Lisa-Jo Baker
About the Author

Lisa-Jo is the best-selling author of Never Unfriended and Surprised by Motherhood. Her newest book, The Middle Matters: Why That (Extra)Ordinary Life Looks Really Good on You invites us to get a good look at our middles and gives us permission to embrace them.

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
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(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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Comments

  1. Lisa-Jo,
    Having spent a large portion of my life trying and striving to be “good” (what exactly measures that I don’t know?), I love the words you used to sum up the conclusion I’ve come to – that Jesus came to make dead people alive again which torches the long held idea that He came to make bad people good. Love this paradigm shift! Also, like you said, forgiveness is key in friendships because sooner or later our friends are going to let us down. Our God is so good that forgiveness is not built for the good of the person being forgiven (which of course is a good benefit), but it is truly a well spring of life for the person letting go of the ills done toward them and trusting them in the hands of the ultimate judge. Loved this excerpt and the book!!
    Blessings,
    Bev xx

  2. Hi Lisa-Jo! This post is so true. I confess, I’m still a novice at forgiveness. Yet as I walk closer with God, I see how important forgiveness is. The more I look at my own sins and how Jesus has covered them, the more willing I am to let go of others’ offenses.

  3. Thanks, Lisa-Jo, for taking us to “Ground Zero.” I’m so thankful that when we go with humility, it is God’s practice to see us there, to hear our hearts, and to raise us up.

  4. Thank you for this devotional, as I write I am struggling with a friendship that was once very dear to me. I have tried to compartmentalize and make excuses to ease the hurt of our friendship ending. I ask that you join me in prayer to move towards forgiveness for myself (and the role I played in the fallout) as well as for her.

  5. Lisa Jo,
    I gratefully accept the gift to forgive as a blessing from God. Whether I’m forgiven or not, I’ve come to accept that also. Thank-you for reminding us of the importance, and beauty forgiveness holds.
    “I say unto thee, not seven times, but seventy times seven”. ‘King James’

    Have a blessed day all,

    Penny

  6. I am reading an advance copy and I’m having to go slow. I expected a frivolous superficial book but it’s ministering to my soul. Beneath my facade of “fine” are some long-standing wounds and self-doubting thoughts resistant to change. Thanks for the tender balm of vulnerability.

  7. Lisa-Jo,

    Just love your authentic writing. This struck me: “The Roman Empire’s more torturous forms of executing justice — the practice of strapping the corpse of a murder victim to the back of the murderer.” I’ve never heard of that before. I realize Satan wants to do that with our sins. Once you lie, cheat, steal, gossip, or mess up-he wants you to live with that guilt forever. Even after you prayed to God for forgiveness. Satan would love nothing more than to have us in despair. God wants us in community. He want us to forgive others as He has forgiven us.

    Friendships can be hard. We all get hurt. A good friendship will share the messy with the good. I am blessed to have such relationships. There have been times lately that I felt “down and depressed” over my aging dad’s health. God sent wonderful people to “be there” for me and allow me to be me-warts and all. I wish more women would be vulnerable and take off the “Fine” mask. Tell us how you are doing-really. Share the ugly, and bad. We’re here to support you.

    Blessings 🙂

  8. I believe this post was written for me. The words answered exact comments I’ve made in the last couple weeks. Thank you, Jesus for these words and for bringing in(courage) into my life.

  9. I love that image of rotting bandages as representative of anger, bitterness and resentment! No, no! I mean that image is so distastefully accurate, it’s sure to encourage productive action when those three emotions come creeping around. Then this image also caught my attention: “Forgiveness is like a pair of tweezers picking out the shards of shrapnel embedded in our hearts and minds.” What a perfect illustration! Painful for a moment; sweet relief after. Thank you, Lisa-Jo, for your wisdom on the power of forgiveness.

  10. Lovely, deep words with a vulnerability that grabs you from the first page. Where is the form to redeem pre-order gifts for those of us who did pre-order, but did not realize there were more steps to go. Things are always a bit more complicated than they seem. Thanks.