Fearlessly Unshackled Faith Conversations

Host: Sarah Rose | Guest: Cierra Murphy What happens when the moments that could break us become the very moments that draw us closer to God? In this deeply moving episode of Fearlessly Unshackled Faith Conversations, host Sarah Rose sits down with Cierra Murphy, a South Dakota wife, mother, and business owner whose story is filled with both tremendous loss and an extraordinary awareness of God's presence. Cierra's testimony reminds us that faith doesn't mean we won't experience heartbreak. It means that even in the heartbreak, we don't have to walk alone. Her message is simple but powerful: Whatever you're feeling—turn to God.

Knowing About God vs. Knowing God

Cierra grew up with faith around her. Her grandmother was a strong Christian influence, and church was part of her childhood. But as she reflected on her younger years, Cierra recognized an important difference between knowing about God and actually having a relationship with Him. During high school and college, faith wasn't always at the center of her decisions. She describes making choices she wishes she had made differently and trying to navigate life largely on her own. That changed dramatically during college when Cierra's best friend and roommate, Kayla, was killed in a car accident. At only about 21 years old, Cierra found herself confronting grief, guilt, and questions she couldn't answer on her own. The night before Kayla died, she had stopped by their apartment. Cierra was studying for an exam and told her she couldn't spend time with them because she needed to finish the test. 

The next day, 

Kayla was gone. 

Cierra wrestled with the guilt of that last interaction. Why hadn't she stopped studying? Why hadn't she spent that time with her friend? But as she began praying and spending personal time with God, something started changing. She began bringing Him everything—not just the parts of her life she was comfortable sharing.

"Once you finally open up to God...and you be completely vulnerable...then you can grow from there."

Cierra discovered that surrender wasn't simply believing God existed. It meant allowing Him into every part of her life—her mistakes, questions, pain, fear, and regrets.

An Open Door to God

That relationship with God eventually shaped the kind of home Cierra and her husband wanted to create for their children. She describes their home as having an "open door to heaven."

God isn't someone they only talk about on Sunday mornings. Prayer doesn't have to wait for church, bedtime, or the perfect moment. 

Cierra teaches her children: 

If you're mad, pray.
If you're sad, pray.
If you're scared, pray. 

Prayer can happen anywhere and anytime.

"The more you talk to God, the more comfortable you're going to feel...and you're just going to always have somebody that you can talk to."

What a beautiful picture of relationship. God isn't asking us to come to Him only when we have the right words. He wants us to come as we are.

When Cierra Learned Her Baby Wouldn't Survive

That relationship with God would become incredibly important when Cierra and her husband faced something no parents ever expect.

After experiencing a miscarriage, they became pregnant again with their son, Cowan.

Early ultrasounds revealed concerns. Additional testing eventually showed that Cowan had an extremely rare and serious condition affecting his heart and lung.

Doctors told the family his chance of survival was extraordinarily small.

Cierra could still feel Cowan moving inside her. 

He was alive.

So she prayed.

She talked with doctors. She and her husband sought spiritual counsel. They researched medical possibilities and even sent Cowan's scans to specialists in Texas.

And they continued asking God to guide them.

At 31 weeks, Cierra went to the hospital for delivery.

Then something happened she will never forget.

"I Could Feel the Presence of Angels"

Shortly before Cowan was delivered, Cierra experienced something she describes as almost impossible to put into words.

"I could feel the presence of angels coming."

In what should have been one of the most terrifying moments of her life, she experienced an overwhelming sense of light, peace, and calmness.

She told her nurse that Cowan was coming.

The nurse initially reminded her that because of the epidural she shouldn't be able to feel what was happening physically.

But Cierra wasn't talking about a physical sensation.

She felt something spiritual.

"I don't feel that. I just feel the presence of angels."

The nurse checked her, and Cowan was indeed ready to be delivered.

Cierra believes she knew in that moment that her son was leaving this world.

Cowan was born and had passed away. With neither their chaplain nor priest able to be present, Cierra's husband and doctor baptized Cowan together.

And through an unimaginable loss, there was peace.

"Because I had such a great relationship with God and could feel the presence of all of God and the angels right then and there...I had a feeling of relief knowing that he was going to a good place."

Our Lives Were Better Because of Cowan

One of the most powerful lessons from Cierra's testimony came from a decision she and her husband made about how they would remember their son.

They didn't want to spend the rest of their lives saying: "Our lives were great until Cowan."

Instead, Cierra wanted their lives to demonstrate something entirely different:

Our lives were better because of Cowan.

Cowan's life mattered.

His life drew them closer to God.

His life changed their family.

His life became part of their testimony.

Cierra said:

"We should always try to live our lives so that people know our lives were great because of him."

That perspective challenges all of us.

Sometimes we divide our lives into before and after.

Everything was good before the diagnosis.

Everything was good before the divorce.

Everything was good before the accident.

Everything was good before the loss.

But what if we allowed God to redeem the "after"?

Not by pretending the pain didn't happen. Not by denying grief.

 But by asking God:

How can You use this?

How can this draw me closer to You?

How can my story someday help someone else?

Turn to God—Even When You're Angry

Cierra shared advice she learned from Kayla's mother after her friend's death:

"It doesn't matter if you're mad...or frustrated. However you turn to God, just turn to God."

That's a message someone may need today.

You don't have to clean yourself up before talking to God.

You don't have to understand what's happening.

You don't have to pretend you're okay.

You can come angry.

You can come confused.

You can come heartbroken.

You can come afraid.

Just come.

Because relationship grows through conversation—and sometimes our deepest relationship with God develops when we finally stop hiding what we're really feeling.

God Wasn't Finished Writing Their Story

Cierra and her husband would eventually welcome three children after Cowan.

Remarkably, Cierra shared that their daughter Crew was conceived soon after Cowan, and circumstances related to that pregnancy helped make it possible for Cierra to carry her.

The blessing didn't erase the grief.

In fact, Cierra said some of her hardest moments came while rocking her daughter because she suddenly understood even more deeply what she had missed with Cowan.

Yet even there, she continued seeing God's presence woven throughout their family's story.

Faith That Moves Into Everyday Life

Cierra's faith didn't remain confined to grief and healing.

It changed the way she lives.

It influenced her family, her decisions, and eventually her businesses.

With a background in human resources and cosmetology, Cierra stepped into entrepreneurship and built salon and spa businesses centered around creating welcoming environments where people don't feel judged.

One location opened just one week before COVID shutdowns began—and because the business was so new, it didn't qualify for some of the assistance available to established businesses.

Once again, Cierra found herself facing uncertainty

And once again, she prayed and kept moving forward.

Her businesses survived and grew.

Don't Let Your Pain Become Your Identity

Perhaps one of the strongest themes throughout this Faith Conversation is Cierra's refusal to allow tragedy to become the defining identity of her family.

That doesn't mean ignoring pain.

It means refusing to live permanently trapped by it.

Cierra wants her children to understand that difficult circumstances don't have to create a lifetime of "poor me.

"Instead, our hardest experiences can become places where God grows us, teaches us, and eventually equips us to encourage someone else.

Today, Cierra has been able to walk alongside others experiencing miscarriage and loss because she understands that pain personally.

Her wound became part of her ministry.

Her grief became part of her testimony.

And Cowan's life continues to have purpose.

"Because of Cowan, I am so much closer to God."

Whatever You're Facing, Open the Door

Maybe that's the invitation from Cierra's story.

Open the door.

If you're hurting, talk to God.

If you're angry, talk to God.

If you're afraid, talk to God.

If you've made mistakes you're ashamed of, tell Him.

If you're grieving something you don't understand, bring Him your questions.

You don't need perfect words.

You need relationship.

And perhaps instead of asking only, "God, why did this happen to me?" we can eventually begin asking:

"God, what are You going to do through this?"

Cierra's testimony shows us that tremendous grief and tremendous faith can exist in the same story.

We can mourn what we've lost while thanking God for what we were given.

We can experience heartbreak without losing hope.

And we can choose to believe that our story isn't over simply because something painful happened.

Open the door. 

Talk to Him. 

Give Him everything. 

And allow God to transform even the hardest chapters of your life into a testimony that gives Him glory.

About Fearlessly Unshackled Faith Conversations

Fearlessly Unshackled Faith Conversations, hosted by Sarah Rose, shares authentic testimonies of how God moves through ordinary people and extraordinary circumstances. These conversations remind us that our stories have purpose—and when we're willing to share what God has done, our testimony may become the encouragement someone else needs to take their next step toward Jesus.

Your story matters. Your testimony has power. And God is still writing it.

Do you have a story to tell? 

Email sarahrose250@gmail.com