I have enjoyed many things that Lysa Terkeurst has written over the years and appreciation her leadership with Proverbs 31 Ministries. Her books have always left me with a lot to consider and I blogged reviews of three of them here: The Best Yes, Unglued. and Uninvited. What has always stood out to me about Terkeurst’s writing and speaking is just her level of authenticity in sharing her struggles and how the Lord is meeting her in those difficult places. Just this past weekend I picked up her latest book, It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way which was birthed out of a very difficult season with Lysa’s health as well as a devastating time in her marriage. I knew some things about her current situation via social media before I read this, but that insight helped me see the depth of the work that the Lord has done. This was a great read because I feel like it equipped me to have good perspective and also offer encouragement to others walking through struggles.
I highlighted several things while reading and have posted those notes below…
- Humans are very attached to outcomes. We say we trust God but behind the scenes we work our fingers to the bone and our emotions into a tangled fray trying to control our outcomes. We praise God when our normal looks like what we thought it would. We question God when it doesn’t. And walk away from Him when we have a sinking suspicion that God is the one who set fire to the hope that was holding us together. Location: 344
- Though we can’t predict or control or demand the outcome of our circumstances, we can know with great certainty we will be okay. Better than okay. Better than normal. We will be victorious because Jesus is victorious (1 Corinthians 15:57). And victorious people were never meant to settle for normal. Location: 373
- Sometimes to get your life back, you have to face the death of what you thought your life would look like. Location: 418
- The disappointment that is exhausting and frustrating you? It holds the potential for so much good. But we’ll only see it as good if we trust the heart of the Giver. Location: 446
- If the enemy can isolate us, he can influence us. Location: 487
- If I want His promises, I have to trust His process. I have to trust that first comes the dust, and then comes the making of something even better with us. God isn’t ever going to forsake you, but He will go to great lengths to remake you. What if disappointment is really the exact appointment your soul needs to radically encounter God? Location: 762
- We are imperfect because we are unfinished. Location: 1,349
- “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12). Location: 1,421
- My hope is tied to the unchanging promise of God. Location: 1,557
- I know I must walk through God’s process before I see His fulfilled promise. Location: 1,583
- The process isn’t a cruel way to keep you from the promise; it’s the exact preparation you’ll need to handle the promise. Location: 1,671
- To hope is to acknowledge reality in the very same breath that I acknowledge God’s sovereignty. Location: 1,712
- And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. (1 Peter 5:10) Location: 1,726
- When we are afflicted, we are being made more effective! That’s how we can “glory in our sufferings”: Location: 2,235
- Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13–16) Location: 2,589
- We must sip the suffering of today, so we don’t have to drown in the devastations of tomorrow. Location: 2,730
- Using God’s truth as your fighting words will not change what you see, but it absolutely will change how you see. Location: 2,838
- Truth will shape her in the best of ways and lead her heart to want to give the hope she’s found to others. So it’s through her uncertainties she’ll find her most certain purpose in the world. She will be: ~ a curator of curiosity ~ an image bearer of imagination ~ a tender truth-teller ~ a bold gospel-bringer ~ the wonder-full part of why “Those are the things she’ll discover as she journeys through life, dancing and falling and getting back up again. Location: 3,213
- It will all be turned upside down in eternity. Grief will turn to joy. Heartbreak to shouts of thanksgiving. Crowns of thorns to crowns of gold fit for a king. Location: 3,249