96 results for tag: Lianna
I Know Why I Weep
There she stood, outside of Jesus’ tomb. Stooping to look inside, her weeping formed a river of anguish. She did not yet know that her Lord was risen.
Instead of Jesus’ body within that tomb, Mary Magdalene beheld two angels. Sitting, dressed in white. They knew that Jesus had risen.
So they asked Mary, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
Why was she weeping in that tomb-garden? As I read of her answer recorded in the Gospel of John (chapter 20), I think that her reason is at the root of all tears of sorrow, in a sense.
“They have taken away my Lord…” she said.
Hers were genuine tears, tears for her greatest treasure—but not ...
Combating the Idleness of Grief
“We urge you, brethren, admonish the idle […] be patient with everyone”1 Thessalonians 5:14 NASB
I understand, firsthand, that grief can stall a person—it can take a physical toll that might, especially at first, preclude the amount of activity in life that used to take no thought. Though this may seem disconcerting and endless, in my experience, it is an aspect of grief that time does change with time.
But even further, perhaps you have been sitting, for a while now, with a sense that little is worth doing anymore in this life. I have had these thoughts. But the apostle Paul has practical encouragement. In 1 Thessalonians 4:11, he ...
Darkness Has Not Overcome the Light
“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, ‘Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned and said to Him in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means Teacher).” John 20:15-16
When Mary Magdalene first recognized the risen Christ, she spoke the word Rabboni, Teacher, a word of personal knowledge and a word of submission.
“Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, ‘Children, do you have any ...
The Day Jesus Died
Directly in front of me were church members standing to read the account of the crucifixion that Good Friday. I was dressed in black—something to outwardly signify my setting aside time to think of the day my Jesus had died. But I didn’t want to listen as the Scripture readers gave voice to the stripes, the crown of thorns, and the cross at “The Place of a Skull.” Stuck to my chair, I diverted eye contact from the readers—looking through vision soft and wet to the wall at my right. Some weeks have passed between that day and this one—sitting down with the account of Jesus’ death for this series. I still don’t want to look because I ...
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
Grieving the loss of a child has a way of creating an urgent desire for solid, biblical answers for any theological questions that arise in the heart—what has God truly said in His Word about why this kind of pain exists in the world?
When this world feels devoid due to child loss, one’s attention can be well set upon knowing how to hope for another world. Hope is needed because all is not right. This cannot be it for us as people. The Christian hope, such a blessed hope, tells us that there is more to know than what only experiences can tell us.
Understanding what hope God gives can come through observing what kind of mourning Jesus speaks ...
Perspective for Enduring Panic Attacks
Panic attacks—they are crippling. Your mind spins, your pulse is out-of-control fast, the world fades, and you feel like you are sinking into it. If this is happening to you—I am so very sorry.
Have panic attacks become a part of your life since loss occurred—or become accentuated? In this post, I focus specifically on enduring panic attacks with biblical perspective, with peace.
I understand that you have likely spent significant time praying and yearning for a remedy. And I understand that when you hear the words “worry,” “fear,” or “anxious” from others applied to your brand of panic and anxiety, you often cannot relate to what ...
Nourished by Christ in My Wilderness of Anxiety
About four years ago, I experienced my first, full-blown panic attack. Those experiences accumulated and I grew to have increasing difficult with leaving my home. I remember willfully dumping myself into the passenger seat to be driven to my parents’ nearby home—only two minutes later to feel an urgent pull within for the car to be turned around. Or I remember my husband and I taking our trotting dog for a walk, yards from our home, unable to carry a simple conversation because of the mental pain.
For many Hope Moms, anxiety of various proportions can come as one of the threads that compounds the grief journey, and in this post, I focus specifi...
Restore Your Hearts Unto God
My friends, will you take a brief tour with me of the Scriptures—a tour for the heart? Will you come with me as I remind us about essential truths of the Word of God? Let these serve as a reminder to you and to me. Let these serve as a reminder that you and I serve a great God. A reminder that He is in control. A reminder that He is the one working all things together for our good and His glory. A reminder that He is willing in His heart to be near to us.
You have suffered. But you need God all the more now. Your suffering threatens to distance you from God, to be afraid to trust Him. But He wants you for Himself. He wants you to know Him and ...
Through the Waiting
Waiting. Are you feeling the pains of waiting too?
Life is incomplete because we lost the presence of God in the garden. We don’t know Him as He so wants to be known by us. He created us for that purpose, to live our lives with and unto Him. I adore that God walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. Oh, can you imagine? The God of all walking with His people, fellowshipping with them. Oh, how could have Adam and Eve desired more than that?
But they were pulled away by the evil one. They were pulled away by desires stirred in their own hearts. My friends, God is a good God. I know that the world tells us otherwise. The world tells us ...
Of Change and Presence
I’m gazing out at my backyard. It is covered in green leaves that will soon be changing color for the fall. Everything here is new to me. This house. The yard. The furniture arrangement. The smells. The look. The colors. A cross-country move will have that effect. The terrain is different—more moisture here, more greenery, more Up North in feel.
And here I sit, pondering what glory will be like. Will it all smell fresh and new? What will the new earth be like? How long I can ponder such questions! God hasn’t given us very much to know about the new earth. My guess is that we wouldn’t be much good for this earth if we knew more. Perhaps ...
