend named Paige
who said to me you know something I see
that you look skinny you look exhausted
you know what we’re gonna train for a
marathon and I’m gonna make you hungry
and I’m gonna make you tired and it was
awesome she did I had never done
anything like that before and next thing
you know I’m eating everything in sight
and sleeping like a baby and I’m like
thank you God did she help me and it
gave me a lot of confidence and it also
led to a career with runners world
magazine and I mean doors opened yeah
you know but I had to take some steps
yeah because you had a friend that was
friend enough to say let go get up get
up and get you think you’re tired I’ll
make you tired look we need some friends
like that in our life right y’all do
that’s awesome
yeah we’re gonna come right back and
talk just a little bit more with miss
Kristen in the meanwhile if you’re
sitting with a friend of yours just
shake her on the shoulders and say get
up girl you look a little hungry you
look a little sleepy let’s go take care
of that I’ll meet you back here after
the break
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[Music]
this is going to be an incredible
experience where we all get to see what
it’s like to experience God’s unfailing
love we are incredibly loved incredibly
valuable and incredibly capable of
blowing it that’s why we are in the book
of Hosea I want you to experience it I
want you to be able to enjoy it I want
you to be able to taste and see that the
Lord is good if you’re lost the message
of Hosea is that God will find you if
you’re ashamed he’ll cover you if you’ve
wandered off he’ll come get you if you
have given up on him he is not going to
give up on you if you have found
yourself in Chains and in slavery and
you don’t know how you got there he will
buy you back and give you freedom that’s
the incredible scandal of God’s love he
would do whatever it takes to restore us
that kind of unfailing love
would change everything
we are right in the middle of an
incredible conversation listen this is
part two of a conversation we’ve already
been having with Kristin Armstrong she
is a woman who has taken us just in this
little conversation that we’ve had she’s
taking us all the way from brokenness
and hurt and unforgiveness to healing
and wholeness and that’s the story the
journey that the Lord has had our had
her on but there is so much more that is
to come in the story of your life and I
want to know where you are right now as
a woman as a mother of three growing
children a woman in ministry you’re a
writer you’re writing for articles for
running world magazine as well as others
not to mention you know not to forget to
mention your book as well so there’s a
lot going on in your life right now what
have you seen God doing in your present
tense circumstances well since that time
I’ve written seven books seven books
seven books yes just a few books on the
side you know I have been a contributing
editor for runners world magazine since
2004 so I run a lot of races I’ve done
many more marathons and ultramarathons
since then now I’m a mother of teenagers
so my son Luke is 15 and then I have
twin daughters Grayson Isabel who are 13
all three teenagers yeah so pray for me
yeah so that’s a lot of fun how are your
kiddos doing did it take them a while to
get kind of kind of where you felt like
everybody was healthy and on the right
track or did they were they doing well
right away how are they well they were
really young when we went through our
divorce three one and one so I think at
different stages and their development I
think that they’ve dealt with different
things that kind of come out so I was
just sort of an ongoing thing different
questions that come later and things
like that so we just it’s been really
important to me to keep communication
with them open on every subject and
that’s just kind of how we roll yeah and
it works out for us yeah and so what do
you see kind of happening next in your
journey what would you like to see what
would you like to see happen
well I I just finished teaching a class
on compassion so I’ve been working on
having a lot more compassion for
everyone else and myself mm-hmm
I have an amazing gratitude practice
that I’ve been doing for about a year
and a half okay what is a gratitude
practice well every morning I wake up
and have my devotional time and whatnot
and then I write down in a journal I’m
on volume four now of little cramped
tiny handwriting and I write down every
day ten things that I’m thankful for I’m
grateful for this because and then and
follow that up it has truly been
transformative it sounds like to me it
sounds like a book is coming out of that
there there might be a book coming out
of that it’s it’s really changed it has
transformed me by the renewal of my mind
to change my thought life because it’s
it’s slowly slowly just worked its way
so that I have more gratitude not just
in when I’m writing my 10 things but all
the time and that’s really changed me
yeah yeah so because you know you know
really what gratitude is it is proof
it’s like an it’s like outward proof
that you really do trust God yes so it’s
R it’s Revelation as to whether or not
you trust got so you’re in the midst of
stuff going on in your life and chaos in
your life but when you choose in the
midst of the chaos just yes still make
your prayer requests known to God but at
the same time say but I’m grateful for a
B C and D because like you’re doing that
discipline it stirs in you that faith
that deep down trust that you still have
that your God is who he says he is and
will do what he says that he will do and
Philippians chapter 4 says that
gratitude activates the peace of God
which surpasses all understanding that’s
what you’re experiencing guards our
hearts and minds it guards your hearts
all that negative thinking and I’ve even
transformed my language in my prayer
life because now I even have the
confidence to thank God in advance for
things that are coming true so I’m
excited about that yes yeah it’s
changing everything thank you for
working this out for me I don’t know how
and I don’t need the outcome I just need
to say thank you it’s huge it changes
everyday it’s I can see such a big
difference in the past year in my life
are you speaking a lot to groups of
women or Bibles are you speaking is that
kind of one of the main main things that
you’re doing right now in your life is
teaching and speaking as a teenager is
what I’m trying to say thank you a
teenager people need to hear this yeah I
love I love writing I love speaking
probably but not as much as I love
writing and I’ve recently gone back to
graduate school so I’m getting a
master’s in counseling so that’s
exciting
I’m a student again right now and just a
few things on your plate yeah yeah but
I’m not busy
cuz I don’t like that enough how are you
not busy as I hate that I hate that word
I refuse
you refuse to I refuse to say they’re
busy you refuse to be busy how do you
keep margin in your schedule with all
that you have going on how do you keep
bits of boundary and margin that keep
you from being busy well I’ve tried that
before and I can be so hyper organized
and hyper efficient that I can make
everything uh-huh
move but I’ve tried to get out of that
rut of being that person all the time
because that person’s not as fun so
instead of that like the greater my
gratitude is the more things just they
just get done but I’m thinking to myself
while I’m doing them like hey stop
trying so hard try try easy and I try
easier and then next thing you know
there’s more time and next thing you
know I’m like it’s okay it’ll get done
it’s fine and that brings me so much
peace that I forget about busy cuz busy
stresses me out
busy happens all out doesn’t it yeah
yeah yeah we don’t I don’t like days
like that I feel like I’m short with my
kids I don’t have time for my friends
what’s the point of working on all this
stuff if I don’t have time to sit and
talk with a friend who’s in a place
what’s the point of that am I so busy am
i so busy going to school to become a
counselor that I can’t talk to my talk
to my child that’s great I’m not gonna
be like that and I told myself that and
I talked to my kids before I ever went
back to school saying hey I’ve been
thinking of doing this what do you think
I mean this could impact you what if I
have tests or what if I have classes at
night what does that look like and they
were so awesome they’re like mom your
sister
you should do whatever it is you want to
do and it’s been beautiful cuz they’re
doing homework
it says mom and there we are are so calm
isn’t she so like her your personhood is
just kind of calm are you are you is
this is this your countenance normally
you’re just kind of laid-back and
easygoing I wouldn’t say I mean I can be
a type-a person but I think I am pretty
pretty steady no I don’t think I have a
lot of this going on but I don’t know if
that’s my personality and that’s what
shows or is it because I pray and
meditate and do my gratitude journal
like are my practices making me that way
or am am I that way I think it’s kind of
a combination okay I have some questions
miss Kristin we’re gonna need another
hour I feel like I need another hour
okay I appreciate what you’re saying
about the busyness stuff and work don’t
work harder you’re working easier but I
need you to tell me exactly what that
means like what does that look like
because you still only have 24 hours in
your day just like all of us only have
24 hours in our day and you’re still
trying to manage your home and feed
teenagers and go to graduate school and
be a writer for all of these seven books
that you have and more and speaking and
teaching people who very much need to
hear this message so you have got a lot
on your plate so I mean in a practical
weekly or daily sense how are you able
to keep yourself from being on edge
irritated and busy I mean practically
what does that look like I mean there
have to be some practice I’m very
curious so it’s the idea I think of
connecting to source first it’s why we
go to our Bibles or our devotionals in
the morning like first thing before you
do anything else that’s what I do first
and I think of it as literally plugging
in tapping into that place inside me
that is always calm and everyone has it
we just don’t know how to access it
regularly we don’t know how to access it
immediately and at first it’s awkward
you you can go to that place and you
have to sit down and have no
distractions and okay I’m going to relax
now I’m going to pray and meditate I’m
gonna have quiet but over time it
becomes so much more natural that you
can even go to that place with
when when you’re in the middle of a
conversation with someone and they’re
completely you know lighting all your
buttons and and being a human trigger
yeah in that moment you could say Wow
okay there’s the place within me that is
quiet that is like a sanctuary and I can
go to that place now more regularly and
so it keeps me throughout the day just
checking in and connecting in with the
parts of myself that are called higher
instead of the parts that drag me down
mm-hmm so that’s that’s I guess the best
way for me to describe it is just to say
that I try to connect to source God for
the energy that I need in the direction
that I need and then when I’m going from
that place I’m operating from a place of
abundance before the day ever starts and
so you’re not jumping into the day in a
Harry now oh my gosh I’m already out of
town the day hasn’t even scarcity I’m up
late I the lunches aren’t made oh no
where the gas is low I mean you can say
everything that’s scarce in your life
and you approach it that way and the
whole day you’ll be scrambling you’ll be
late
you’ll be stressed you’ll be short with
people I’ve had days like that I get it
you know I can see how I am when I’m
like that I don’t like it particularly
yeah and my kids don’t either and no one
enjoys me that way yeah but the other
ones just had to make you still have to
make practical choices because you can
wake up and do exactly what you’ve said
and have a sense of abundance toward the
day and yet still if you did not go fill
up your tank the night before you’re
going to have no gas in the car in the
rain or the lunches are not going to be
made on time right so you have got to be
saying lots of noes to things so that
you have room in your life for the big
bigger yeses yeah and I think that
that’s part of that process in the
morning of being grateful and being
intentional because if you set out with
the bigger things in mind first then
you’ll give those that the due priority
and the energy that they need and and
when you aren’t stressed out then you
will go like oh yeah I should probably
stop here and get gas while I’m on the
way it’s just a different your mind is
clearer so you’re not so muddied and
scrambling all the time and that’s where
that feeling comes from and then things
start to go wrong and then we turn
negative yes and that’s what I’m really
working on a lot right now and trying to
model that for my kids because kids have
a lot they do they do
my kids are shuffling between two houses
and three sports and they have all that
on their plate and so I want to I don’t
want them to have that horrible rushed
feeling all the time too so well I I
think it’s so interesting that we you
know kind of ending on this note of
talking about you know the your
countenance and the way we can see the
restoration that God has brought in you
we can see it externally we can see just
by the piece that is on you and in your
life and the thing is we all have the
opportunity to experience that by what I
really hear you saying is prioritizing
putting first things first meeting with
God realizing that our peace and
contentment and joy really does come
from him do not quote me on this but I
think it’s Martin Luther that said
something like today is a really busy
day so I must not spend twenty minutes
with the Lord I must spend two hours
with him today Wow because it’s really
busy today and so that that’s a coin set
yeah it’s it’s the same idea of just
knowing what comes first and putting
that first and realizing that that
really will reorient the whole rest of
your day and the rest of your life
you’ve modeled that for us you think
again for us would you guys please help
me to thank her
it’s a great conversation I really feel
like we need another hour or two to talk
to miss Kristen but you can hear more
from her and all the guidance that she
has the wisdom that she really does have
to give to women like us all of us who
are in busy places in life who have
stuff we’ve got to get over from the
past and we want to live a healthy whole
complete full life in the Lord this is
just one of her incredible books a
devotional that you’re gonna want to get
your hands on but pick up everything you
can by Kristin Armstrong because she
really is a blessing listen you’re going
to be able to watch this program
Tuesdays and Thursdays of this month at
noon 6 p.m. or 10 p.m. Central Standard
Time any of those three times on
Tuesdays and Thursdays you’ll find part
1 and part 2 of this conversation you
could just go to the chat with Priscilla
dot-com and I’ll be right there or you
can just check your local listing on the
NRB channel because we’ll be there as
well thank you so much for joining us we
cannot wait to do this again I hope you
have a great day
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[Music]
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[Music]
you