Irene Rollins :: Stories of Overcoming Addiction and Reframing Your Shame
Irene Rollins is the author of the book Reframe Your Shame: Experience Freedom from What Holds You Back. In her book and in our conversation today, Irene shares her story of adolescent addiction to alcohol that consumed her life and rewired her brain chemistry until she found herself in college, tired and desperate for life, which she found in a relationship with Jesus, and the love of a wonderful man. As they grew their family and begin to pastor churches together, the old coping strategies, shame narratives, and lure of alcohol’s offer of escape began to pull on Irene’s weary heart until she found herself steeped in functional alcoholism. Perfect wife, mother and pastor by day, passed out in the bathroom by night, Irene’s life was falling apart. In 2017, she went to rehab. After incredible amounts of recovery work, thousands of prayers and redemptive reconciliation, Irene is celebrating 7 years of sobriety. She now, alongside her husband Jimmy Rollins, lives with a renewed purpose for ministering to people struggling with addictions, how to spot unhealthy habits that we use to help us cope with pain, brain hijacking, trying to work through crises in marriage, and speaking truth to the lies of the enemy that are keeping people in the crippling cycle of toxic shame, codependency, and powerlessness, and the difference Jesus brings with a life of pursuing healing, reconciliation, repentance, and freedom in Him.
We covered so much ground in this episode. Everything from types of addictions, mental health struggles, sexual abuse, toxic shame, the narratives we tell ourselves, the difference between conviction and shame, and normalizing discomfort as we learn and grow, and use our feelings as teachers and not masters. Recovery is not exclusive to alcoholism. We are called to throw off everything that hinders us. What an opportunity to examine how we can reframe the narratives in our lives and pursue God’s heart for how He sees us, allowing Him to transform our hearts and mind.
Wherever you are in your story, what hinders your growth, or keeps you captive from healing, you are worth the work. Yes, we are weak. Yes, we have believed lies that have allowed people to hurt us, or we’ve hurt ourselves. But in our weakness God is strong. He has good for you in the land of the living and a future of hope. Take heart, friend. This isn’t how the story ends. You matter, and your story matters.
Connecting with Irene:
Book: Reframe Your Shame: Experience Freedom from What Holds You Back
Their ministry: Two Equals One // Their instagram:
Scripture References:
1 Corinthians 6:12- I can do anything, but I must not become a slave to anything
Romans 3:23-24, James 4:17- Sin keeps us from being who we were made to be (we all have sin)
2 Corinthians 3:18, 5:17, 2 Peter 1:2-4- Jesus can transform our lives
2 Corinthians 12:9- Seeing His power be made known in our weaknesses
Psalm 51:10- Create in me a clean heart
Luke 10:38-42-Martha syndrome
John 10:10- The enemy comes to seek, kill and destroy
Romans 8:1- Therefore there is now no condemnation
John 3:16-17-Jesus died on the cross for our sins
Hebrews 12:2-Focus on the joy that is set before us
Luke 22:42- Jesus asked the Father to take this cup from Him, but He surrendered to His will
2 Corinthians 7:10, Romans 2:4- Conviction leads to repentance
Jeremiah 6:14-16- You can’t heal a wound you don’t see
Psalm 139:13-14-God created me in my Mother’s wombs
Deuteronomy 31:6, Matthew 28:20, John 14:16-17 God is ALWAYS with us
Psalm 23- His rod and staff lead and comfort me
1 Corinthians 15:58- Nothing is wasted
References:
Reframing Your Shame Prayer Prompts (scroll to the bottom to sign up for them for free!)
The Language of Letting Go App
Episode Sponsor: Tony Crabtree of Crabtree Homes with Exit Realty
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*Intro and Outro music is from audionautix.com