#137 Still Functioning Doesn’t Mean You’re Okay with Steven M. Bell

2026-01-13

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Send us a textHave you ever been in a season where everything looks fine on the outside—but inside you’re exhausted, unraveling, and quietly wondering how much longer you can hold it together?In this episode of Persistence in Prayer, I’m joined by Steven M. Bell, a Catholic convert, husband, and father, who shares his story of hidden addiction, control, and the slow unraveling that happens when we rely on performance instead of honesty. What makes this conversation so powerful isn’t shock value—it’s how familiar it feels.

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Have you ever been in a season where everything looks fine on the outside—but inside you’re exhausted, unraveling, and quietly wondering how much longer you can hold it together?

In this episode of Persistence in Prayer, I’m joined by Steven M. Bell, a Catholic convert, husband, and father, who shares his story of hidden addiction, control, and the slow unraveling that happens when we rely on performance instead of honesty. What makes this conversation so powerful isn’t shock value—it’s how familiar it feels.

Steven’s story opens a larger conversation about what happens when we cope instead of heal, when we function instead of surrender, and when we assume God must be tired of hearing the same struggle again.

This episode is for anyone who has ever:

kept going because you can, even though something inside you knows it isn’t sustainable
tried to manage pain quietly so no one else has to deal with it
believed that if you were stronger, holier, or more disciplined, things wouldn’t be this hard
wondered if God’s mercy really applies here—again

You’ll walk away with:

language for struggles that stay hidden because you’re still functioning
clarity on why trying harder doesn’t bring the freedom we’re actually longing for
insight into how control and coping can slowly replace trust
reassurance that God’s mercy does not shame you or grow impatient
encouragement to pray honestly—even when your words are messy or unfinished

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’ve gone too far, prayed about the same thing too many times, or should be “past this by now,” this conversation is for you.

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