Top Ten Posts of 2013!

Here are the top ten most-read posts of 2013. If you have liked, shared, commented on, or pinned any of these best-loved posts, I am grateful! Thank you!

#10 - Haven or Hollywood? (Pin it!)

#09 - How to Deal with the Fools in Your Life! (Pin it!)

#08 - Our Afternoon Routine (Pin it!)

#07 - Take cover! (Pin it!)

#06 - Confession of a messy mom. (Pin it!)

#05 - Unfulfilled Dreams? (Pin it!)

#04 - You just don't understand! (Pin it!)

#03 - Teaching children to sit through church (Pin it!)

#02 - No wonder she's not listening (Pin it!)

and the most-read, best-loved post of 2013...

#01 - Our Morning Routine (Pin it!)

Thank you all! I am waiting with great expectation for the lessons the Lord has for me to learn & share in 2014!

Writing as He moves me,

for His glory!

~Lisha

I may be sharing this at these wonderful Link-up parties!

If this has blessed or encouraged you, please comment, pin it, or share!

Remembering Sarah

What were you doing on October 27, 2001?

I remember. I was at a benefit spaghetti dinner. It was my sophomore year of college.

The guest of honor ruined my life.

Well, that's not entirely true. She ruined the life I was building for myself.

A life lived for me. by me. in my own power.

__________________

Sarah was eight years old. exhausted and weary in body. but full of confidence and an expectant spirit.

and her boldness and joy in our short conversation

has made all the difference in my life.

A life that is now lived for Jesus. by Jesus. in His power alone.

It's a story only the Lord could write.

Sarah's body failed her 12 years ago. tonight. at the precious age of 8. I remember. Every time I hold one of my sweet daughters, I remember. Every time we celebrate Hannah's birthday (October 27), I remember. I tell my girls, often, the story of the little girl that God worked through to rescue me. And I pray over them and for myself, that He will work through our lives however He chooses to bring many others to know His great love. Even though I understand what that cost might be, as their mom.

I rejoice for her, because she got the longing of her heart. She shared this passage with me as she talked about not being able to wait to meet Jesus face to face:

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

{John 14:1-3}

How is it that God can take something so evil - so wretched - as a terminal illness and create beauty and life from it? I don't know! But I do know that He can, and He does. 

What's your story? How did the Lord reach out to you?

Remembering,

for His glory!

~Lisha

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Two Big and Really Important Things

Two Big and Really Important Things that I needed to confront head-on today:

#1) I will let people down. No matter what you think of me, or how much you love me (or don't). I have before, and I will again. Too many times to count.

My temper will be short at a time when you need encouragement.
I will break a promise.
My words will shatter your day.
A decision I make, no matter how much prayer and thought I put into it, will leave you baffled or bewildered.
I will forget about plans I made with you.
My bad day will spill over into your world and dampen it.

Why? '...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.' [Romans 3:23]. I am included in that 'all'.

A corollary to Big and Really Important Thing #1: People will let me down sometimes. For some or all of the above reasons.

#2) God will not let you down. No matter what you think of Him, or how much you love Him (or don't). He has never, nor will He. His record is impeccable.

He is patient and ready with a loving word. {Psalm 145:8, Zephaniah 3:17}
He never breaks His promises. Not one. {Deuteronomy 7:9, Daniel 9:4}
His Words are meant to help you grow in truth & grace. Sometimes they sting a bit, but it's always for your good. {John 17:17, 2 Peter 3:18, Proverbs 27:6}
His decision will also sometimes leave you baffled and bewildered, but because He is totally trustworthy, you can stand fast on the fact that it's the best decision. {Isaiah 55:8-9}
He never forgets His plans for you. And His plans are perfect. {Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 139:13-16}
He doesn't ask you to bear the brunt of all of the sorrow He carries. {Matthew 11:28-30}

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There has been an overwhelming sense of relief in remembering those two truths today. The people-pleaser in me cringes at the thought that I have disappointed others so; and sometimes I wallow in bitterness when others let me down; the reality I need to cling to is that I do disappoint, and so do those I love. But God never fails nor forsakes! And that is why it is SO crucial that I place my trust in God alone, and invite others to do the same by the way I live.

When you let me down - know that my job is not to judge or condemn, it's to forgive liberally and point you to Jesus. Don't let fear keep you away from me.
When I let you down - please, please pray that God would move my heart to confess any sin and seek forgiveness. And please, with grace & mercy, let me know. You are not letting me down when you encourage me to be more like Jesus.
And when all the letting down is done, we can rejoice together that God has not let either of us down. Nor will He. Ever.

Rejoicing that God never fails,
even when I do,
for His glory!
~Lisha

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don't look back.

Last week, as the girls and I were leaving the house for a playdate, Abby walked full speed into one of the posts out in the driveway. She did so because she was busy trying to watch something more interesting going on behind her; she plowed into an obstacle that would have been easily avoidable if she'd been paying attention. 

"Abby," I told her, "you can't walk forward and look behind you at the same time! You need to watch what's going on in front of you." 

She was unfazed (mostly) by the incident and we got in the car and had a wonderful afternoon with some good friends of ours. 

I am thankful that God has given me the children He has and that He uses them so often to teach me the lessons He wants me to learn. 

You can't walk forward and look behind you at the same time. You need to watch what's going on in front of you. 

This gentle reminder to my soul came in a timely fashion, as God's lessons usually do. I have been sorely tempted to walk forward while watching over my back these last few weeks, as we quickly approach what would have been my due date had we not miscarried last summer. How easy it is to "look over my shoulder" and daydream about how glorious my life would have been these last 6 months if only I was still expecting! And as I spend my time wondering about the "what if"s and "could have been"s, I miss out on the moments that are making my life glorious right now!! Which moments with my daughters have I missed because I was wishing I had another one on the way? 

You can't walk forward and look behind you at the same time! It is hard to grow spiritually as I'm forgetting the lessons that I learned so many months ago. 

My dear friend, maybe you are in a similar situation. Maybe you keep fuming over a friendship that ended on a sour note years ago. Maybe you are bent on getting your spouse back for a hurtful comment made last week. Maybe you're reminiscing about the "good old days" and wishing you could go back to a time when life's problems were easier to deal with. 

If you are spending your time thinking about the past; if you are watching over your shoulder instead of watching where you're going; if you are content to miss out on the things that are going on around you to focus on things that are not anymore - you are missing out on your life now! 

That's not to say that you can't learn from your past. It would be foolish if we never learned from our mistakes or from our experiences. But God makes it clear in the Bible that He desires us to fix our eyes on what is to come, not on what was. Fix your eyes upon Jesus - who will be coming again! And, as a further admonition, God tells us that Jesus looked to the joy set before Him, and thus was able to endure the shame and the pain of the cross. The apostle Paul exhorts us to run the race with perseverance to the finish. I don't know about you, but I've never attended a race where people are running while watching what's going on behind them. We are to hope in the Lord and in the good plans He has for our future. We are not to look behind us and either long for those good old days nor be angry or unforgiving about the bad events of the past. 

My friend, if you are trying to walk forward but you keep stumbling because you are watching all that went on behind you, let me encourage you today to fix your gaze upon Jesus Christ, who can take all of your hurts and your frustrations and your worries, past and present, and show you the joy that He has set before you. You don't have to clean yourself off before you call out to Him; come as you are. Wounded, dusty, flustered, anxious, doubtful. He does not turn anyone away who is willing to walk forward and seek Him and the life He has so abundantly prepared for you to walk into!

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Dear Sarah,

Nine years ago tonight, at some point late in the evening, I received the news that God had called you home, peacefully, with your family at your side. I remember weeping, and not sleeping very well that night. I remember asking the God that I wasn't even sure existed why in the world He let you die when He could have healed you. I vaguely remembered the verse from the Bible that you had shared with me about God's many mansions and how you knew your room was almost ready and how very excited you were to meet Jesus and finally feel better. I wondered, again, if any of what you had said about Jesus was actually true, and for your sake I sure hoped it was.

I was surprised when I went to your funeral. There was grief; how can hearts not be broken when a child dies? But amidst the tears, there was a hope. It was something more than a 'well, at least now she's in a better place' hope; it was an unwavering hope that stems from a sure faith in what Jesus Christ accomplished by His death and resurrection (although I didn't understand that at the time). Your sweet sister gave me a butterfly pin to help remember you by. I still have it. I don't need it, though, to remember you.

For months after we all said our good-byes to you, I thought. I wrestled with the idea that anyone could be certain of God. I replayed, often, the conversation we had. You pointed out that I was a sinner in desperate need of God's magnificent grace. You explained, in your childlike way, that Jesus Christ had come and died (and rose again!), that my sins might be forgiven, so that when I too faced death I wouldn't have to be scared. I read lots of books about God. I even picked up my dusty old Bible that I got when I graduated Sunday School back in the day and I read some of it. I started praying, even. What a big step for a 19-year-old who had turned her back on anything that pertained to God.

Then I made my decision, Sarah, in April 2002. I decided that no matter what it cost me, I would follow and serve Jesus Christ. What a sweet relief to my weary soul, to know that all of my sins - large and small - had been washed away by His death, and to be so assured of my destination when my days here were complete.

Much has happened since then. I have been married for 6 1/2 years to a wonderful man and I have three beautiful little girls. Hannah just joined the family in October. Her older sisters delight in her, much the same way I'm sure Erin & Lauren delighted in you when you came along.

I'd like to think that I've given Jesus control over every area of my life; I would like to say that no matter what He asks of me I would give it in an instant because of all He has done for me. But there is one area that I struggle with so often. I wonder, if He asked of me one of my daughters for the sake of someone else's salvation, would I be so eager? The answer, almost all of the time, is one of hesitation. A mother's heart is jealous for her children. But, for my salvation, and for the sake of countless others, the Lord used you so mightily in your 9 years to draw people to Him through Jesus Christ. Your life impacted not only mine, but the lives of my husband and children. I am grateful for your life and I am grateful for the hope you had in facing death.

I pray nightly that God will use my precious girls as they grow to make others want to know more about who God is and how wonderful He is to live for. What a privilege to share the love of Jesus with them and to watch as they share His love with others. Because of you, I never take for granted how God can use the faith and love of a child to spread hope to a lost and dying world.

I look forward to worshiping Jesus with you on that side of glory, and to introducing you to my daughters!

Merry Christmas, sweet Sarah :)

Your sister in Christ,

Lisha

a brief introduction.

Christmas is a glorious time of year. I enjoy almost every aspect of the season - decorating the house, getting together more often with family, Christmas cards, the music, snow, etc. It all brings back memories of being a child and the excitement & anticipation, and it tends to bring out the best in people (side note: someone recently commented that Christmas is the time of year when everyone acts the way they should act all the time.).

Over the past several years, I have gained a deeper appreciation of Christmas. It wasn't until I was introduced to the love of Jesus and was confronted with my sinful heart that I was able to grasp the significance of Jesus' birth.

One of my friends from my Keene days had a little sister who was very ill back in the fall semester of 01. She knew Jesus well, and a couple of months before she passed away she was willing to introduce me to Him. She (and her mom & sisters) shared His love and His mercy and His wisdom and His grace with me. It left me speechless. I was agnostic at the time; a liberally minded young woman who wanted nothing to do with the rampant hypocrisy of the church or the elitism of the evangelical crowd. The judgments I held toward Jesus' followers blinded me from getting to know Jesus. Her gentle introduction completely ruined the foundation of my life - because what I had been building my life on (success. popularity. power. good grades.) was sinking sand.

I mulled her words over for the next couple of months and was willing to accept that God existed and that Jesus had indeed come to earth to die a death for sin. But my sin? Really? I hadn't really done anything terribly wrong. I had hurt people; I told some lies; I had a manipulative streak. But so did other people. I didn't feel like I was any worse off than anyone I knew, and I certainly knew I was better than lots of other people. It took months for me to understand that the cost for any sin is spiritual death, and that each person who has ever walked the face of the planet (except Jesus) was a sinner, worthy of eternal death. Once I accepted that, and acknowledged how unworthy I was of God's love, I was able to then rejoice in the grace He extended by sending His Son, Jesus, to die in my place at Calvary.

My life has been turned upside down. All those things that I thought were so very important - having everyone like me, making everyone proud of me, following all the rules, having a great money-making career and an awesome house - that stuff is temporary. Jesus has given me the assurance that there is a better home that awaits me if I am willing to count the temporary stuff as just that and focus my energy on God and His eternal love for me and for everyone around me.

I hope you're able to better appreciate and understand why it is that Jesus' birth was so necessary and why it was such an occasion for praise and joy. Without His birth, His death could not have happened, and it is His death and resurrection that can give you the hope of eternal and abundant life. If you don't know Jesus well (and even if you do!), pick up a Bible and read it. Start with the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, but don't stop there. The Bible says that Jesus is the Word of God - you'll find His life and His love throughout each book and chapter. Get to know Him; He's a friend that will change your life forever.

[Sarah passed away a week before Christmas, 2001, a few months before her ninth birthday...I am grateful that she was willing to reach out and give hope to me, even though she had never met me before and didn't see me again before the Lord called her home. I am looking so forward to seeing her in heaven and getting to sit at the feet of Jesus with her!]

Introducing others to Jesus,

for His glory!

~Lisha