Trusting God Through Heartbreak

Welcome back to Becoming the Oak Rooted in Christ. I’m your host, Kendra George, and today I have a special guest—my dear friend and co-host from Gather in Christ, Andrea Lindsay.

Andrea is someone I’ve always looked up to. I’ve admired her testimony, her strength, and her ability to stay deeply rooted in Jesus Christ no matter what life brings. I know she has life experiences that will strengthen your own roots in Christ.

Andrea lives in Utah but is originally from Idaho. She is married, raising a blended family, and is also an author of a children’s book series she has been working on for years.

But what makes Andrea’s story so powerful isn’t just what she’s accomplished—it’s how she has allowed Christ to shape her through life’s unexpected turns.

In this episode:

• Preparation Matters
  Spiritual roots built before trials are what sustain you during them.

• Feelings Aren’t Always Facts
  God can guide you even when you don’t have all the answers.

• Healing Requires Intentional Choice
  Moving forward is often a decision before it becomes a feeling.

• Pain Expands Your Capacity for Joy
  Deeper sorrow creates space for deeper joy and connection.

• God Uses Every Experience for Good
  Even heartbreak plays a role in shaping who you’re meant to become.

Before her life-changing experience, Andrea shared that she had already begun shifting from simply having a testimony to living a life of deep conversion.

She said:

“I was working really hard at adapting my life to the gospel of Jesus Christ… I wanted to make sure that my life was totally square with the gospel in every principle.”

She was teaching, studying, and immersing herself in the gospel daily. Looking back, she recognizes this preparation as the very thing that carried her through what came next.

Andrea was 29, engaged, and planning her future when something began to feel… off.

“When you have a feeling without facts, it’s just confusion.”

She prayed, asking God to help her understand. Shortly after, everything unraveled. The engagement ended.

It wasn’t just the loss of a relationship—it was the loss of a future she had already envisioned.

“It was devastating… years of planning, preparing, and now it’s just shifting.”

There were fears many women can relate to:

• What if I never find someone?

• What if this was my chance?

• What if I’m making the wrong decision?

Andrea shared something deeply powerful—she had unknowingly placed marriage in a position that only Christ should hold.

“I was making everything’s going to be okay if I’m married… but it wasn’t the case. The Savior needed to be in that position.”

The broken engagement became the very thing that re-centered her life on Christ.

In the middle of her pain, Andrea stayed busy in meaningful, faith-filled ways—teaching, studying, and serving.

One moment stands out vividly.

As she walked up the long stairs at BYU, emotionally and physically exhausted, a Primary song came into her mind:

“Dare to do right, dare to be true…”

She said:

“It wasn’t just the words—it was a lifting of the burden at the same time.”

That moment didn’t erase the pain, but it gave her strength to keep going.

Andrea made a conscious decision:

“I do not have time to be bitter. I have got to get over this as fast as I possibly can.”

She didn’t ignore the pain—but she refused to live in it.

Instead, she:

• Immersed herself in scripture and gospel teachings

• Read books that strengthened her spiritually

• Stayed physically active and intentional with her health

• Leaned on uplifting friendships

• Even found ways to laugh through the pain

“I will not spend any time on anything other than recovering and moving on.”

One of the most honest parts of her story is this:

“It was a head decision, not a heart decision. The heart was too messed up to decide.”

Sometimes healing doesn’t start with feelings—it starts with a choice.

A choice to believe.
A choice to trust.
A choice to move forward even when your heart hasn’t caught up yet.

Andrea shared that joy didn’t disappear—it actually deepened.

“Joy is deeper and richer every time you go through a tragedy… because you’ve experienced sorrow at a deeper level.”

Through her experiences, she gained:

• Greater empathy for others

• Deeper connections

• A stronger relationship with Christ

• A clearer understanding of eternal perspective

Years later, Andrea received a sacred confirmation that changed everything:

“None of these were even options for me… they were all people sent to help mold and shape me.”

Every relationship.
Every disappointment.
Every heartbreak.

All of it was part of God’s refining process.

Andrea shared a powerful reframe:

“Everyone is the one that’s going to lead you to the right one.”

Instead of seeing relationships as failures, she now sees them as formative.

“The Lord allows us to go through hard things so that He can teach us great things.”

Through it all, Andrea learned this truth:

“You can be happy with a broken engagement… because happiness is a choice.”

True joy doesn’t come from circumstances—it comes from choosing Christ.

“There is nothing happier than doing His will.”

If you’re walking through heartbreak, confusion, or unmet expectations, Andrea’s story is a reminder:

You are not behind.
You are not forgotten.
And your story is not over.

When you root yourself in Christ, even life’s hardest moments can become sacred ground for growth.

Whatever you’re carrying—Christ can meet you there.

Until next time, be still, believe, and become.