#YourStory: Susan B. Mead

March 7, 2017 by Kristi 24 Comments

Dance With Jesus – a Metaphor for Joy

By Susan B. Mead

Have you ever felt like the journey of healing from losing someone dear to you was NOT what you hoped for?

Do you often find yourself feeling lost, alone, overwhelmed and unsure how to help yourself, much less someone else in your family?

Would you like to see that someone else has walked this path, so you can? Me too. There is HOPE…

Have you ever written an answer to a Bible Study question that took longer than the two lines provided? I did – and it became the book Dance With Jesus: From Grief to Grace. The question Henry Blackaby posed in Experiencing God was what does God want you to do, right now?

I heard deep in my spirit, “Sing My love song.” And laughed out loud at God.

Seriously God, You will have to send me a bucket, because You KNOW I can’t carry a tune. Then the next deep spiritual nudge was, “What’s in your hand? Use it.” I was writing in the workbook, so a pen was in my hand…

I swept away the workbook, got out a clean journal and out the story poured. At 5:30 am, I looked up as I wrote the last words. The very first email I read later that day was from Proverbs 31 Ministries about their upcoming SheSpeaks 2013, a speakers and WRITERS conference.

Seriously God? You WANT me to DO something with this? OK.

The death of a child - don't miss today's #YourStory with @susanbmead. #hope in the face of #grief Click To Tweet

So the story begins…

My name is Susan Burfoot Mead and I’ve been blessed to be married to my soul mate, Holt Mead, since 1979. I think the first 30 years we spent working on learning what soul mates are…Or should I ask him if we are still working on that?

I’m the mother of two sons, Matthew, who lives in South Louisiana and is engaged to a precious woman and Kyle, Forever 20 and in Heaven, where he is doing a Dance with Jesus. Kyle’s been there since March 29, 2008. March 20 is Matt’s birthday. I love you dearly, Matt. Always have. Always will.

Matt called on a beautiful sunny Saturday morning in 2008. My world split open and I tumbled into a black abyss as Matt wailed, Kyle died last night. Oh. O H. OHHHHHHHH. NO!

Please, don’t even try to imagine how any parent feels upon hearing those words.

But God…gave me a gift – a beautiful gift.

The morning of Kyle’s service, I had a dream. Kyle was wearing blue jeans, his Scooby Doo t-shirt, a blazer and was dancing–getting way down low. Two hockey sticks were crossed behind him…and JESUS was way down low, dancing in a mirror image JUST LIKE Kyle! Jesus turned with His arm outstretched, pointed to me and said, “This is to bring you joy. I taught him how. I taught him how to dance.”

So where was Kyle? Dancing with Jesus! Awesome, thank you, Father. What an exquisite gift from You.

A day or two later, we were in South Louisiana for a memorial service for Kyle for his college friends who were unable to attend his funeral service. One friend made a banner of a lot of their friend’s pictures of Kyle to present to us.

Can you imaging my surprise…and delight…when just to the right of center I saw a photo…

There was Kyle in a picture wearing blue jeans, his Scooby Doo t-shirt, a blazer and was dancing–getting way down low. One hockey stick was behind him…No mirror image. Just him. Dressed just like the dream. A day or two LATER.

HELLO GOD!

And the story continues as God reveals Himself over and over and over again. I remain in AWE of our great God! Now dance with Jesus is a metaphor for joy. The joy of the Lord!

Want to see the book trailer? Go to www.DanceWithJesus.com

About Susan ~

With over 2 million airline miles under her belt, an MBA hanging on the wall and 2 Christian Literary Awards on the shelf, Susan B Mead shares her expert teachings on business, grief and relationships. A master storyteller and award winning author, Susan leaves audiences motivated to live a life free of regrets even though she has done the hardest thing any parent can do – bury her youngest son, Kyle. Susan has been described as a solid, comforting voice in a messy world. Whether speaking to business professionals, women’s conferences, industry leaders or writer’s workshops, Susan’s insightful wisdom inspires audiences, empowering them to make healthy mental u-turns.

Connect with Susan on her website where she writes each Friday, on Facebook and Twitter where she posts scripture graphics and daily inspiration or on Amazon where her book, Dance With Jesus: From Grief to Grace, is available.

Discouraged?

Joshua is here to help. Check out this article for help in overcoming discouragement.
To read other #YourStory testimonies, click here.

Linking with other Jesus bloggers here: #raralinkup, #testimonyTuesday, #chasingcommunity, #heartencouragementThursday, & #thoughtprovokingThursday.

#YourStory: Lanette Haskins

February 7, 2017 by Kristi 31 Comments

A Life Restored

by Lanette Haskins

They overcame him because of the Lamb’s blood, and because of the word of their testimony.

Rev. 12:11a WEB

We all have a story to tell — the good, the bad, the ugly and sometimes the really ugly. The good things are easy to share, it’s the other stuff that we hesitate to reveal. There are those parts of our stories that we would rather be left untold (and of course some details should be left out) but the truth is when we’re willing to share our stories, we encourage others that they’re not alone in their suffering and that gives them hope.

And that’s what I want to do — give others HOPE.

That’s why I write, not to share the ugly parts of my story but to share how God was able to take what was ugly and transform it into something beautiful…

When I was 10 years old I discovered that I had been adopted by the man I called dad. In that moment my life was forever changed as the enemy of my soul planted lies that I would believe for many years to come.

Because I wasn’t planned, I thought that God didn’t have a plan for me. I believed that I was a mistake — a life never meant to be lived. I never felt pretty enough, thin enough, smart enough, talented enough, or good enough and circumstances continually led me to believe that I had no value. I even believed that I deserved whatever happened — like when the “nice guy” who offered me a ride home from a party pulled into a field, locked the doors, and then stole from me the only thing of value that I had to offer.

And so I began searching for love and acceptance that I would never find in any man, only more confirmation of what I had believed all along and the more I gave myself away the more I believed the lies.

Bad choices have a way of multiplying rapidly when you shut God out and that was certainly true in my case. Bad choice after bad choice resulted in a teenage pregnancy, a late-term abortion, and shame and guilt that would hold me prisoner for the majority of my life.

Maybe you’ve made choices that have caused you deep pain and regret. Maybe the shame and guilt have been more than you can bear and maybe you believe that you deserve to be punished. Maybe you’ve been a prisoner to your past. Can I tell you something? Jesus will not leave you there. Just like the parable of the one lost sheep in Luke 15:1-7. He will come to find you. He will carry you home. And He will rejoice in your return.

He will rejoice in your return. ~ @LanetteHaskins Click To Tweet

His grace found me. I was lost and He came looking for me. He carried me home and rejoiced over me — I was enough. Enough for Him to choose me. Enough for Him to die for me. I was drowning in the ocean of it, nothing I had ever done could compare to His grace. It was more than enough to cover my sin and make me clean. His blood poured out for me. I was a new creation, not an improvement of who I used to be but NEW. And friend, He wants to do the same for you.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

2 Corinthians 5:17 New Living Translation (NLT)

I no longer live according to the lies I once believed. I live according to the HOPE I have in Jesus.

My past is no longer a painful reminder of shame and guilt but a platform to lead others out of darkness and captivity into truth and freedom through Christ.

We can’t change our past but we can give it to God and trust Him to change our hearts.

My story is really God’s story of redemption and restoration through Jesus. It’s a story of His Beauty for my ashes. I share my story to give others hope and to give Him glory.

Remember, “the power of our stories is tremendous, but left untold, they are useless.”

God has a purpose and a plan for each and every one of us, so share your story, give others hope, lead them to Jesus.

About ~

Lanette Haskins is a writer, speaker, ministry leader and an artist. She is passionate about leading others out of the shame of their past by sharing her own story of Christ’s redeeming love. Lanette is a wife, mom and grammy living in West Michigan. She blogs at Your Grace Found Me, and can be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Linking with other Jesus writers here: #raralinkup, #testimonytuesday, #heartencouragementThursday, #chasingcommunity, & #thoughtprovokingThursday.

#YourStory: Liz Giertz

July 5, 2016 by Kristi 36 Comments

Pebbles of Pain

by: Liz Giertz

The glory of God in this woman is a beautiful thing. His healing work in her is powerful. I hope you’re as touched by the testimony and words of Liz Giertz as I am ~ even more so! She is a co-laboror in the cause for Christ as she leads women on military bases. She writes powerful, impacting words on her blog (noted at the end), and today she brings her power-packed words of God’s healing touch to these pages. It’s my hope you’re changed, even just a little, by what Liz shares. And don’t forget to pass this link along. Someone right beside you may find hope in the midst.

I recently recognized a bad habit I have developed.

I had finally arrived at the point where I needed to ask for professional help parenting my son.

But within minutes of reaching out, I learned that an acquaintance of mine had suffered a tremendous loss. Her full term baby had died just hours before she was scheduled for an induction.

Instantly my perspective changed and I felt foolish for feeling so helpless in my own situation. I thought I just needed to suck it up and move on. My struggle with a distraught seven year-old seemed like a tiny pebble compared to the burden she was carrying.

The realization that others’ problems far outweigh our own can bring a certain helpful perspective. But it can also be dangerous if it causes us to ignore the load we haul. That danger comes in denying the existence of our own pain.

Denying the hurt only delays healing.

Denying the hurt only delays healing. ~ @LizGiertz on KristiWoods.net Click To Tweet

The longer we live the more hurt we accumulate. It doesn’t matter if it is heaped on us all at once or stone by stone. If we don’t heal our hurts, the heaviness becomes more than we can bear.

For more than twenty years, I had been hiding my hurts, tucking little pebbles of pain into the pockets of my life. Pretending they didn’t exist because in my mind their magnitude paled in comparison to what others carried.

Sure my parents divorced, but it happened after I left home and they were still (mostly) friendly.

Yes, I was raped, but it wasn’t violent and I didn’t press charges.

I’m a combat veteran, but it wasn’t like I was out patrolling nightly with the Rangers.

Several of my classmates were Killed In Action, but other people lost husbands and best friends.

I had a miscarriage, but it was so early we hadn’t even told anybody yet.

My husband is gone for a year, but he’s only in Kuwait this time.

My Daddy died, but I’d been expecting it because he really didn’t take care of himself the way he should have.

My kids may be difficult, but at least they are healthy and here with me.

I had been refusing to acknowledge these hurts carried any weight at all, but the more I hid, the heavier they became. I shamed myself into believing I had no right to my feelings because I was so blessed. I refrained from seeking help because others needed it so much more.

I nearly wound up buckling under the burden. When it got that far, I was left wondering what happened, struggling to pinpoint a single event worthy of causing the collapse, unaware of the cumulative toll so many “minor” traumas had taken.

I couldn’t heal because I had refused to feel.

I couldn’t heal because I had refused to feel. ~ @LizGiertz Click To Tweet

God doesn’t distinguish between our dilemmas. He doesn’t classify our catastrophes. He doesn’t even prioritize our pain. He certainly doesn’t make us wait until we’ve filled a wheelbarrow with pebbles of pain before He pledges to help. He doesn’t say He will only help when we have a boulder sized burden.

He simply says to cast our burdens on Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).

It's OK. Go ahead. Cast your burdens on Jesus. He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 Click To Tweet

Every single one of them. Any time of the day or night. But we cannot cast our cares on Him if we are too busy hiding them.

Accelerate healing by acknowledging the hurt and accepting help.

So now, one by one, I’m unpacking the painful pebbles and allowing myself to acknowledge the hurt without judgement or shame for those feelings. I’m reaching out to some amazing people God has placed in my life to help me work through the damage that was done. And I’m finally beginning to heal.

1 Peter 57 NIV.001 — Photo Credit: Liz Giertz

I hope you’ll join me.

Maybe my burdens sound heavy to you or perhaps they look like a cake walk compared to what you’ve endured. Either way, we aren’t called to compare our cares but rather to love and serve each other. So, if there is any way I can help you, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Because by bearing each other’s burdens we fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2) and glorify our Father in Heaven.

“Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you...” Psalm 55:22a NIV Click To Tweet

~ About Liz

Liz Giertz is a Veteran turned Army wife and mom to two boisterous boys who call FT Hood, Texas home for now. She is passionate about encouraging women to overcome the MESSES and embrace the MEMORIES as they become the MASTERPIECES God created them to be. You can connect with her on her blog, My Messy Desk , as well as on Facebook , or Twitter .

Linking with other Jesus lovers here: Purposeful Faith, Holly Barrett, & 3-D Lessons for Life.

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