When we are in the darkness–whatever that is in our own particular story–the temptation is to believe that it’s over, it’s always going to feel this way, we will never be anywhere else or feel anything other than we do now. We fear the darkness, and for good reason. But it is in the darkness that new life begins.
Leeana Tankersley is on the show sharing the darkest chapter of her own story, the thing she never thought would happen and could do nothing to prevent. Along the way she shares how waiting patiently in the darkness allowed something incredible to take root within her: a defiant and hard-won hope that is not dependent on happy endings.
If you have lost your faith, your family, your health, your home, your security, your business, or your very self, Leeana wants you to know that you are not alone or forgotten. You are not doomed to stagnation or stasis. You are not worth less than you once were. Against every last odd, you can hope anyway.
Quotes:
“It can feel like hope forgot our address.”
“We can pray and do all of the right things and things still won’t go as planned. We are not in control.”
“When we hope for a certain outcome it is really just a wish. We need a hope that transcends outcomes.”
“If we can’t hope for certain outcomes, what can we hope in, in the meantime?”
“What can we invest our hope in when what we hoped for has not happened the way we planned?”
Lamentations 3 – Because of God’s great love we are not consumed.
“Behavior management will not preserve us from pain. If that were true the life of Jesus would be very different. Jesus was perfect and Jesus was put on a cross.”
“Because I did the right things I believed I deserved or was owed a certain life. It’s not a merit system.”
“We need a faith that transcends happy endings.”
“There is a hand always reaching towards you.”
“We have been trained to believe that we are doing a great job when things are going well.”
“What do I need to surrender in order to receive and give His love?”
“Even Jesus had to surrender to the greater story.”
“Rebuilding will take longer than you think it will and it is possible.”
Barbara Brown Taylor “Learning to Walk in the Dark”
“New life starts in the dark. Whether it’s a seed in the ground, a baby in the womb, or Jesus in the tomb, new life starts in the dark.”
“The darkness is regenerative. It exposes our vulnerability. You need God and people in the darkness.”
“We all have to take our turn on the stretcher.”
“To begin is to open up to something. What are you closed to? Hope is open to the possibilities that exist even when things don’t go as planned.”
Liz Gilbert – “Leave space for yet to come surprises.”
“When your life is falling apart it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. Start small.”
“God is with you.”
“Reframe your thinking on hope. Surrender the outcome with open hands. Find what you can invest your hope in.”
“When you don’t know what else to do, make soup.”
“We can be love offerings by taking care of ourselves. We cannot give what we don’t possess.”
“We don’t have to show up with all of the answers or solutions. We just need to sit with each other without feeling the need to fix it.”
“Just checking in.”
Connect with Leeana:
@leeanatankersley
Soup recipe:
https://www.thecandidappetite.
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