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Your Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcastAuthor: Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Your Hope-Filled Perspective draws on Dr. Michelle Bengtsons almost 3 decades of clinical expertise as a neuropsychologist to help her listeners regain hope, renew their minds, and transform their lives. With a perfect balance of clinical expertise, compassion, and vulnerability, Dr. Bengtson and her guests purpose to share Biblically-based hope-filled perspectives for real-life issues, struggles, and concerns. Voted #2 in 2022's Podcast Magazine's Top 50 Moms in Podcasting. Language: en-us Genres: Christianity, Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Religion & Spirituality Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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How a Doctor Let Go of Bitterness and Found Rest and Hope After Career Loss
Episode 327
Thursday, 17 July, 2025
Episode Summary: In this episode, Dr. Vickie Petz Kasper shares her powerful story of how a rare neuromuscular disorder abruptly ended her 20-year career as an OB/GYN, transforming her life in an instant. From delivering thousands of babies to becoming a patient herself, Vickie opens up about the pain of losing her identity as a doctor and battling bitterness. Yet, in the midst of her struggle, she discovered the faithfulness of God, who used her season of forced rest to bring healing, comfort, and purpose. Through scripture, gratitude, and a shift in focus, Vickie learned how to trust God, reclaim her identity in Christ, and ultimately use her experience to offer hope and comfort to others facing their own trials. Quotables from the episode: What I have found is that if we will allow God to, he will take our deepest areas of pain and discomfort and ultimately use it for our good. I was an OB /GYN doctor, delivered 5,000 babies during my career. And that was such a treasure, such a privilege to be there at that special moment at the beginning of life, to be the first person to hold a newborn baby. So, I was in the operating room doing a C-section when all of a sudden, my hands refused to obey my brain. And I kept staring at them, expecting them to move, and they were just still. Now, I say suddenly, in reality, about six weeks before, I had been diagnosed with a disease called myasthenia gravis, but it initially only affected my eyes. So, we knew what was happening, and I was having some subtle symptoms, but I was preparing for a 57-mile bicycle ride across the state of Missouri the next day. I was kind of ignoring some symptoms. So, when I say suddenly, I don't really mean suddenly, but it felt suddenly. I went from being a surgeon in the operating room to being a patient in the emergency room in an instant. It was a very painful season from the outset because not only did, in an instant, I lose my career, my ability to ride my bicycle, and all the other active things that I loved about my life, but I also felt betrayed by my own profession. I think the beginning of a wound that was the most difficult to heal from, that I had to fight was a root of bitterness. When the Bible talks about a root of bitterness, you just think about weeds in your yard or your flower garden or whatever. If you don't pull up that whole entire root, there are little tentacles that go deep down inside. And I just felt like I was feeding the root of bitterness. I was rehearsing all the things I wanted to say or wish I would have said. I was rehearsing you know, "Oh, wasn't this horrible what happened to me?" I was angry, and I was nurturing that root of bitterness. And I knew that if I didn't deal with it, it would absolutely destroy me. I had to shift my mindset. I had to shift my focus. I had to put my eyes on the Lord. I already had done a lot of Bible study and had a good foundation of the Word of God. It was so cool how God would bring a scripture through a card that I got in the mail or through a phone call that I got or what I had read that morning. And then he would just affirm and reaffirm that all day long. That assured me of his presence, but it was being in his word in advance and shifting my mindset to a focus of what I had rather than what had happened to me. I would get up in the mornings and I would just go outside with the stars still out and I would literally count my blessings, just focusing on some gratitude. I was always a person that liked to write in journal. So, I started writing out my struggle through a blog and then eventually a little small book about forgiveness. I always say it's not a book to read, it's a book to do. I have to reread it myself because I went through additional things after that. After that, my 30 -year marriage ended, and so I had to sort of practice what I preached. When I lost my career as an OB/Gyn, that became an identity issue because when you’re a physician, you’re Dr. So-and-so, and it becomes so much a part of your identity. I caution not to let our identity be in anything that can be lost. If our identity is not in Christ which is permanent anchor for our soul and our only hope that never shifts the foundation that is firm, then anything that can be lost, we can lose ourselves whether it’s being a mom or being a wife or any of those things. I had to make sure that my identity was secure in Christ. Our occupation is what “we do,” it’s not “who I am.” God gave me comfort to know that God would use my situation to comfort others. We're all going to go through some kind of wounding. We don't get to choose what that experience is, but God says, “in this world you will have trouble.” But if we will allow God to come in and heal it, he can redeem it, he can heal, he can restore. It's been about a decade now since all of that happened. So in so many ways, I think through blogging and connecting with other believers, that was part of my own healing. It was, you know, I'm writing for other people, but I'm writing for me. Then I also connected with a lot of other people who have Myasthenia Gravis. I have spoken at national meetings for Myasthenia Gravis and talked to other people because it's a hopeless, frustrating disease that steals everything you love about your life. That was an area of redemption to be able to go and share with others the hope that I've received, the comfort that I've received, like 2 Corinthians 11:11 says, continuing on in the word. God took my background as an OB -GYN doctor for 20 years. I spent about seven years in the hospital administration learning about leadership. Then I got remarried and I got board certified in lifestyle medicine. Lifestyle Medicine had personally helped me and now I have a telehealth practice and my own podcast where I talk about Lifestyle Medicine and I just see these threads that God has pulled in and woven together to say, “because of these experiences you are qualified to do something new” and I love it. God spoke to me through His word and that's His language. That's how He speaks. If you want to speak to someone who only speaks French, you have to learn French. If you want to hear from the Lord, you need to know his language and his language is his word. I think having those index cards, having some scripture memorized, having some scripture hidden in my heart as the Bible says, that showed me that your God is faithful, and you can trust him no matter what? There's no need to be bitter and vengeful and to nurse a wound and nurse unforgiveness because that will destroy you. God tells us to cast our cares on him. You have to give your burdens to the Lord. So practically walking out, not just what was in my Bible, but what was written on those index cards. And I think it’s even a step beyond that. I think that it is one thing to write it, but then we have to go beyond that. We have to rehearse it. We've got to be speaking his word out. We've got to take it from head knowledge to heart knowledge. I would really encourage your listeners, if you're not going through a hard time right now, now's the time to prepare for the battle. Because like you said, it will come. Life comes in seasons. I'm in a good season right now. I was in a good season 10 years ago before all this started, but I had that foundation of the word. I think it all comes down to trust, really. You can know the word, rehearse the word, and what that helps you do is understand the absolute faithfulness and character of God. And that's what you build your life on in the good times and the bad. And when we look at the character of God, what is so comforting to me is that he is the same yesterday, today, that he will be tomorrow. He is unchanging. We're going to make mistakes, but God is never changing. So, the same God that was faithful to divide the Red Sea is going to be the same God that's going to find a path through our wilderness season, through our full trials to get us to the other side. But to your point, are we going to trust him through it? Or are we going to be angry and vengeful and bitter? It's a choice. God tells us to rest in him. And I think, you know, he set that model for us in creation in that seventh day he rested, and I don't think that was because he was tired, or he needed rest. I think it was because he was satisfied, and I think he wants us to come to him and say you're enough Lord and he wants us to rest in him. He says, “come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I'll give you rest.” For me that looks like trust like rest from your striving to fix everything and to control the script so that it goes the way you want it to go. Rest in the Lord that his plans and purposes for your life are good. God is faithful and he can always be trusted. Scripture References: Psalm 55:22 NIV “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” John 16:33 NIV “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 2 Corinthians 1:4 NIV “…who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” Recommended Resources: Sacred Scars: Resting in God’s Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted by Dr. Michelle Bengtson The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner AWSA 2024 Golden Scroll Christian Living Book of the Year and the 2024 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in the Christian Living and Non-Fiction categories YouVersion 5-Day Devotional Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises from God to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, AWSA Member of the Year, winner of the AWSA 2023 Inspirational Gift Book of the Year Award, the 2024 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in the Devotional category, the 2023 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in four categories, and the Christian Literary Awards Henri Award for Devotionals YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 1 YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 2 Revive & Thrive Women’s Online Conference Revive & Thrive Summit 2 Trusting God through Cancer Summit 1 Trusting God through Cancer Summit 2 Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the AWSA 2020 Best Christian Living Book First Place, the first place winner for the Best Christian Living Book, the 2020 Carolina Christian Writer’s Conference Contest winner for nonfiction, and winner of the 2021 Christian Literary Award’s Reader’s Choice Award in all four categories for which it was nominated (Non-Fiction Victorious Living, Christian Living Day By Day, Inspirational Breaking Free and Testimonial Justified by Grace categories.) YouVersion Bible Reading Plan for Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Free Study Guide Free PDF Resource: How to Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Henri and Reader’s Choice Award Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award Free Webinar: Help for When You’re Feeling Blue Social Media Links for Host and Guest: Connect with Dr. Vickie Petz Kasper: Podcast / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook / YouTube / Pinterest For more hope, stay connected with Dr. Bengtson at: Order Book Sacred Scars / Order Book The Hem of His Garment / Order Book Today is Going to be a Good Day / Order Book Breaking Anxiety’s Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails / Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson) / LinkedIn / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube / Podcast on Apple Guest: Vickie Petz Kasper, M.D. practiced ob/gyn for 20 years until she landed on the other side of the sheets. A rare neuromuscular disorder turned her life upside down. But God used a season of forced rest to show His faithfulness. Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson Audio Technical Support: Bryce Bengtson Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
