I became an adoptive mom a year and a half ago. Long enough to realize I owe all my mom friends a huge apology because I. Had. No. Earthly. Idea. that being some precious peanut’s mama was quite this exhausting. Really, the other day I had to covertly sniff my armpit in public because I couldn’t remember if I’d put on deodorant or not that morning! But I’ve also been a parent long enough now to realize that spiritual lessons are often clearer and definitely sweeter when they’re amplified through your child.
For instance, a few nights ago my little girl Missy (a beautiful, joyful, 6-year-old Haitian spitfire who regularly gives me a run for my money) and I were sitting in a sticky booth at her favorite Mexican restaurant where she’d just eaten a cheese quesadilla twice the size of her head. She said, “Mama, can I sit wid chu?,” which really means, “May I sit on your lap?” After I replied, “Of course, honey,” she bounced to my side of the booth, leaned against my chest, and sighed dramatically. Then she patted her tummy and proclaimed with exaggerated delight, “I SO happy, Mama … I full!” Which was immediately followed by the earnest question, “Can we go to da park, now?”
I couldn’t help grinning at her seemingly juxtaposed coupling of satisfaction and passion. Of her being stuffed to the brim with melted Monterey Jack folded in a fried tortilla, yet instead of wanting to take a nap, wanting to swing on monkey bars and rocket down a slide with glee. And I found myself thinking that pretty much sums up our calling as Christ-followers—to find our satisfaction in the abundant life Jesus made available to us through His death and resurrection and then be catapulted into the increasingly dark world around us with the living hope of the gospel. Jesus says, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10b, ESV).
Lifeway’s new women’s event, Abundance, is all about being fully satisfied in the love of Jesus Christ and being passionate about our missional calling as His delighted-in daughters. It’s about planting the roots of our identity deep into the soil of God’s unconditional love and spreading our wings to soar. Please come join us in Daytona and be filled to the brim through substantive Bible teaching, God-centered worship, and genuine relational interaction. Then you can go share the Living Hope that lies within you brighter than ever before! And I have a sneaking suspicion that you and your girlfriends will find a great Mexican restaurant on the way home from this life-giving event where you can peel off your Spanx in the restroom and then feast on quesadillas in the spirit of Abundance!
For more information on the Abundance event in Daytona and other cities, click here.
“Hilarious storyteller” and “theological scholar” rarely describe the same person, but Lisa Harper is anything by stereotypical! A gifted communicator, she writes and speaks using colorful pop culture references that connect the dots between the Bible era and modern life. Lisa holds a Masters of Theological Studies with honors from Covenant Seminary, has written multiple books, and is a sought-after Bible teacher and speaker.