Unashamed Ep 1217 | Missy & Brighton Open Up About the Moments They Felt Abandoned by God

Date: November 26, 2025
Guests: Missy Robertson & Brighton Robertson
Theme: Exploring moments of feeling abandoned by God, generational faith, vulnerability in parenting, and the significance of Jesus’s crucifixion.

Episode Overview

In this deeply personal and theologically rich episode, the Robertson family welcomes back Missy and recurring guest Brighton to discuss moments in their lives when they have felt abandoned by God. The conversation spans generational insights, practical faith under daily pressures, and reflections on the crucifixion of Jesus. Through honest discussion, scriptural analysis, and heartfelt storytelling, Missy and Brighton share wisdom on maintaining faith during suffering, the necessity of mentorship, and the profound comfort found in Christ’s story.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Generational Faith and Mentorship

• Mentoring Young Women: Missy has been leading mentoring sessions for women ages 22-32, stressing the importance of older generations pouring wisdom into younger ones. Brighton, at 29 and a mother of three (with one on the way), shares her appreciation for these mentoring relationships.

  • C (Brighton): “It’s so important just to have that little boost of encouragement and take a step back through like a mentor sharing with you, to kind of see like what direction you’re heading here. Like that you, you have kingdom goals, I guess.” [05:23]

• Generational Impact: The Robertsons reflect on how faith is handed down and the role of organizations like the Family Research Council in defending values rooted in Judeo-Christian tradition.

2. Balancing Motherhood, Faith, and Self-Care

• Practical Faith for Young Moms: Brighton discusses how difficult it can be to make time for Bible study and the spiritual isolation that can come with raising little ones. She emphasizes intentionality in carving out time—during kids’ nap times, not expecting perfection from herself—as crucial to both motherhood and discipleship.

  • C: “If there’s not any time, when am I ever gonna start doing it?... I just had to start.” [09:01]
  • D (Missy): “You can have some quiet time with the Lord right then in that 30 seconds to 60 seconds, just thanking him for this child, asking him for wisdom in raising this child.” [07:01]

• Letting Go of Perfection: Both Missy and Brighton talk about lowering expectations—of housework, parenting, and themselves—so they can prioritize time with God.

  • C: “If I’m going to choose to study my Bible during nap time, then maybe I don’t get the laundry done and maybe the house is messy when the kids wake up from nap because I also want to rest for a little bit too…” [14:00]

3. The Power and Ripple Effect of Faithful Living

• Testimonies of Transformation: Al shares a moving story about a young man moved to faith (and marriage) through Phil Robertson’s preaching, and how that sparked similar life changes in other couples.

  • A (Al): “...the power of the gospel goes beyond even death... they sent me a video of it. It’s very neat. And then they got married and today they’re having their child, which is awesome.” [19:00]

• Modeling Spiritual Priorities for Children: Discussed the value in children seeing their parents consistently make spiritual teaching a household priority, even when it disrupts routines.

  • D: “...for them to understand that this is important enough where, you know, our routine might be out of whack a little bit, but Mom’s doing a Bible study, and that’s amazing to me for them to know that.” [20:21]

4. Scripture Deep-Dive: The Crucifixion

• Personal Reflections on Jesus’s Sacrifice: The group contemplates the cross, the physical and spiritual suffering of Jesus, and why His sacrifice remains personally significant.

  • C: “It’s a little unimaginable, honestly... He was willing to be the final passover lamb and the final atonement so that we can forever dwell with God... God is so loving and merciful that he would do that because he wants to come be with us. It just feels so much more personal...” [28:41]

• Human Emotions in the Garden and On the Cross: Missy notes Jesus’s vulnerability and willingness to feel and express abandonment—a mirror for believers who have similar moments of doubt or pain.

  • D: “...when we found out that she [Mia] had a cleft lip palate in my womb, I thought that God, where were you weeks ago when her mouth was being formed... Where were you? Why did you abandon me and her?” [48:09]
  • D: “...for Jesus to actually ask that in a moment of suffering, his own feeling of abandonment... That’s how personal that was to him and to me now, too.” [50:34]

• Psalm 22 and Jesus’s Words: Jase unpacks the significance of Psalm 22 as the scriptural subtext for Jesus’s words from the cross, emphasizing trust in God in the midst of anguish.

  • B (Jase): “If you read Psalm 22, you see that it’s about in the midst of suffering, having the confidence that he’s not going to abandon him.” [33:36]

• Old Testament Foreshadowing: Brighton and Jase discuss the imagery of the scapegoat and how Jesus fulfills both the Passover lamb and Day of Atonement traditions—linking Leviticus and the Exodus to the cross.

  • C: “...the person who’s confessing over the scapegoat is the high priest... Jesus will ultimately become the high priest... a man who is in readiness is like called for that purpose, which you would think is foreshadowing Jesus.” [41:57]

5. The Perspective of Mary at the Cross

• Empathizing as Mothers: Missy and Brighton reflect on Mary’s pain witnessing Jesus’s crucifixion, relating it to their experience as mothers.
  • C: “I think it shows the level of trust that she had in the father and in her son and what they were doing and the ultimate purpose for all of this. But I’m sure she had so many thoughts... Surely there has to be another way. Or save him right now from this.” [53:52]
  • D: “The loss is one thing, but to imagine the suffering beforehand is unimaginable... nothing you can do or should do about it, would be very helpless feeling, except embrace it.” [54:46]
  • A: “...one of the things Jesus said from the cross was about his mom. When he told John, he said, well, woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother. In the sense that he is asking John... to take care of his mom.” [55:34]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Vulnerability and Starting Small

• C (Brighton) [09:01]: “I used to be that person that was like, there’s just no time for me to do it. But then if there’s not any time, when am I ever gonna start doing it?”

Enduring the Hardest Moments

• D (Missy) [50:34]: “When I found out that she had a cleft lip palate... I thought that God, where were you weeks ago... Why did you abandon me and her?”

Scriptural Resonance

• B (Jase) [33:36]: “If you read Psalm 22, you see that it’s about in the midst of suffering, having the confidence that he’s not going to abandon him.”

The Love and Suffering of a Parent

• D (Missy) [54:46]: “But to watch your child suffer for hours and hours and be spit on and be hated so much, and there’s nothing you can do or should do about it, would be very helpless feeling, except embrace it.”

The Power of God’s Plan

• C (Brighton) [42:48]: “It’s the presence of sin being completely removed from Israel for just that day, for that year, I guess. Whereas Jesus is doing it for all of eternity.”

Important Timestamps

• Mentorship Importance & Motherhood Realities: [04:27] – [14:17]
• Generational Faith & Testimonies: [18:06] – [21:11]
• Bible Study & Discipleship as Parents: [21:11] – [23:36]
• Reflections on the Cross – Personal Impact: [28:41] – [32:14]
• Jesus’s Words from the Cross & Old Testament Connections: [33:33] – [45:16]
• Mary’s Experience as a Mother: [53:11] – [55:59]

Tone & Language

The tone of the episode is candid, reflective, and supportive, with warmth and a sense of shared struggle typical to the Robertson family. The conversation balances scriptural depth with personal, emotional storytelling—always returning to the hope found in Christ and the sustaining strength of generational faith.

Summary Takeaway

This episode stands out for its honesty about real spiritual struggles—especially the feeling of abandonment by God—and how faith can anchor through every trial. Through generational dialogue, scriptural exploration, and personal testimony, Missy and Brighton provide encouragement for listeners to seek mentorship, persevere in faith while managing daily pressures, and find comfort in Christ’s suffering and triumph. The message: Even when we can’t see God’s plan, He is working in the story, and ultimately, the resurrection is for all of us.