The empty square.
Leah had made room for everything in her week except the help she kept saying she wanted.
An original, AI-assisted fictional story—not a real person’s testimony. Inspired by the episode below.
Is Jesus Really Lord of Your Life? — Matthew S6E4
Deepen with Pastor Joby Martin · August 31, 2026
Listen to this episodeAbout this story & its source
This original, AI-assisted fictional story draws on themes in the published episode description. It is not a transcript, quotation, or story told by Joby Martin.
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Leah’s calendar was full of good things. Extra shifts. Her mother’s groceries. A favor for the neighbor. Since she stopped drinking, being useful had become a way to keep people from worrying about her. She could point to a crowded week and call it progress.
The recovery meeting was written in pencil. Everything else was ink. By Thursday afternoon she had erased it twice, first for overtime and then for a ride she had offered before anyone asked.
Her friend called while she was sorting receipts. “Will I see you tonight?” Leah began explaining the week. She could hear herself building a case, arranging each obligation so carefully that there would be no room left for a question.
“Do you want to be there?” her friend asked. Leah looked at the pale smudge where the meeting had been. “Yes,” she said. It surprised her to hear how much.
The question about surrender had stayed with her, but she had thought of enormous decisions. Now she thought about Thursday at seven. She prayed for help telling the truth: some of her usefulness was love, and some of it was fear that saying no would make her disposable.
She called her neighbor. She could still help on Saturday, but tonight would not work. There was a pause, then an ordinary answer: Saturday was fine. Leah sat still for a moment after hanging up. She had been carrying a much louder response in her imagination.
At the meeting she admitted that staying busy had become another way to avoid being known. No one took away her responsibilities. Someone asked which ones were actually hers. She wrote that question on the back of a receipt.
On Friday morning, her calendar was still crowded. But Thursday’s meeting was in ink now, and beside it was an empty square she had not rushed to fill. She left her keys on the table and drank her coffee while it was hot.
In this episode
This episode explores surrender, identity, and allowing Jesus to have authority throughout life rather than fitting Him around existing plans.
A connection for everyday life
Our fictional recovery application follows a woman making practical room for support. Her calendar is an ordinary place to examine what she is willing to change.
Let the story become
one small step.
What keeps getting erased to make room for everyone else’s expectations?
Protect one small window for recovery support this week. If needed, practice a simple boundary with someone you trust.
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