Laugh - Lake - Linger

Romans 12:12, Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

#WhatIfChrist moments are those times when you get to see a glimpse of what it is like to have God's Will done on earth as it is in heaven. We all experience them and sometimes we are given the opportunity to be the conduit for others to experience #WhatIfChrist moments. Sometimes we notice them for what they are, but other times we can get so caught up in life that we completely miss them.

Today, I get to share a #WhatIfChrist moment with you that my sister in Christ and friend experienced.

I met Joanna shortly after I moved to North Little Rock. Since I've been in Arkansas, Joanna and I have attended the same church and many of those 15 years here, we've been a part of the same Bible Study.

​I have had the privilege to get to know Joanna and see her heart for Christ. Another thing that stands out to me is her love for life. There has been very few times I've seen her and she didn't have a smile on her face. In our time together, she not only finds something that makes her laugh, but her laugh is contagious so she makes me laugh. Another thing you quickly notice about Joanna is her desire and willingness to serve and help others. "Giving up" or "giving in" is not a part of her vocabulary.

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Joanna has had some hard things that have happened in her life, but although she may have felt the punch of them, she was never counted out. She always sees Christ and keeps Him at the center of her life.

Getting a glimpse of heaven on earth is seeing life through a biblical lens. It is doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do. It is seeking the beauty, even in the mess.

Joanna talked about the things she enjoys doing as her "three L's." She loves 1) to Laugh, 2) the Lake, and 3) to Linger with her friends. 

Joanna has a daughter, Annie, who has struggled with drug addiction for almost two decades. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, drug addition is defined "as a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking, continued use despite harmful consequences, and long-lasting changes in the brain."

When I think of addiction, looking at it through a biblical lens, I see darkness. I see a place where faith, logic and wisdom struggle to survive. It is hard for those who are standing on the outside, no matter where you stand. People say things like, "just stop," "change your friends," "move," "if you loved your children you would do something different." I do believe if it were that easy, we would not have any drug addicts. I don't think addicts don't care for themselves, their children or those who love them. I just believe the struggle is very real and when individuals try to fight the fight in their own might, more often than not they lose the battle.

Annie has struggled and seen the darkness that comes with addition. Joanna and those that love her have also walked in much of that darkness, although up close, the seats sometimes feel far away.

Joanna, as she walked with Annie, finds herself sometimes leading the way, sometimes walking beside, sometimes holding her up and sometimes trailing behind. But in all of that she held on to God's Word, like Exodus 14:14, The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

God showed Joanna a glimpse of heaven on earth as she held on tightly to hope, standing on God's Word like Romans 12:12, Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 

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​At the end of last summer, Joanna was closing up her cabin at the lake and there was a fern, her favorite fern, that was dead. All the leaves were brown so she threw it out, in the woods behind the cabin, giving it no further thought. 

This spring when Joanna returned to her cabin, as she was preparing to open it up for the summer, she was raking some leaves behind the cabin and amidst the leaves, she saw a few sprigs of green. As she approached and continued to rake, she noticed it was actually her favorite fern. Although it was not living; it was just barely existing, she realized it was not dead. She picked it up and brought it to the cabin.  There she removed it from its pot. She looked at the tangled and mangled roots that was squeezing the life from the fern. Although the fern was down, it was not out; not willing to give up.

Joanna broke up the roots, re-potted the fern in good soil and sat it in a place where it would receive adequate sunlight and water. This plotted a path for amazing things to happen. This plant, now released from choking roots and given resources conducive for growth, began to thrive, not just live.

Then, as Joanna marveled at the life of her fern, God spoke to her and showed her that He is God of the flowers and His children.

​Joann recently received a text from Annie.  The text read, ”Wow, is my life a story! I left Arkansas a broken mess and will soon return 3 years clean as a Dental Hygienist….PRAISE THE LORD!”

​Joanna said, "She (Annie) had struggled with addiction for many years and much like my fern, her life was almost choked out by the deep tangled roots of sin, guilt and shame. BUT GOD!"

Referring to Romans 12:12, Joanna said, "We did our best to be Joyful in Hope….as long as she had breath in her lungs, we had hope she would be healed. We tried to be Patient in Affliction...we had no choice but to wait on God’s timing. For 18 years we waited. We were Faithful in Prayer….on our knees, face down on the floor at times, alone and collectively with many prayer warriors; we prayed.

And God showed Joanna just as the fronds of her fern was praising the Lord, so was Annie. She will be graduating as a Dental Hygienist in 9 months. Annie's story is one that offers all who hear a living hope.

#WhatIfChrist

Check my the YouTube channel to see the full interview.