A few weeks ago, Ashley injured her shoulder while gearing up for her largest gymnastics meet of the season. If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that Ashley loves gymnastics and has spent a year preparing for level 8 competitions. She's had an amazing time with gymnastics over the past 10 years winning several state titles and progressing to each next level with great excitement.
But this year has been an uphill battle.
She's had to push through many hard times to get to the ultimate level 8 meet: Regionals. She finally qualified with her last event at her state meet. That same state meet that she competed even though she was sick and her mother was protesting.
Finally, with one last glorious flip, she made it! There were cheers all around and much joy as we all looked ahead to this goal she'd been talking about for a year.
She had great practices the week after states. Things seemed to be clicking along like she'd planned. But with one slip off the bar and a pretty bad landing, her shoulder was injured.
And no amount of rehab could get her ready in time. So, with tears and great disappointment, she had to scratch from the meet.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I know in the great scheme of life, this is such a small thing. But in Ashley's world, it is big. Therefore, it led me to have one of those conversations with the Lord that I'm sure many moms have had at one time or another. If your child has ever had to walk through the yuck of disappointment, maybe you can relate.
The Lord: Recall the beauty of trusting the only One who can see what is and what is to come. Remember my words in Nahum 1:7... "The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him."
The Mom: At least tell me how to comfort her.
The Mom: But what about the desires of her heart Lord?
The weather was perfect...
What a great Daddy!
Many reminders of just how Big and Mighty and Glorious our God is were at the Beach. And in the end, I asked Ashley where she would have rather spent her weekend- at her competition or at the Beach?
But this year has been an uphill battle.
She's had to push through many hard times to get to the ultimate level 8 meet: Regionals. She finally qualified with her last event at her state meet. That same state meet that she competed even though she was sick and her mother was protesting.
Finally, with one last glorious flip, she made it! There were cheers all around and much joy as we all looked ahead to this goal she'd been talking about for a year.
She had great practices the week after states. Things seemed to be clicking along like she'd planned. But with one slip off the bar and a pretty bad landing, her shoulder was injured.
And no amount of rehab could get her ready in time. So, with tears and great disappointment, she had to scratch from the meet.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I know in the great scheme of life, this is such a small thing. But in Ashley's world, it is big. Therefore, it led me to have one of those conversations with the Lord that I'm sure many moms have had at one time or another. If your child has ever had to walk through the yuck of disappointment, maybe you can relate.
The Mom: Lord, I have to tell you it is a hard thing for a mother to watch her child work so hard for something only to have her dreams dashed by an injury.
The Lord: Do the words of Job 17:11 express the way you are feeling? "My days have passed, my plans are shattered, and so are the desires of my heart."
The Mom: Lord, you could make her better. You could strengthen her shoulder and make her well enough to compete. Lord don't you see her tears? If seeing her sadness breaks my heart, I know it must break your heart too. It is hard for me to understand when I know that you could fix this in an instant.
The Lord: Recall the beauty of trusting the only One who can see what is and what is to come. Remember my words in Nahum 1:7... "The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him."
The Mom: I do trust you Lord. But for all that work to end like this is so hard. It just seems so pointless.
The Lord: Oh, nothing I do is pointless. Nothing you go through is pointless. This lesson will work good for her now and it will work good for her in the future. You only think you know what is best for her. But I have such a grand plan and purpose in all this. Proverbs 19:20-21... "Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."
The Mom: Show me how.
Isaiah 55:8-9... You don't have to have answers Lysa. You just need to trust. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
The Mom: At least tell me how to comfort her.
The Lord: I have put a gift right in front of you. Michelle offered her beach house to you. Take her up on that offer. You will be so blessed in this time away. As you walk through this experience of trusting me, your confidence in me and Ashley's confidence in me will grow stronger still. Jeremiah 17:7... "blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him."
The Mom: But what about the desires of her heart Lord?
The Lord: I am the only one who even knows the full scope of those desires Lysa. Your job isn't to figure out how to make her desires come to pass. Your job is to simply teach her to trust me and make wise choices. Psalm 37: 3-4... "Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart."
So, we packed up on the spur of the moment last week and headed to the Beach.
A glorious weekend of fun, sun, and connection with the Lord and each other awaited us. Here are Holly, Hillary, Me, Hope, Nancy, Ashley, and Brooke...
The weather was perfect...Holly got in the ocean and swam with Brooke! Now that is a good friend for ya'!
Daddy even let Ashley put his hair in a Mohawk.
What a great Daddy!
Many reminders of just how Big and Mighty and Glorious our God is were at the Beach. And in the end, I asked Ashley where she would have rather spent her weekend- at her competition or at the Beach?
Without hesitation she replied, "At the Beach!"
Thank you Lord. While I may not understand your ways- I do trust them.
30 Comments:
Wow. Loved your conversation with God. And loved the way He blessed your weekend beyond measure! What a wonderful memory that will last for such a long time. And how sweetly He has ministered to Ashley! Thanks for sharing.
Praising God with you for the weekend you had, and also how he met your needs.
Blessings,
Pearls
I have had a similar conversation so know how you feel! Praise God, you lstened and was rewarded with blessings!
Have a great day!
Lysa,
Thank you for such encouragement and reminders to trust in the Lord with everything and for everything. Once again, it is as if you have peeked inside my heart!
Lysa - your blog illustrates the very important goal of learning/memorizing scripture. How could you have heard God's answers if you had never listened to/read his voice? Praise God he provides all of our answers in his word, if we just know where to look.
Thanks for the great inspiration. And LOVE the mohawk.
I'm so glad you had a great time. It looks like your trip really was a gift.
Thanks for modeling how to trust God with our kids and their hearts.
Love,
Becky A.
And a wonderful lesson she learned that sometimes we think we know what our hearts desire is until after it has been changed and we realize it was different than we'd thought. (did that make sense?) Have a great week!
Wonderful, wonderful post Lysa...
How wonderful that He always has something better in store for us when we think we have been so disappointed! I am so glad you all had a chance to sit back, relax and refresh yourselves as a family!
Ashley will look back on this time and remember what fun you all had together! That will mean so much more to her in the long run than the gyumnastice ever will!
God is so good to meet ALL of our wants and needs.
Love,
Starr
Of course, I meant "Gymnastics"!
Love, Starr
I've had a few of those conversations myself...He's always right, you know. the pictures are beautiful...made me jealous for a day at the seashore! have to settle for "ocean sounds" cd for now! glad you had such a sweet time.
laura
Lysa,
Thanks for the post today. As a mother of 3, I have had that conversation a few times myself. A beautiful reminder as I know I will have it again. I forwarded the link on to two friends today, one whose daughter is in gymnastics, and another who has prayed for her daughter the same prayer only in softball. I know they will be blessed by your blog also. Thank you for your ministry and all that you do.
OH! And the shiny things are gone from Google! WHAT WERE THEY??? Does anyone know?
Oh, Lysa. Aren't you GLAD His ways aren't OURS? Ours have a way of being so temporary.
THANK YOU for sharing your struggles and victories with us. I SO love coming to your blog; you make me laugh, smile, and cry - usually all in the same post. THANK YOU FOR BEING A BLESSING!
So glad for your rest and your perspective.
peace~elaine
So very precious! Loved your conversation with God, I've had a very similar one recently. It brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for sharing.
Lysa,
What a precious time you and Ashley were able to have. Modeling is the BEST way to raise Godly children. Just think, if you didn't "know" God the way you do then the weekend would have been spent in pain and disappointment. God's ways are so much better than ours.
Oh, I know your heart was aching! It is so hard to deal with our childrens' disappointments. Glad you had a good time at the beach.
Great to see and read that ya'll had a great tiem at the beach.
Isn't is great that we can go to our Lord with anything on our hearts?
Latanya
I'm so glad it was a good weekend for all of you!
Jealous in Indianapolis!
What a great response after all that discouragement, "At the beach!" :)
Lysa, I am new to your blog and have already been so blessed by your journey with the Lord. We need each other in this world! Your story reminds me of my brother who faced a devastating knee injury in his senior of high school. All of his collegiate athletic dreams were abruptly halted. Fast forward 25 years: He is now a medical doctor with a foundation supporting a missionary hospital in Papau New Guinea. Looking back, where did this dream originate? His orthopedic surgeon inspired him to pursue medicine and use the profession for the glory of God. God is so good!
I've had similar conversations with the Lord over disappointments my son has experienced....and I'm sure I'll have more in the years to come. I think watching my son's reaction to his disappointments makes it even more difficult for me - because he's being so understanding about it all and his sweet reaction just makes me long even more to make everything right. He handles it so well, meanwhile his mother is having issues with what she feels he shouldn't have to face. So glad at these times, mother doesn't always know best. Thankful we can trust our children in the Hands of One who does.
Glad you had such a wonderful weekend,
Love & prayers,
Joy
There's a lot to be said for a time with family and friends and No Competition!! It looks like you had a wonderful time!
That Ashley is a quite a girl. She's got strength and fortitude combined with a caring heart. A winning combination for sure!
Had fun just hanging out with you and the girls this weekend ~ Rachel
Lysa, thanks for the timely reminder that we are not to solve all of our children's problems in life, but rather guide & teach & model how to live for God & rely on God! Glad you had a great time away!
Renata
I'm with Ashley-the beach would be my choice too!! Gotta love those conversations with God! Thank you for sharing!!
In His Graces~Pamela
This is one of these posts I will have to print off and save for when my daughter is older. Thank you for always just knowing what to write and how to write it!
"While I may not understand your ways - I do trust them."
"The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him."
Praise Jesus that He blessed you with such a great time away, and for reminding you (all of us) that He is in control and has the BEST planned for each of us.
All I can say is "thank you".
~ Leanne
Oh Lysa! WOW! Your converstaion with the LORD touched me so much. I love how you reminded us that only the Lord knows the full scope of our children's desires. My teenage son has been struggling with some heartache and it just makes my heart break! But I fully trust in the Sovereign Lord who created my dear child and has wonderful plans for him. Thank you for sharing this.
(Oh... a side note for those who were still curious... I did a little research on the shiny things on Google the day you mentioned them and found the artist's website. He did a series of "balloon animal" sculptures and these were "tulips" in that series. Definitely not my taste). ;)
Blessings! Julie
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