Episode Overview
This week on the God and Mental Health Podcast, Roslyn kicks off a brand new mini-series on the kindness of God — and she is not holding back. If you've ever come to God braced for correction, bracing for rejection, or feeling like he's somewhere in the distance shaking his head at you, this episode is for you. Roslyn gets into the actual character of God — backed by scripture — and begins dismantling the version of him that shame has built in our heads. This is the foundation for everything coming in this series, and it is rich.
What's Covered in This Episode
Why this series exists Roslyn has been wanting to talk about curiosity and kindness as tools for mental health, but realized she needed to start at the beginning first — with who God actually is toward us. Before we can practice curiosity and kindness with ourselves, we need to understand that it's modeled in God's own character. That's what this episode is all about.
Point 1 — God's Nature Is Not Shame. It Never Was.
The shame we feel toward God is something we project onto him — it is not something he projects onto us. His character is consistently described throughout Scripture as gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and filled with unfailing love. Roslyn shares a personal moment where God spoke something to her heart: "Roslyn, I am obsessed with you" — and how becoming a parent helped her finally understand what that actually means.
Scriptures:
- Psalm 103:8 — "The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love."
- Psalm 86:15 — "But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness."
- Lamentations 3:22-23 — "The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning."
If his mercies are new every morning, he is not holding yesterday against you today. Shame says he is. His character says otherwise.
Point 2 — He Moves Toward Our Brokenness, Not Away From It
The world's pattern — and the enemy's lie — is that broken people get left behind. The kingdom pattern is the opposite. God runs toward what is broken. Roslyn unpacks the Prodigal Son story not just as a story about a son coming home, but about a father running while the son was still far off. She also shares a personal story about hiding a childhood scar on her knee — and what God showed her through it about how he sees ours.
Scriptures:
- Romans 5:8 — "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."
- Jeremiah 31:3 — "I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself."
- Zephaniah 3:17 — "For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs."
God doesn't just tolerate you in your brokenness — he sings over you in it. That is not the posture of a God who is ashamed of you.
Point 3 — His Kindness Is What Actually Changes Us
Shame doesn't produce transformation — it produces hiding. Roslyn breaks down how it's actually God's kindness, not guilt or correction, that moves us toward repentance and genuine change. She uses the example of someone genuinely apologizing versus hiding something — and how the openness is what allows things to move forward. The same is true in our relationship with God.
Scriptures:
- Romans 2:4 — "Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can't you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?"
- 1 John 4:18 — "Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love."
Shame makes us hide. Kindness makes us come home.
Practical Tips
Name the version of God you've been relating to. Journal it out. What does the God in your head actually look like — is he disappointed, distant, watching you fail? Is he the God of Scripture or a version shaped by a parent, a painful experience, or a person who let you down? Getting that on paper is the first step to separating the lie from the truth.
Read Psalm 103 slowly this week. The entire chapter is a description of God's character toward us. Read it out loud if you can and let it begin replacing the wrong images.
Practice receiving, not just confessing. Many of us are good at coming to God with what we've done wrong. This week, try coming to him and just receiving — sit with a verse about his love for a few minutes without asking for anything or apologizing for anything. You may be surprised at what happens when you simply make space.
Notice when shame shows up in your prayer life. Do you brace yourself before you pray? Do you feel like you have to earn the right to ask? That's a signal. Name it directly — "God, I still feel like you're disappointed with me, even though I know that's not your character. Help me experience who you actually are."
Meditate on Zephaniah 3:17. He rejoices over you with singing. He takes delight in you with gladness. He calms your fears with his love. Sit with that image until it starts to feel more true than the shame does.
What's Next in This Series
Episode 2 — Jesus and Curiosity: How Jesus used curiosity as one of his primary tools in healing and discipleship, and what that means for how we can approach our own mental health journey.
Episode 3 — Curiosity and Kindness in Your Mental Health: Practical application of both — including the KIND acronym — for how to walk this out in your everyday life.
Connect with Roslyn Instagram: @RoslynRene Enjoying the podcast? Leave a review and rate it — Roslyn reads every comment and loves responding on Spotify. Know someone who needs to hear this? Share this episode with them.
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
