Truth

Who Does God Say You Are?

October 22, 2018 By Lisa Lewis

In 100 Days to Brave Annie F. Downs shared a story of a friend who was newly employed at a bank. Her first day was filled with the task of counting money.

Why? To learn to know the real thing. Once you handle the real thing you can tell counterfeit from real.

We need to know what is True about us in order to live a brave life.

How do we know what is True?

We have a guide book with lots of loving encouragement and promises. Truth to know and live out.

I received this beautiful card last year at a retreat I attended in the redwoods of California. Being in that place is a big enough reminder of God’s goodness yet this takeaway has reminded me of God’s love and care on many occasions in the year since.

This list is from ONE place in scripture: Ephesians 1.

Annie mentioned several more places to be reminded. If you are curious, start mining the Word to find the nuggets you need for your own reminding of God’s love for you, of His faithfulness to you, of His provision of courage you need to live a brave life.

Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved…

Peeling off Perfectionism

July 12, 2016 By Lisa Lewis

I can’t even tell you how creepy this disease is. I have a vague memory of a scene in a children’s movie where the black goo of evil gets all over the bad guy and suffocates him. This suffocating image expresses this pervasive covering of perfectionism for me.

I’ve been numb to it for years. I believed perfectionism was someone else’s issue not mine. But the truth is because of shame I have lived with this mindset of perfectionism for as long as I can remember.

Good news!

(quote credit: Christine Caine)

I’m peeling off the layers of perfectionism. It’s messy. And I will make mistakes. It’s painful to look at the gaps in my way of doing life that used to be covered over by this lie I believed.

But Jesus said all things are possible to him who believes. So my response is I do believe, help me in my unbelief.

This means being honest and talking through the hard places of change; moving toward growth and being willing to do things without having my act all together.

YIKES!!

This vulnerability feels a little like the emperor’s new clothes except where the Emperor thought he had a lovely outfit, I know I’m going to be exposed. (Fortunately for all, this is just a metaphor!)

I choose to be brave and take a tentative step forward in my one creative life.

My heart is ready to risk. It’s been hidden away, self-protected, falsely secure.

For years I’ve read verses that tell me Truth about who God sees me to be. But I have been like the person the apostle James describes who sees their face in a mirror but then forgets what they look like when they turn away from the mirror.

In other words, I haven’t lived out the words of life and truth. I’ve chosen to stay stuck, allowing the enemy of all that is good and true to hold me captive in an imaginary cell of my own acceptance.

What about you? I know I am not alone in this unfortunate trap. I’ve learned just enough about how to get out and away from the slime of perfectionism that I can hold my hand out to you and say

let’s go this way together!

Here’s what I want to do. Let’s get a group together of those who are willing to drop the facade, who are willing to engage with what we’re all learning along the Way.

I’m starting a podcast at the beginning of August where I’ll share quotes, facts, resources, challenges and connection points. I will also be launching an e-course (available on my website) focusing on letting go and leaning in. There will be a spiritual component to the activities in the course because I believe strongly that we are all on a spiritual journey while we are here on this planet. Where we are journeying is the important question. We’ll talk about that too.

In the meantime, let me know either here or on the Learning Along the Way Facebook page that you want to peel off perfectionism too.

Let’s do this!

3 Tools for Fighting Shame

June 21, 2016 By Lisa Lewis

At 19 I recognized the Hallmark card sentiments didn’t match the relationship my mother and I experienced. Her hard comments spoken without witness; the movable measuring stick to let me know how I performed in her eyes; the lack of spoken love or approval. Hard stuff for a sensitive kid like me.

People told me “how proud your mother is of you” but I didn’t hear those words. Later when I became a mother she found value in me for her grandson (and later grandsons). She wrote a note in my Mother’s Day cards telling me I was a good mom, but no spoken words were shared.

I lived with the echo of an empty Mom love tank for 50 years, trying to earn favor along the way and then 7 years ago she died . The empty tank echo bounces around in my heart; sometimes faint, sometimes loud. In the midst of a loud bounce recently I made a choice. On a plane ride across the country to spend Mother’s Day with my mother – in – law, I stopped my downward spiral of woeful thoughts & memories. Instead I forced myself to compile a list of 10 positive characteristics my own mother instilled in me.

Taking time to think things through

Love of Words

Love of Reading

Serving people

Education & Life-long Learning

Kitchen Savvy

Love of Travel

Overcoming Adversity

Appreciation of Fashion

Care for those less fortunate than me

These are GREAT characteristics that I possess thanks to my Mother. In spite of not hearing the words or feeling she loved me, she invested in my growth & character in many ways.

Tool #1: speak what is True

Lies can blur Truth but Truth dispels lies.

She did care or she would not have instilled these traits in me. In spite of her influence I’m one of the Dream Followers and Servers that Glennon of momastery referred to way back in her blog history (two years ago). I am messed up and do not have it all put together. I laugh, cry and sometimes want to run away from my life. If I had it all put together I would forget where I put it because I’m post-menopausal now, so gray hair and foggy memory are a part of daily life. Oh Well.

Those are two words my dearest Hubster taught me to say 25 years ago after we married.

Oh Well.

Tool #2: see what is True

Admitting mistakes as part of life frees the hold of shame.

I bear the marks of shame and of being not enough in my mother’s eyes.

Oh well.

Perhaps that is what has made my own mothering such a sacred gift: looking at my sons as MORE THAN ENOUGH helped me grow in identity: who they are, how they’re wired paired with who I am and who I am becoming.

Tool #3: cling to what is True and let go of the rest

The Way out of Shame has been a battle and I bear scars from other woundings along the Way. I’m working at letting go of the lie of perfectionism and learning to lean into the Truth that I am loved and have a place at the Table. Just. Because.

Philippians 4:8 spells these tools out: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable,– if anything is excellent or praiseworthy– think about such things.

Some days are harder than others. But I am learning to see myself as okay in this messy middle and fight back with JOY. There’s such great freedom in this posture.

Anybody want to come out and play?

Living in Tandem with Others

October 2, 2015 By Lisa Lewis

Do you ever wonder how you would handle (respond) a friend pointing out you’re out of line? I don’t mean a literal line like at the grocery store. I mean when how you’re thinking about something, or acting in response to someone, is out of line with what God has in mind.

When my friend Peggy pointed out my bad attitude toward my husband’s way of leading our family it wasn’t easy to hear. I can imagine it wasn’t easy for her to hear me whining and complaining in the first place! I was often confiding in her about the little things Colin did or didn’t do that were driving me crazy. She listened and then asked me how I was helping the situation. I said things like “well I tell him what’s bugging me- I don’t keep it hidden.” Peggy laughed and then asked, “Do you tell God as often as you tell Colin?” I just stared at her and simply said “No”. Her question didn’t come with criticism or condescension. It was her simple way of planting a seed for me to nurture.

Peggy prayed with and for me. She listened to, laughed with and encouraged me. She watched our baby boy and invited our kindergarten son over to play with her kindergartener. But most importantly, Peggy pointed me to the Truth. She was (and is) a woman of the Word. Peggy didn’t lecture; we didn’t do Bible studies together. She would simply weave God’s Word into our conversations with gentleness and grace. Peggy was like the big sister I never had. We had lots of deep conversations and laughed a ton. She always had Kleenex for me when the waterworks started (which was regularly!). In a word, Peggy was my mentor.

I didn’t ask her to mentor me. I don’t know if she even thought about our relationship in that way originally. But her way of doing life was so helpful for me to witness and her friendship was such a gift that God used Peggy to shape me ever so slowly. Our friendship allowed her to speak of hard things to me; to point me to the Truth in a way that I could both hear and receive.

Proverbs 27:9 says Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.

A mentor can be that kind of friend in your life. A friend who hears your heart and points you to Jesus. A friend who counsels you with wisdom and grace as well as humor. Learning to listen to words like these is a part of living in tandem. Webster defines tandem as “a group of two people or things that work together or are associated with each other.” Allowing yourself to be mentored by someone, whether it is in a work setting, spiritual setting or a combination, is a way of living in tandem.

I am a better human being because I have been mentored. We all have many areas to grow and change in life; I’ve had the privilege of several mentors speaking into my life through different seasons. I believe mentoring is helpful, fun and, dare I say, vital, for each of us.

The other side of mentoring is becoming a mentor. But more on that aspect of living in tandem in a future post!

How do you find a mentor? What do you and a mentor do? Should it be formal or casual? Is this a commitment for life? (You might say Yikes!) Sure there are lots of questions but there are just as many answers because there isn’t just one way of having/being a mentor. I’d love to hear some of your questions/concerns about mentoring. Or maybe you have a story to share that can encourage another woman? Please chime in!

“We’re in this Together”: Words from an Encourager

September 5, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

There are few things I love to do daily. In this short list is read. Book lined shelves grace each room in our home. The overflow books live in the garage; still accessible, waiting to be pulled down again. Old books, new books. Living authors and those who have gone ahead. Making time to read is vital for me. Words inspire. They instruct. Words shape my thoughts and imaginations. Often I am drawn to words written to encourage.

One author I count on for encouraging words is Holley Gerth. Holley is an encourager. She writes as if she is sitting across the table speaking words of comfort: “We’re in this together”.

When I received my copy of her latest book, What Your Heart Needs for the Hard Days, I grabbed my own red & white polka dot cup, filled it with coffee and dove in with great anticipation. I was not disappointed.

Holley has used portions of the Psalms to pen 52 unique, encouraging illustrations of 52 Truths. Each one points our hearts to God who loves us best. Every entry title begins with “God…”. Each one ends with a personal prayer that Holley calls “What my heart is saying to You”. She also has included a space for you to write a response which is called “What my heart is hearing from You”.

Now mind you, lots of people write and say encouraging things. Or at least they mean for them to be encouraging. Sometimes the timing is off; especially on the hard days. That’s what is so meaningful about Holley’s writing; she is honest about hard days. You won’t find her telling you to simply pray harder or keep a stiff upper lip. Holley is real with struggles to trust God, to find joy in tough circumstances. But her honesty doesn’t point us to our circumstances; she points us to the Truth. Acknowledging the hard and embracing the Truth. What a beautiful combination.

I wasn’t far into the book before I sighed aloud over what I read:

You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry. Psalm 10:17

I have felt afflicted. Haven’t you? Holley writes: “When the day seems difficult, when you’re weary, when you feel like a failure…God is encouraging you.” She speaks honestly about many very real issues: depression, limiting beliefs about God, how we’re prone to criticism of ourselves and others, and in each hard topic she points us to God’s Word in the Psalms.

Such comfort.

Such encouragement.

I know sometimes it’s hard to receive encouragement. Being in a hard place can be so dark a little bit of light is hard on the eyes (or ears). Holley makes the Light practical not preachy. In #32 God Will Ease Your Anxiety she explains the physiology of how our bodies respond to anxiety and joy. Not in a heady science way but simply the practical stuff. And she points us to God. “God doesn’t take us from anxiety to calm. He can actually take us from anxiety to joy. How does he do that? Truth can switch the track in our minds. When we remember what God says, we change courses from thoughts that lead to anxiety to those that can instead lead to emotions like courage and even celebration.” Practical. Encouraging.

Reading Holley’s words I imagine hearing her warm, soft voice speaking them to me. She is an author who writes in her own voice. I had the privilege of hearing her speak encouraging words at She Speaks 2013. Holley is as sincere in person as she is in her writing.

Her latest project is available now. Get two copies. One for a friend and one for yourself.

It’s what your heart needs for the hard days.

“What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it.”
― C.S. Lewis

Learning to Believe

January 20, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

I know life is hard sometimes. Some days are worse than others. Some Mondays you just want a do over by the end of the day.

There’ll be days like this my momma said…

But you don’t have to throw in the towel, or bury your head under the pillow, or distract yourself with TV or incessant snacking.

Nope. You have other choices. Choices for your growth. For your good. For others’ good too. You can choose learning. Learning to Believe.

Learning to Believe you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. Learning to Believe God’s plans for you are for your welfare and not to harm you. (even when today doesn’t make sense) Learning to Believe you have the capacity to forgive the hurt that poured out on you from another today. Learning to Believe Truth.

Someone once told me that Faith is like a muscle. You need to exercise it to strengthen it. How do you exercise Faith?

Learning to Believe what may not make sense at first. Sometimes we need reminding of Truth. Actually, daily we need reminding. Why? Because we are forgetful people. Something doesn’t turn out the way we thought it would or should or could and we freak out. Why? Because we are broken people. We need reminding!

Reminders come in so many ways: a beautiful sunrise (if you’re up early!); birds chirping; a time of silence when the littles are napping; an email from a friend; an entry in Jesus Calling. He reminds us to Believe Him. To Trust Him. To grow our Faith in Him.

We need people around us who can be our co-workers in learning to Believe. We need people who can be like Aaron and Hur were to Moses; helping him lift up his hands in prayer to the Lord while the battle raged on in front of him. It’s a great story: read it in Exodus 17.

Who are your encouragers? Your prayer partners? Your cheerleaders? You’re co-workers in learning to Believe? We all need them.

Sometimes the hardest part of learning to Believe is being willing to risk sharing our very real needs. Instead of being authentic with others we believe a lie: we don’t want to impose, be a burden, or too much trouble; yet if someone asked you for a listening ear or for help, would you turn away from them?

Learning to Believe you are worth the trouble is sometimes one of the biggest hurdles of faith. Somehow we aren’t treasured and affirmed the way God sees us and we believe lies about ourselves. Learning to Believe God’s Truth about who you are is an exercise of faith. Daily.

Don’t give up! You can do this! Like any kind of learning, it’s filled with practice and mistakes. The best part of this is: God has got your back! He is in this learning process with you for the rest of your days!

What are you currently learning to Believe? How may I be an encourager to you today?

Reflections of 2013

December 31, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

2013 is coming to a close.

I am relieved. It has been a year of dramatic changes. There is always change taking place whether we see it or not; our children grow over night; the plants and seasons change without our notice. But some changes are very perceptible and measurable. Those are the ones that I’d like to slow down!

As I reflect on this year (which is what I have the habit of doing on Dec 31 every year) I am amazed at all that God has brought me through. I am grateful for His provision, protection and most of all Presence.

He has taught me much this year about relying on Him when all around me is changing. Psalm 46 begins and ends with the reminder that God is our refuge and stronghold. Just before the end of the Psalm is the often quoted, “be still and know that I am God”. How can we be still when there is so much doing that needs to be done?

This is a big part of what God has shown me this year: how to ‘be still’ while still moving. Now if that isn’t an oxymoron I don’t know what is! Yet it is a Truth that is worth reflecting upon as this year ends and a new one starts.

When you look at the surface of a large body of water ( I am most familiar with the Pacific Ocean but you insert the image that fits for you) there are waves that change in height and frequency depending on the wind. Storms stir up the activity on the surface and being on the water can be rough and dangerous.

Below the surface, into deep water, there is only a gentle motion, almost unnoticeable. The current is present but the motion can be described as nearly still. As I have pondered the mystery of how to be still and still doing, the Lord brought this image to mind: go below the surface of the busy-ness of life, into the depths with Me. He is a very present help, a refuge, our strength, a stronghold, a deliverer; His Word is full of the images that remind us of His Presence in spite of the outer turmoil.

Sometimes the turmoil was overwhelming and I didn’t handle it all very well. I could beat myself up over it. I could lament and stay stuck in ‘my woe is me’ attitude. Or, as I learned through the study of His Word, I could see myself rightly as He sees me. I practiced time alone with Him, with His Word, in His creation, walking and talking with Him alone. Learning from Him along the Way. These sacrifices of “my time” were gifts He gave back to me in volume.

We can say, ‘I’m too busy to be still’ or ‘I have too many demands on me to make time for myself like that’ and keep rushing ahead without peace. We wonder what the Bible means when it says things like ‘You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is fixed on You because he trusts in You.’ How is that supposed to happen? That must be for someone else that has time to sit around and read and pray. “I don’t have that luxury in my life.”

We can repeat the same pattern of thought and behavior that gets us back to being stuck, or we can choose to go forward thinking differently about ourselves and our circumstances, thinking God’s thoughts.

Oswald Chambers reflected on Isaiah 52:12: “He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures, as would undoubtedly happen if He were not our ‘rear guard’. And God’s hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience.”

As this year closes, I am grateful for this knowledge and for the opportunities He gave me to practice and apply these Truths in my life. And now He calls us forward to grow and change. Not to stay the same. We as Christ followers are to be about the business of becoming more Christ-like not about the business of shoring up “the way I am” or “the way I’ve always done things”. There is more to do, grow and change.

I am making plans for this new year. I reflect on what has passed this year and reach forward into the new. God is already there, reaching His hand back to me to lead me forward. He wants to do the same for you. Will you take His hand?

What is one area you are planning to make changes in this coming year?

30 Days of Giving #12,13,14,15,16 & 17: Grace

November 17, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

Life is full even for a recently empty-nester. Deep conversations with friends far away…

Participation in online Bible study & book groups.

Tearfully praying for children and adults in the ravaged Philippines. Feathering the new nest. Finding my boots packed in a bag, in a box, under random stuff! Learning new ways of cooking for my vegan hubster.
(this is butternut squash & mushroom bruschetta made with vegan cream cheese and udi’s bagels)

All these things I chose over sitting at the computer and writing about the things that I have been prompted to reflect upon in my personal challenge of 30 Days of Giving.

I could get down on myself because I have not been “diligent” to write daily.
I could, but I won’t.
I am choosing to give my self the greatest gift: Grace.

For too long I have lived in bondage to my worth being tied to productivity.
I choose to show Grace.

For too long I have thought mean, unacceptable thoughts about me: thoughts I would not tolerate if I heard someone speak them to another human being.
I choose to speak Grace.

For too long I have neglected the need for rest when my body calls for it; thinking a nap is a shameful waste of time.
I choose to respond to Grace.

For too long I have lived under the burden of unrealistic expectations for daily accomplishments as if to prove how capable I am (and thus worthy of love)
I choose to receive Grace.

Grace is a gift. It is given by God freely. It can’t be bought. (think earned)

Like many gifts, this is given because of Love. And like many gifts received, it is often neglected or unappreciated or misused.

Grace is meant to be shared: with yourself and with others.

When mistakes are made (and they WILL be made) show kindness.
When things get broken (and they WILL be broken) show gentleness.
When you don’t follow through on something you said you would do (life happens) show patience.
When temptations come to do other things that take you away from commitments you’ve made (to others or to yourself) show self-control.

You might recognize some of these words: kindness, gentleness, patience, self-control. They are some of the listed characteristics of the evident life of the Holy Spirit in a Christ-follower.
The evident life of the Holy Spirit is a gift of Grace from God to those who name His name.
The greatest gift ever given is eternal life through Christ because of His substitutionary death. What?
He took my penalty. Your penalty. On Himself. He lived a perfect human life never falling short of the glory of God. How?

He is God Incarnate. In a human body. Jesus lived a life you and I can never live on our own.
He died the death we deserve because the distance from human to holy can’t be spanned by human beings.
And then?
He rose from the dead breaking forever the bonds that hold us in the terror of eternal separation from a holy God. Jesus made the Way for us to be brought across the distance between human and holy. He offers us this gift of undeserved, unearned favor, eternal life with Him, by Him.
And now?
If you know this Truth, and you believe this Truth, then you get to live this Truth on a daily basis because of Grace.
This is Good News! This is a gift to be shared; Grace to be lived and shown to the world through your life.
If you are not, if I am not, showing Grace to ourselves then our words are empty.
If we do not show Grace to others our words are hollow.
Grace is given. Grace is received. Grace is a gift opened up, applied and shared.

I choose Grace.
And you?