One on One with Mista Yu

Lara Silverman, J.D. - Living Like Job, Singing Out Loud

• Mista Yu

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When the room won’t stop spinning and your plans shatter overnight, where do you put your hope? That’s the question we bring to Lara Silverman—bestselling Christian author, lawyer, jazz singer, and comedic actress—whose life veered from a federal prosecutor dream to a mysterious neurological illness that left her bedridden for years. She speaks candidly about the anger, the silence, and the strange nearness of God that met her when every door closed.

We trace her journey from ambition and identity in achievement to a tougher, truer discipleship grounded in the cross. Lara unpacks how acceptance isn’t surrendering to despair, but consenting to be formed when the answer is no. She shares the love story that bloomed in the valley—a friend from church battling terminal cancer—how they married under Isaiah’s promise of streams in the desert, and how she walked through grief when he died a year later. Her phrase “joy in the fire” isn’t a slogan; it’s a daily rhythm of singing when she can sit up, creating comedy that opens hearts, and recording the “receipts” of grace that kept arriving in Scripture, community, and quiet whispers.

You’ll hear thoughtful, practical reflections on suffering, sovereignty, and eternity; how churches can better care for widows, singles, and the chronically ill; and why 2 Corinthians 4:17 reframes pain as purposeful, not pointless. 

If this conversation strengthens you, share it with a friend, subscribe for more thoughtful stories of perseverance, and leave a FIVE STAR review with the verse that anchors you when life hurts. Your words help others find hope.

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SPEAKER_00:

Welcome back to one on one with Mr. U. Of course. I'm your host, Mr. U in studio with us, bestselling Christian author, lawyer, jazz singer, and comedic actress, Laura Silverman's in the house. Laura, how are you today?

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you so much for that introduction. I'm doing great. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00:

Man, so good to have you in here. You probably a lot more than those things I just named, but excited about getting into it. For those of you who have uh any questions for me or our show, or you want to reach out to me regarding coaching, upper right-hand corner of your screen, the QR code. You can use that to reach out to me.

SPEAKER_01:

Thanks. Yeah, you know, so I grew up in an Armenian home, evangelical, you know, Christian family. And, you know, I didn't have that much exposure to suffering as a kid, um, luckily, you know, and you know, good church. And I grew up and went to law school because I had always wanted to be a lawyer. And I also loved performing, you know, I love singing and acting. I'm like a ham. But basically, the long and short of it is, you know, my I was at the height of my career. I had just been given an opportunity to join at the U.S. attorney's office, which means I was going to be a federal prosecutor, um, which was my dream job. This was in 2018. I had just turned 30. I had worked at a big law firm, done my time, and I was so ready to just prosecute. And I really felt like this was God's calling on my life. So, long story short, you know, God has his surprises. Two weeks into the job, I fell mysteriously ill with a very severe neurological illness. And, you know, I don't know how much detail you want me to go into it, but the bottom line is for the last eight years, I have been struggling with very severe neurological pain without relief. And just to give your audience a context, my illness stems from the connection between my ear and my brain, because there's an organ in our ears which um coordinates telling the brain where we are in space. So right now you can't tell, but the whole world is spinning around me because it's kind of a silent neurological illness. And so I don't, in other words, it's vertigo. So, in other words, I have nonstop chronic vertigo. And in fact, I'm still bedridden on that bed about 60% of every day. There was a point the first three years after I had to resign from the job, obviously. And I was never able to work on my dream job. It was really just very sad for me. But basically, after I resigned, I was like, Lord, what are you doing? Like, this is so confusing. You just opened the door to my dream job and now you're pulling me out. Like, what's going on, man? And basically after I quit, I was on that bed for three years straight without being able to move my head. So we're talking a very rare severe illness. And in fact, we still don't have a diagnosis. I mean, my parents and I, I mean, I tried 150 treatments. My mom was nursing me on a bedpan on that bed. I was hospitalized twice. I mean, we tried maybe 150 treatments, western, eastern. It felt like the Lord was closing tours left and right. And it was like really a Job season of like, what are you doing, Lord? Like, I are you good, you know, and all those questions. And as you can imagine, it was very difficult to keep my faith. But what I want to testify to your audience today is that I don't know, man. The Lord has been so close to me the last eight years, even despite my doubts, despite my anger. Like, you have to read my memoir because, like, I know I'm a very honest person. It's like, what's the point in lying? And and I really struggled with, are you good? And what, you know, what does it mean when you just keep slamming doors and you're answering no? And I will tell you though, that the Lord met me there. And, you know, even when I wasn't very savory, you know, he he just kept giving me grace and forgiveness. And I never had really understood like what it means. I mean, this sounds pompous, but like what it means to be a sinner, like in the sense that, you know, when you're raised in a Christian home, oh, I'm goody two shoes, I'm this, you know, I'm okay, you know, I'm not as bad as, and yet you realize how depraved you are when you're raising your fists at God, really, you know, just so angry. I mean, the anger I've gone through, and yet you're seeing me here eight years in, and there came a point where the Lord called me to write a book on my journey, and it has been so healing for me, like just to just to prove to myself that God has been with me. I mean, you'll see the receipts because I'm a lawyer. I kept evidence of every time the Lord, the Holy Spirit spoke to me, encouraged me. And I will tell you, just to kind of tie it up, that the Lord did call me to acceptance of this. He actually gave me a word explicitly, you know, about four years into the illness. And you can imagine it was demoralizing in the sense of, whoa, whoa, whoa, I thought that you always heal in the end, Lord. Like I thought that the deliverance is always earthly, Lord. Like you're really gonna leave me here. And yet the Lord opened my eyes to, I mean, look at Paul's chronic thorn in the flesh. I mean, God said no. I mean, God says no to good desires all the time in the Bible. I mean, we follow a take up your cross gospel, you know, not a you know, take up your spa day gospel, you know. I mean, and I think as right? I mean, I think even if we don't subscribe to the false prosperity gospel, we're Christians, we love the Lord. We want to assume that He wants to give us good things, and He does, but that doesn't really look necessarily like what we view as good things. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_00:

I mean total sense. I just got been talking to some people about the past few days, you know, everything about God is good, but everything that's good is not God. I got a question I want to ask you about because this is just something that I in exploring your story and just so much about you I want to get into. I hope we have enough time to do so. But I I'd love for you to kind of just uh reckon uh for us if you can, uh the suffering you've gone through at the same time, remembering that you're not abandoned and that you're not alone. How how do you reckon that those two things together? Because it's a really rough thing to walk through that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, absolutely brilliant question. Because so when I was strictly bedridden on that bed for three years, I couldn't move. Basically, even though I felt abandoned in the sense that God wasn't answering my prayers, yes, right? He wasn't healing me, I still didn't feel abandoned. So it sounds contradictory, but I didn't feel abandoned in the sense that he would constantly speak to me. Like I swear, almost like once a day or once a week, like you have to read my book because I outlined like every time the Holy Spirit would speak to me, because I would have my mom write them in journals. Like I would be on that bed and I'd be like, Mom, I feel like God just, you know, I mean, it was either the still soft voice or, you know, my dad reads me the Bible, and then a friend texts the same verse later that night, you know, 2 Corinthians 12, 9, my grace is sufficient for you. I mean, these little coincidences where the Holy Spirit kind of sneaks in. So he wasn't, I I didn't feel abandoned, like, but I felt like, why are you not answering? Yes, but I I never felt abandoned, like I was alone. So his presence in the fire, like with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, like it is so true, man. And I don't think we realize it until you're in that fire.

SPEAKER_00:

Without question, without question. So help help me with this one. So the person, and because I heard something when you said this, I want you to flesh it out. I want to speculate. When you wanted to be an attorney, you wanted to prosecute, and you would tell me how different you are from that person in that case that wanted to do that, because it sounded like you had a uh a few reasons for why you wanted to be in that position. What's different about you now?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I mean, you know, I have always been very type A, you know, go-getter. I mean, you know, and I can tell you're like, you know, I can call one when I see one. You know, it's like we are go-getters, we're hard-charged. You know what I mean? Like, we're we're trying to use our talents for God's glory. Like, He gave us intellect, He gave us drive, but I very much idolized work. You know, I don't know about you, man, but like I was very much, you know, what identity in Christ? Like my identity in Christ is success and you know, proving to the Lord that I'm capable and smart and proving to everyone else. And so today you're looking at me, you know, having, you know, had the humble sauce of, whoa, okay, this life is not about being a judge or a number one lawyer or whatever. It's actually about pursuing Christ's will and conforming to Christ, Romans 8.29, which, you know, I knew all this before I got sick, but you never really, I mean, I don't think until you're suffering, you actually realize what these doctrines mean. Like Martin Luther said, yeah, Martin Luther said suffering is just fast-track seminary school. And I don't think anyone has said anything as wise since. But can I tell you one other thing? Of course. There's something I forgot to mention that's a big part of this book. So four years into the bed, when I started sensing that the Holy Spirit was calling me to acceptance, and this was after trying 150 treatments. The Lord brings this man into my life. Okay, here's the big plot twist. So this guy was an acquaintance from church, and I was so demoralized at this point. I was bitter at the Lord. I was like, What do you mean you're not gonna heal me? Like, am I hearing you wrong? And I sought counsel and this and that. So this guy calls my mom, he says, Your daughter's been isolated. I want to come visit her. So I'm on that bed and he walks in, he sits next to me on a chair, and he's got a chemo pump strapped to his chest because another plot twist is he had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer at age 30. Yeah, and we were friends from church. And so he starts visiting me. And over the course of eight visits, he gives me a theology of suffering. And this guy was a missionary to Haiti, a biochemical engineering PhD, as brilliant as it gets. And our youth leader, like our youth pastor, he would preach when our pastor couldn't, like just as a lay pastor, because he was so into theology. And he starts giving me a theology of suffering, and he's like, I'm not scared to die. The Lord's will be done. Like, we're gonna march through this. And I'm like, Who are you? And why are you so Christ-like? And here's the plot twist we fell in love, okay? And you're going, and I had been single in my 20s and 30s, like begging the Lord for a spouse. And here I am on a bed, and this guy waltz in, and I'm like, A, you're kind of cute, and B, you're very smart. And I'm telling you, we prayed to the Lord, like, is this wise? Like, Matt has cancer. Like, is this from the Lord? Is this our heart? The heart is deceitful. And I'm telling you, man, the Lord answered us that we should take this joy in our mutual grief. And the long story short is yeah, we got married, and our verse at our wedding was Isaiah 43.20, which says, The Lord gives refreshing streams of water in times of desert suffering. And so it was a testimony and a ministry to our whole Armenian community that look, God gives us gifts in the pit, like literally surprising gifts when no one would expect a cancer patient to get married. And Matt had never even had a girlfriend. I mean, this guy was like the geek of the gifts. Oh, my goodness. Yeah, I think he was just the most Christ-like person and just such an example of courage. And long story short, you know, I mean, you can guess what happened. So he died.

SPEAKER_00:

I don't have to guess, I'm normal.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, he died basically a year after our wedding. And two months after he entered glory, God called me to write this book. And I'm a jazz singer and an actor. And a lot of my story since I started sitting up again was God calling me to have joy in my grief through performing and just, you know, I sit up and the world is spinning, but my mom will record me, or my dad will record me, or Matt would record me, or whatever. And then I slam back down on the bed. But having that talent and those gifts, God has used it to give me joy, especially after Matt died. So you can imagine, like at this point, I was like, Lord, you took the career, you took the health, you took the husband. Like, I cannot do the give and take away thing anymore, man. Like I, and so it was a big, I mean, the wrestling with God was so difficult, and yet He has been redeeming it through this book. Like, I published it a couple months ago, and I'm telling you, like the responses that I've been getting, I'm just in tears on that bed every day because I'm like, Lord, you are proving to me that you redeem suffering. Like there must have been a sovereign purpose for me to be on this bed, and I'm still on the bed, I'm still in the fire. Like, I like the theme of my book is God calls us to have joy in the fire, not after. Like Christians are always focusing on deliverance, and that's great, right? I mean, it's wonderful when the Lord delivers, but many of us don't get the healing until eternity. Look at Matt. So, anyway, I got off my soapbox, but you know, feel free to ask any questions.

SPEAKER_00:

It's been a quite a few. I'm gonna try to get them in before our time wins out on this. But absolutely, got several questions. Uh, one of the things that I'm um first of all, I'm very impressed by your attitude. Uh, because I know no, my wife's situation is a little bit different, but she's been through things that I I don't know how she got this far. We've been married almost 30 years now, and she's been through so much stuff, even before we got together. But your attitude is so positive and so hopeful. Tell me if you can, what is peace for you?

SPEAKER_01:

I'm telling you, after being fleeced, and and I don't say that in a facetious way, but like after losing so many different buckets of my own dreams for my life and like having to surrender them to the Lord's will, kind of like Abraham, the peace that I have at this point in time is solely in eternity. And the fact that God has purposes for this, like the fact that there is meaning to my suffering, you know, a lot of people resist God's sovereignty. I don't know where your theology is on that, in terms of like, does he cause suffering? Is he, you know, but for me, the fact that he reigns over all and has a purpose for this and has measured it out makes me feel so at peace that look, if God is good, there's gotta be a purpose to this. And that makes every difference when I sit up and I want to be either depressed or put a smile on my face. Because if I know God is redeeming this for his eternal purposes and I will see those in eternity, man, it makes all the difference.

SPEAKER_00:

Makes a lot of sense. So if I understood you right for her correctly, 60% of your time of your day is spent in the bed.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep. Right now you're seeing me with the makeup and whatever.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm gonna go in there.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm gonna I'm gonna slam back back down on that bed after this podcast because this is more than I can tolerate.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, okay. Well, I'll try not to keep this too long for you. So, in the 40% of our time that you're not in bed, yeah. What are your spiritual habits? What are your practice? What are you doing? I know that that's uh I mean before you answer that question, I'm gonna just preface where I was uh where I was going with that. Many of us we have 100% of the time where we can do whatever we want to do theoretically, but we don't use that time wise, we don't maximize the time that we have. We sometimes we waste it, sometimes we don't do it with the uh comensual amount of offensiveness. So you have 40, and you know you got 40, and you know that after that, just that's all you have. What kind of spiritual habits and practices do you employ? What do you do during the 40% of your time?

SPEAKER_01:

So I have like a ministry of sorts, if you will, like on social media right now, just you know, doing jazz songs, comedy, skits. I do Armenian comedy, I share Christian theology, just like little snippets. And so for me, it's like I'm trying to maximize A, giving myself joy when I sit up, which for me is performing. And then B, it's like, what can I, you know, do to share the insights that I've learned that God has given me about suffering? Because for better or worse, I'm like the expert on suffering now. Like I feel like God, I mean, I'm no expert, right? But I'm saying like God has spoken to me so much about the different doctrines on suffering because I am suffering. So for me, that 40% is like, okay, what can I do for the Lord? You know, like what can I, what can I share? And social media is almost a gift. I mean, there's so many negatives, but it's a gift because people like me who are on house arrest, I can get my message out to the world in a way that I wouldn't have been able to in the 1800s, you know? So it's the people knock social media, but it also has great benefits.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's all about how you use it, you kind of get out to put in for the most part. Yeah, you mentioned also in your memoir, we talk a lot about singleness and marriage and grief and things of that nature. I I you mentioned the church and what you would like to see them understand better. I'm excited to hear this because I'm if you listen to all the show inspiration and station, it's what I talk about the majority of the time. I have no problems going in that direction. But I'd love to hear your thoughts. What do you think the church should be doing better when it comes to women in situations like that? Go ahead and share that.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, do you mean women who are single?

SPEAKER_00:

For yeah, those who are yeah, you mean you mentioned uh the marriage aspect, the grief aspect.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, you know, it's funny because I do think that there still is a gap. Uh, first of all, I think that the church idolizes marriage. I mean, there is no question about it. Like, I mean, even though Paul said that it is good to be single, right? Like, it is equally good, right? Like, singleness is a gift. Yes, the Lord's design is marriage, right? We look at Genesis, like, but at the same time, like God doesn't give the gift of marriage to everyone. I mean, look at Amy Carmichael. Like, there are many women who desired marriage, and yet the Lord did not bless them with that gift. And it makes us think, what? Like, don't you bless us with good desires, Lord? And yet sometimes the Lord answers no. And we're just not gonna understand that on this side of eternity. Isaiah 55, his ways are higher than our ways. But but I think the church, yeah, but I think the church leaves a gap. Like, I have a couple widow friends now because I've joined some widows' ministries because I am a widow, and they are like all of them are like we don't, and not in a mean way, but like they feel like the church doesn't overlook the widows, but it's like it feels like the church is are you know that the Bible teaches that, huh?

SPEAKER_00:

You know they overlooked it. You don't have to you don't have to dance around that, you know it's true because the Bible talks about that. It's always like take care of the widows, make sure that their needs are met because they've been overlooked for centuries. This is not nothing new. Come on, yeah, we gotta tap dance through that when you know it's true. You can say that, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So it's it's sad though, you know, and I think the problem is you know, not blaming other people, it's more when you're not walking through it. Like, for example, before I was chronically ill, was I ever thinking about, oh, let me work to get the disabled people at church? And think about, you know, I mean, just frankly, like I was a selfish person, I wasn't focusing on others' needs. Like when you're not in that valley, that's why we we all have our different crosses to bear. So I get it. It's it's it's hard for the church to have a million ministries. So I don't know what the solution is. I think God calls each of us individually, like you're walking through it. I want you to start the widow's ministry. You know what I'm saying? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Are you are you are you gonna answer that call?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I'm I'm you're gonna laugh, but I feel like a couple weeks ago the Lord called me to start my own podcast on suffering. And I'm like, I was like, Lord, I'm so exhausted. I don't want to do this. I just released this book, but I don't know. I'm praying about it, and I I just I don't have the energy for it. I know that the Lord will sustain if this is really his call, but I might start one just on like the suffering angle, not necessarily on the way, just because my path has been different kinds of suffering, chronic health, losing a spouse, losing your career, like just the different aspects. So we'll see.

SPEAKER_00:

I love it. I got a friend that chimes in from the uh honest Christian Conversations podcast. Oh good friend of mine. She said, Thanks for having her on. She's a powerhouse, she's talking about you. She said, Love her passion about taking care of widows and also focusing on others' needs. So she's a jazz singer, love it. I'm a fan of jazz. I brought her comment in because that'll be my next question. Because I love jazz, but I have a challenge with certain kinds of jazz. So I want to kind of hear which one is the one that Laura likes, and my friend here likes my.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, um, you know, Duke Ellington, just I mean, the classics. Um, you know, I kind of dabbled in what is it, Diana Krawl, like when I was like 20 or something, but it wasn't my, you know, peel me a grape, you know, it wasn't really mine.

SPEAKER_00:

So yeah, I was seeing that's what I was afraid of because I'm a big contemporary jazz fan. As a matter of fact, I've been messing the early 80s. Uh but she's not a good example. When I hear it's just the show talking about her, but when I hear her, I'm like, yeah, I I don't I don't want that. What you're offering me. I don't I don't want that. So I love contemporary jazz, but there's some examples. She's one of them. It's just not my favorite. So I'm not I'm not against it. The big band jazz, I think it it I never really can get with it. It kind of had a uh a sad uh black keys on the piano kind of feel. It was just like, uh, this is making me feel sad and not happy. You know, yeah. My friend chiman in said, I like smooth jazz. Ooh, I like the stuff that you hear in this coffee cafes, okay. Nice, yeah. I love that. Nice, nice save, their friends. I didn't say I like smooth jazz before, so nice save. I like it. I love giant. We're talking we're talking about that one offline, okay? Good to know, good to know. All right, so tell me something we're getting kind of close to uh the end of our time. I got so many questions I want to ask you. So I'm trying to condense them and get them in for you in the state that you're in, with what you're dealing with. What does freedom look like to you? Because somebody on the outside may say, you know what, this person's not free because of what you're dealing with, but I think that's relative. What's freedom for Laura?

SPEAKER_01:

Freedom for me is every minute when I'm able to surrender to God's will. Because there have just during this journey, you have to read the book again, because I have struggled with great bitterness, frankly. You know, I mean, I have to be honest. Like, again, what's the point in lying? And my journey has been these spiritual highs and spiritual lows. And the Lord was with me through that and dealt with me through that. But I have noticed that the minute that I, you know, I'll I might wake up tomorrow, you know, and and Satan will plant a thought in my mind again, like God has withheld from me, right? And and I have to wrestle with that. And but the minute that I the times when I felt like I've had the most peace are the times when I'm able to successfully turn back with scripture and say, no, God's plans are perfect and there are purposes I might never see until eternity, but they are there. And so for me, peace is not about my brain will stop spinning, you know, Matt's gonna come back. I mean, this stuff is not, you know, gonna happen unless, you know, Matt is gonna resurrect from the dead tomorrow. But I'm telling you, like, for me, it's really true what Paul says, which I think he says, yeah, I have learned to be content in all circumstances. And in fact, the suffering, I don't want to say we should chase suffering or that it gives us peace. I mean, that sounds almost theologically wrong, but like sometimes when you're suffering, you feel God's presence more. I know I have. And so for me, it's like it is a strange kind of peace. Like he is in the fire in a way he never was when I was a pompous lawyer, you know? So, yeah, peace looks totally different these days.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I love this, I love this. Just a few more questions, and I'll let you get back to the rest of your day. I'm sure you're gonna be doing a lot of things because you are you're an inspiring person. So I know you're being inspired. So thanks for being here and doing what you're doing today. Uh, one of the things I want to ask you to kind of speak to our listeners and viewers about is the idea of eternity. I know when it's about to teach us to look to those things which are above and at those things which are drawing the earth. I know it's not easy to do that because eternity is something that we see glimpses of and shadows of, but we don't see it. And it's really hard to kind of keep that in perspective. How are you doing that? How are you keeping eternity in your perspective? I know it's not easy, but can you can you put into words, is it possible for you to put into words how you're doing that?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, what a brilliant question. Like a lot of the um last part of my book is you know about eternity and about these eternal themes. Because honestly, like I said earlier, when I when you've lost so many of your dreams or when you're going through loss, uh the idea of eternity and God wiping away your tears and making everything right is just everything. It's like precious manna, you know. It's like, and so I try. How do I? I mean, it's difficult, man. But like when you're suffering, I I don't know. Like, I feel like my heart, I mean, God set eternity on the human heart, right? It's in Proverbs, but like I feel like when you're suffering in a physical sense, my body is suffering here, but my soul, like sometimes I can kind of, I mean, it sounds like I don't want to be like Gnostic or something, but it feels like my soul is safe and secure. It is well with my soul, right? Like it is in heaven. Like, isn't there a verse that says we are already seated at the right hand of Christ? Like, in other words, eternity is closer than we think, like the veil is closer than we think. And God has actually graciously given me, like after Matt died, okay, you would think that I would have been demoralized. But I'm telling you, I don't know, I hope you've never lost a loved one. But after you lose, yeah, like didn't you feel, you know, and maybe it was up and down, kind of like it was for me, but I felt this rush of peace from the Holy Spirit, like confirming to me in these little ways, like not new age type signs, but like just these ways from the Holy Spirit that made me feel like have peace. Matt is with me. Like I could just, I could just sense it and I can't describe it. And actually, my book goes through a couple of those signs, if you will, that the Lord kind of answered my prayer when I was like, Lord, just show me Matt is alive, like, like show me. And you know, for example, like the next morning I wake up to an Instagram message, and a non-Christian friend of all people sends me a Christian reel titled A Love Letter from Heaven. And it's and the the music to the reel is the Tarzan song called You'll be in my heart, which Matt and I used to, you know, listen to together. So it's like it was a wink from God. It was like, what are the chances that this non-Christian is sending me? I mean, just goosebumps. It's like eternity is real, man. Like anyone you've lost in Christ is there, and I can't, I mean, not that I can't wait to go. It's not like I want to die, but you get what I'm saying. It's real, man.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm with you. And that's scriptures, Ephesians 2 and 6 that we're talking about. We are seated with him in heavenly places, Ephesians 2, verse 6. Yeah, so it's right then a show notes for those that want to uh look at that and grab that and read the whole thing all the way through. All right, so this is the penultimate question before the last question of our show. For somebody who's listening right now, who may just feel like their story is in their life, it's just about hard stuff, fire, torture, torment, and they don't have that song and outlet. What can you say to them to encourage them to keep going?

SPEAKER_01:

I want you to know that I have been there, and in fact, you know, on you know, I I don't I I'm at a greater place of spiritual growth now, but you know, I don't want to lie, there are still emotions sometimes, and you have to fight that spiritual battle. But I am with you, I am in the fire with you, and I want you to know something that God enlightened or you know, sort of opened my eyes to that you might not know yet, which applies directly to you. Did you know that 2 Corinthians 4 17, Paul says that these light and momentary troubles are creating for us an eternal glory to get back to the eternity theme you raised, an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. And you have to remember, you know, you're probably thinking, who are you to tell me my troubles are light and momentary? But Paul had been shipwrecked, beaten, flogged, brought down in a basket, in prison. I mean, this guy was saying, and I'm assuming, you know, through inspiration from the Lord, that these troubles are achieving the glory. Like it's not just like, oh, God redeems on the back end. No, by some mystery, God remains. God actually uses our sufferings. Think about Christ. God used Christ on the cross to redeem mankind's, you know, redemption, right? So that we so think whatever trouble you're going through, I just want to encourage you. God is saying to you, keep clinging because I know you don't see a purpose, but there are 10,000 purposes you can't see, my child. And you will see them in glory. You've got to just trust that. It's blind faith.

SPEAKER_00:

It's currency, it's an exchange. That's really uh a deep scriptural truth. So thank you for sharing that. All right. Last question. First off, before I get to that, thank you for taking the time to be here. I know that it costs you to be here with us, and I hope, and I'm I'm hopeful that this episode is going to be prosperous for you and what you do outside of this. And I hope you get all of the clients and friends and connection that you need. I hope this episode does that for you because you will I really feel like you deserve that.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00:

Final question I ask everybody this question to come through our show. We call it the CMV question: career mission and vocation. I have to diminish the work that you've done because you've done great things with your life. But theoretically, I'm going to erase it all. It's not mean, it's just theoretical. I'm going to erase everything. What do you think Laura Silverman is doing today? Outside this, this is something that you've never done before. This is something that maybe perhaps you put on the shelf. Maybe it's something that you always thought about, but never actually pull the trigger on doing it. What's Laura doing today?

SPEAKER_01:

Man, that's a good question.

SPEAKER_00:

I don't have any Jeopardy music, so you're on your own with this one.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my gosh, I don't know, man.

SPEAKER_00:

You've done so many things.

SPEAKER_01:

I know it's hard, but you mean what would I do today if I could just pull the trigger on a dream or something and do it?

SPEAKER_00:

It could be it could be a career, it could be a mission in life, it could be anything. I've heard I've heard so many things that you can shock me at this point. I've heard somebody who was just buttoned up as I couldn't believe they were, and they said Burr, let's dance. I couldn't believe it.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, I don't know. I would probably, you know, direct a movie or something. Like I love acting, and I I'm so I love creativity. Like I I probably would just, you know, I don't know if I could get a film set in here and then I would bring some actors, and I don't know. I mean, I love musicals, I love drama.

SPEAKER_00:

I would be so yeah, not dramatic at all.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for being here. This was a fantastic conversation. I wish you all the best. I know great things are gonna happen just as a result of just the kind of person you are and the given person that you are. Great things are coming for you, and I'm so excited to be a small part of this little journey with you. So, thank you for being here, taking the time to talk to us.

SPEAKER_01:

Thanks so much. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00:

Please mind everybody that's watching and listening for the first time, or you know how to drill how the drill is. All of our live episodes are already on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube. You see it on Instagram and and uh TikTok perhaps later on and listening platforms, it'd be up within the hour. Thanks again for watching and listening to 101 Mr. You. That's Laura Silverman singing through fire. Check out her book, hold it up again so they can see your book. Singing through fire. Check it out, Laura Silverman, and I'm Mr. U. We're out. Have a great day. Thanks again for watching and for the first time.

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