Ep. 146: Tanner Olson on being first-time humans.
This week on the MercyCast, I sat down with my friend Tanner Olson, author of the new book, Getting Through What You’re Going Through, to talk about something we don’t slow down enough to admit:
It’s just hard to be a human being.
Not the polished, Instagram version.
Not the “better than I deserve” church answer.
The real version.
The version where you’re grieving.
The version where life didn’t turn out the way you thought it would.
The version where the only prayer you have left is, “Help.”
Recently, I officiated the funeral of someone who was like a second father to me. In that moment, I realized something important about grief and healing: so many of us try to get past our pain instead of going through it. We want closure. We want resolution. We want to look in the rearview mirror and say, “I’m glad that’s over.”
But true healing doesn’t work that way.
When it comes to processing grief, emotional pain, and spiritual struggle, the only way out… is through.
In This Episode, We Discuss:
How to process grief in a healthy way
The difference between “processing” and actually healing
What Christian hope really means in the middle of suffering
Why vulnerability strengthens relationships and mental health
How to navigate disappointment when life doesn’t go as planned
How each of us is a “first-time human being.”
The power of asking, “How are you doing… really?”
Simple, honest prayer during hard seasons
We talk about the temptation to rush through pain — to fix ourselves, silence the negative voice, or solve the entire problem at once. But real spiritual growth and emotional healing often begin with something much smaller:
The next faithful step.
Not the marathon.
Not the five-year plan.
Just the next step toward hope.
We also explore the messiness of life — the “messy middle” where growth, resilience, and faith are formed. If you’re walking through uncertainty, grief, anxiety, or burnout, this conversation offers encouragement rooted in Christian faith, prayer, and honest vulnerability.
Prayer, we discovered, doesn’t have to be polished or poetic, but as one word whispered in a cathedral or your car: “Help.”
And if you’re struggling with feeling like a burden, hear this:
You are not a burden.
But you do have burdens.
And you don’t have to carry them alone.
If You’re Navigating a Hard Season…
If you’re searching for:
How to heal emotionally
How to deal with grief
How to find hope in hard times
How to pray when you don’t have words
How to slow down and be present
How to build an authentic Christian community
This episode is for you.
Don’t wait until you’re “through it” to talk about what you’re going through.
Don’t minimize your pain with “it could be worse.”
Don’t rush past the season you’re in.
Sit with it.
Invite someone into it.
Pray through it.
Walk — don’t sprint — through it.
If this week feels heavy… if you’re tired… if you’re quietly trying to hold it all together — you are not alone.
Listen in.
Slow down.
Take one step toward healing.
And if this conversation encourages you, share it with someone who might need hope today — and ask them the question that matters most:
“How are you doing… really?”
Listen to the full episode:
For more conversations like this one, check out my book, Vulnerable: Rethinking Human Trafficking.