About Lisa Larson

Lisa Larson is a whimsical city girl who believes dreams are worth chasing and walls are worth painting. She is married to the boy she’s loved since she was 14, and together they have 3 little kiddos. She knows all about living a life lost in darkness and having her dreams crushed by the daunting waves of fear. But she can also tell a tale of redemption and the bold courage God gives you to set sail and venture out, not knowing where the ocean might take you. True beauty comes from following your passions in Him, and living a life that awakens others to come alive. She writes at The Copper Anchor and can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Do Not Be Afraid

July 20, 2015 By Lisa Larson Leave a Comment

I’ve figured out the single most important thing in life that holds us back from fulfilling our true potential…

It’s not money.
It’s not sickness.
It’s not resources.
It’s not bad luck.
It’s not a lack of creativity.
It’s not being pressed for time.
It’s not the person sitting next to you.
It’s not our situation, our circumstances, or our family tree…

It is FEAR.

Of course other things come into play {and they are very real}
But ultimately FEAR is the BIGGEST mountain we face.

We must climb.
We must conquer…
The fear of failure.
The fear of being wrong.
The fear of the unknown.
The fear of “what if”…and “what will they say?”

God knows us. He knows us inside and out, backwards, forwards, and upside down. He knows our weak human condition. He knows how we react by default.

But this is how He feels about it…

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.
And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.
So don’t be troubled or afraid.
-John 14:27 {NLT}

So take a leap of faith.
Go big.
Even if you risk failure.
Especially if you risk failure.
Never let Fear clip your wings. In His hands, you were meant to soar. {<=====Click to Tweet}

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
-Philippians 4:13

Shared by: Lisa Larson

The Long Journey

May 1, 2015 By Lisa Larson 5 Comments

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“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”

—Dr Suess

Dreamers, creatives, world changers—those who see life full of endless possibility, are also the most sensitive to the weight of it’s heaviness. A heaviness that seeks to robe you of all hope.

Some days are just too much. The world isn’t what you thought it was, life didn’t turn out according to plan, and your dreams are crushed by doubt. There are times when you want to run away more when you are an adult, than when you were a kid.

Yet, when you want to disappear, all you really want is to be found. {<=====Click to Tweet}

“God is great not just because nothing is too big for Him; God is also great because nothing is too small for Him. “God is the Composer. Your life is His musical score. God is the Artist. Your life is His canvas. God is the Architect. Your life is His blueprint. God is the Writer. You are His book.” (Draw the Circle, page 22 and 25 by Mark Batterson)

This quote speaks so much to me. These last few years I have felt them burn deep down in my bones. The journey began when I reached a point in my life that was dark and unsure. The night seemed to linger endlessly. But slowly I emerged out of the cold, dark hole and stepped into the warmth of the rising sun. I now feel it’s warmth beating down upon my back, as I inhale the fresh morning dew. Spring is coming, and it is filled with new life.

The struggle, the pain, the surrender—it brings different outcomes, yet it has made all of us who we are. My husband and I learned the hard way how to surrender our marriage, our pride, our failures, our success, our hopes, and our dreams. Through the tears we shed on our knees, we learned how to open our hands, and open our hearts.

And in the midst of this long journey, tiny seeds were scattered. Seeds that didn’t make any sense. Seeds that seemed too insignificant to be used. But as time passed, life began to emerge, tiny buds began to sprout.

After the darkest night, the sun will rise. And with the morning sun comes a new world full of possibility. {<=====Click to Tweet}

No matter your past, your guilt, your failures, your pain— remember that no night is too dark to last forever, no season is to long to not produce fruit, and no suffering is too barren that it can’t bring forth beauty. So give it all you’ve got. Run.

Run with arms wide open to whatever God has written for your life. Step out of the darkness and walk away from the fear. Embrace what God has waiting for you.

Shared by: Lisa Larson

Photo Credit: Nicolas Raymond

Adoption and the Heart of the Gospel (plus a Giveaway!)

February 27, 2015 By Lisa Larson 12 Comments

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I took a few steps forward, but reluctantly walked through the door. The last few years had been full of a heartache and pain so deep, I never could have imagined it. God was the last thing we wanted to hear about, yet He was the only thing we couldn’t let go of.

My husband and I took a seat as the Pastor began his sermon. Week after week we struggled through the awkwardness and feeling out of place, yet for some reason we kept coming back to this small, quaint church. And little by little God began to break down our walls, our fear, our prejudice, our pride, and our pain.

We began to meet families just like ours. . . dirty and stained with sin. Yet their love was so full that it pierced every area of our lives.

Love is an amazing thing— unlike any other force on Earth, it holds the power to breaks down walls, crowd out fear, extinguish heartache, and heal even the deepest of wounds. {<=====Click to Tweet}

These people wrapped their arms around us, and adopted us into their families. They saw beyond our wreckage, and for the first time in our lives we had a place we wanted to call home. A place that we can’t wait to return to. A place that we feel homesick for when we are away. And not because of the actual house we live in, but because of our community. They are our home.

In our emptiness, God met us where we were at and used the people around us to manifest His profound love. If this experience has taught us anything, it’s that we’re all flawed and damaged— every last one of us, but where there is love, there is hope. Where there is love, there is healing. Where there is love, there is a life worth living.

And this powerful love that ripped down the walls we had built so high, is the same love that we can now turn around and give to others.

For years our family has been passionate about adoption, and almost a year ago we took the leap and began the process. We have 3 children already, but we feel compelled to reach out and welcome more into our home.

Currently we’re waiting on the courts for our official certification to be completed, and then we can proceed with the process of being matched with a birth mom. Our hope is to do a domestic open adoption, but the road ahead is uncertain and there are so many variables in this journey. Our family would be so grateful for your prayers— not only for us and the child we are meant to find, but also for the birth mom.

I love how Anne Lamott puts this, “I live for Sundays, it’s like going to the spiritual gas station to fill up on fuel and clean the dirty windshield and mirrors. I usually show up nuts, self-obsessed, vaguely agitated, and I am at once reminded not of who I am, but Whose I am.”

Life is not about us. It never was. It’s about the One who holds us. And that is the heart of the gospel: more of Him, less of us. {<=====Click to Tweet}

Shared by: Lisa Larson

———————————————————————————————————————-

We have been so blessed by the amount of money we’ve raised so far for our adoption, but we still have a long way to go. This week we are launching a new line of necklaces in our Etsy shop where 100% of the proceeds from every item we sell, goes to fund our adoption and bringing home our next little one.

Today we are giving away one of our “Be Love” necklaces.

In a world full of so much hatred and violence, it is up to us to choose love. We hope that this necklace inspires you to be the love that shines light in the darkness. Wherever you go, simply, be love.

Enter below for a chance to win!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{ details: }

These beautiful, round, vintage-inspired brass pendants are approx 25mm or 1 inch.
This necklace features the image of a sail boat at sea, with the words “be love” written across the top
The fitted glass overlay gives amazing clarity and protection, without being too heavy.
Along with the pendant, this necklace boast a large grade AA fresh water pearl, and an antique bronze skeleton key.
Each necklace comes with a 27” antique bronze, 1.5mm ball chain, allowing you to wear it long or cut it down to whatever size you prefer.

Giveaway will run until Wednesday March 4th, at midnight. The winner will be notified Thursday morning.

Choosing Joy, and A Free Digital Download!

January 14, 2015 By Lisa Larson 11 Comments

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This time of year it’s so easy to feel bogged down and under the weather. The holidays have come and gone, and the excitement of the season has faded, but no matter what life looks like today, there is so much to celebrate. . . even on those cold, dark, winter days!

I once heard these words. . . We either make ourselves happy or miserable— the amount of work is the same. {<=====Click to Tweet}

So if life has thrown you for a loop lately, or felt like a kick in the face, remember these words:

CHOOSE JOY
Because you can. {<=====Click to Tweet}

And in case you need a reminder plastered to your bedside table or to your bathroom mirror, I made you a free digital download!

Click on the highlighted link below to download your high resolution file. Once the image comes up, right click and save it to your computer:

FILE FOR:: 8×10 “Choose Joy” Digital Print

Print your 8×10 art work from home, or send it off to your favorite print shop and enjoy!

“I write about the power of trying, because I want to be okay with failing. I write about generosity because I battle selfishness. I write about joy because I know sorrow. I write about faith because I almost lost mine, and I know what it is to be broken and in need of redemption. I write about gratitude because I am thankful – for all of it.” —Kristin Armstrong

Shared by: Lisa Larson

The Journey

November 26, 2014 By Lisa Larson 2 Comments

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These autumn days always leave my soul drenched in a little more gratitude than usual. Although life seems busier this time of year, my heart also finds a sweet serenity in the routine of life, and all this season has to offer.

As I reflect on the last 365 days, I’m filled with a deep sense of gratitude— for the bad days, for the struggles, for the fights, for the disappointments and the let-downs, for the tears…because those are the moments that grew us the most.

As humans, we so often measure our lives by the milestones and the goals we’ve met. Yet, how easy it is to forget that the greatest growth always comes in the midst of the journey, not from the end result.

My mind mulls over these things, and the difficulties of life. Like a tornado sweeping through a city, no one is left untouched. And no matter how you barricade your heart, trials will come.

In the midst of it, how easy it is to feel deserted.
Abandoned.
To doubt. To question.
To feel utterly hopeless.

Sometimes in the eye of the storm, it’s impossible to see anything but the looming clouds of darkness that surround you, but, if you were to view this same storm from space, your perspective would be incredibly different…

You would see the storm for what it is, a definite force capable of destruction, but there is also a great light and the calm lies just beyond it.

It’s the quiet calm of Christ in the midst of the storm that gives a man the strength to step out against all odds and face the trials of life. <==Click to Tweet

“I am leaving you with a gift―peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” —John 14:27

We never stop learning, and God, in His absolute love for us, never stops giving us the chance.

Each new day is the birth of a life-changing journey waiting to be unfurled. <==Click to Tweet

“Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.” ―Winston Churchill

Shared By: Lisa Larson

Photo Credit #1: Davide D’Amico
Photo Credit #2: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

The Complexities Of Life

October 17, 2014 By Lisa Larson 3 Comments

Life is a continual process of learning to let go.
Yet at the same time, discovering how to open up.
Tossing baggage, letting go of hurt and breaking down the walls, isn’t for the faint of heart. {<====Click to tweet}
But it is necessary.

And just when life seems to even out and give me permission to breathe, God shows me where I’m still holding my breath, where I’m still packing baggage around that I don’t need.

Out of love, He brings in the blow torch and irons out the wrinkles of my soul. He flattens out the crumpled-up pieces of this textured life and He weaves them into a rich silk…that flows soft and even.

In the process of sorting out life, does it ever leave you questioning if you’ll EVER arrive at that “perfect” spot where life, dreams, and duties all seem to dance the perfect balance and magically fall into place?

The truth is, we live in a world of opposition. Difficulties arise. Chaos ensues. Some will doubt your abilities. Others may laugh at your dreams. And most importantly, there will always be a million legitimate reasons why, now is not a good time.

It’s taken me a long time to work through this. The hardest challenge by far though, has been myself. It’s almost like I’ve been waiting for somebody to give me permission to step out — to own this life that God has given me.

So I let go and I open up. I make room in my soul for what really matters and I cling to Him. Because I know that no dream works, without the dream giver. {<====Click to Tweet}

De-cluttering is more than an organization project. It’s rather gut-wrenching. Letting go involves looking at what you’re holding onto, and what is holding you back.

“The most dangerous word for a God-sized dream is “someday.”
How can you start implementing your God-sized dream
{even in a small way} right where you are?”
—Holly Gerth

What are you willing to let go of in your life, to make room for what really matters?

Shared by: Lisa Larson

The Silver Lining

September 8, 2014 By Lisa Larson 2 Comments

My eyes peeked open. The sun was rising in all her glory, urging me to peel back the covers and get moving.

I managed my usual morning routine, but today with an extra bounce in my step. So much has happened over the last two years. Too much to squeeze into a few measly paragraphs but, I am learning to examine life with new eyes — to see the silver lining buried between the layers of darkness.

Today is a new day. It washed over my soul, this overflowing wave of gratitude as I said a prayer of deep-felt thanksgiving…

Grateful to be alive.
Grateful for a renewed sense of hope.
Grateful to be where I am.

Right here.
Right now.

As I opened my book, the words of Bonhoeffer sank in deep. . .

“There is meaning in every journey that is unknown to the traveler.” {<=====Click to Tweet}

Like glue, these words attached themselves to my soul.
Just maybe, I am beginning to really understand this.

A little better.
A little deeper.
A little more profoundly.

The days roll on and the years pass by. The harshness of life threatens to beat us down and swallow our dreams. There are days that feel impossible. Days that seem hopeless. Days that seem like they will never end. On those days when you need a reminder, remember this:

Celebrate today. Let go and enjoy the wild ride! {<=====Click to Tweet}

Don’t throw in the towel. There will always be dark days. There will always be perilous days. But for those, I am most grateful, for they make the good days seem all the more sweeter. All the more real. All the more life-giving.

I love these words from Mother Teresa, because they remind me that life is too short to be wasted. Embrace it wherever you are at, today.

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.”
—Mother Teresa

Shared by: Lisa Larson

Letting Go

July 30, 2014 By Lisa Larson 5 Comments

Why is it so hard to let go?

To surrender all that we are to the craftsman who made us.
To the one who provides the very air we breathe.
To the one who gave us life.

Why do we fight this inner battle? Elizabeth Elliot put it so beautifully,

“There is no ongoing spiritual life without this process of letting go. At the precise point where we refuse to, growth stops. If we hold tightly to anything given to us, unwilling to let it go when the time comes to let it go or unwilling to allow it to be used as the Giver means it to be used, we stunt the growth of the soul. It is easy to make a mistake here, “If God gave it to me,” we say, “its mine. I can do what I want with it.” No. The truth is that it is ours to thank Him for and ours to offer back to Him, ours to relinquish,
ours to lose, ours to let go of – if we want to find our true selves, if we want real life,
if our hearts are set on glory, then we must give it ALL to Him.”

— Elizabeth Elliot

As humans, I think we have an innate desire bred into our beings to control, define and write our own destinies.

Isn’t that what the great world teaches us? We are the masters of our own ships, aren’t we? Free to sail and live life as we please.

True as it is, it is nothing without God.

We are selfish by nature. We clinch our fists at anything that defies the blueprints we’ve drawn up for ourselves. {<======CLICK TO TWEET}

So it’s no wonder we struggle when life doesn’t go our way. When death, sickness, and pain, come knocking on our door. When plans don’t pan out, or when we didn’t get the memo that a major life change was on the horizon.

Learning to let go, has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of wanting to give our lives over to God, but doing it our way.

Everything in human nature collides to hang on. We battle to solve the difficulties, fight to figure out life, and cultivate comfort in all we do.

It’s so against our constitution to surrender, to yield and give up all that we are to walk blindly into the fog–not knowing the path ahead.

Yet, He promised to never abandon us. We must remember that He is not made of the same frail human condition we are.

He loves us.
Utterly and completely, without fail.
And that changes everything. {<====== CLICK TO TWEET}

“No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

—Romans 8:37-39 {NIV}

I pray my heart will always beat to the rhythm of His song.
My soul always sing his praises.
And in all things, may my life ever point back to Him.

“The cross is laid on every Christian. It begins with the call to abandon the attachments of this world…When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die. It may be a death like that of the first disciples who had to leave home and work to follow Him, or it may be a death like Luther’s, who had to leave the monastery and go out into the world.

But it is the same death every time… death in Jesus Christ, the death of the old man at His call. That is why the rich young man was so loath to follow Jesus, for the cost of his following was the death of his will. In fact, every command of Jesus is a call to die, with all our affections and lusts. But we do not want to die, and therefore Jesus Christ and His call are necessarily our death and our life.”

— Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Shared by: Lisa Larson

Photo Credit: Randy Heinitz

Onward

June 30, 2014 By Lisa Larson 6 Comments

I’m such a sucker for redemption stories. The journey of broken souls who feel lost and hopeless resonates so deeply with me. I feel it deep down in my bones, because I know that bitter darkness all too well.

It’s amazing how we “map” out our lives. As humans we categorize, plan, and label it all perfectly. That is, until God comes along and rocks the boat.

He reminds us that He is in charge…not us. And His plans for our lives surpass anything we ever imagined.

But to walk this path, His path, is never easy. It never comes without great pain and sacrifice: a dying to yourself, if you will.

“He must become greater; I must become less”
—John 3:30 (NIV)

Yet the joy that marches in and overtakes a humbled soul, is unmatched. It’s unrivaled. (<=== Tweet this.)

“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
—Philippians 3:7-8 (NIV)

My heart wanders and my soul stirs, as I contemplate my steps in life. We can hold on to what we value here, with clenched fists, banking on all that we are.

Or we can bank on Him.

We can open our hands. We can surrender our lives, our passions, and our dreams to His great glory…and see what He has in store for us.

“Welcome to the edge. Run to it, don’t run from it.” —T.J. Newell (<===Tweet This.)

I’ve included a little video clip that inspired me this week. It was made by Colin Cabalka. If you can spare an extra 5 minutes to watch it, I promise it’s worth it…

(Unable to see the video? You can click here to be taken directly to the link.)

Shared by: Lisa Larson

Learning To Say “No”

June 4, 2014 By Lisa Larson 12 Comments

“Y-E-S”

That tiny little word with a bellowing roar.

Those 3 letters seem to jump out of my mouth…sometimes while my insides cringe with despair. The load is already too heavy and I’m barely hanging on by a thread.

I have a hard time saying “NO.”

Most of this comes from good intent. Inside my soul, I sincerely want to help others. I want to be supportive and pull my load in the church/community. And like any good mother, I want to give my kids every opportunity/advantage possible to keep them well-balanced and grounded.

But the flip side to this is….deep down, I also stress over how others are judging my every move. I can’t stand to disappoint anyone. And what would they think of me, if I said “NO?” I don’t want to be labeled the girl who can’t handle it.

But lately God has been opening my eyes to what I’ve been missing. He pointed out so blatantly, what I needed to hear…

When my heart is closest to the fear of what others think, it is furthest from the faith in the One who truly matters. (<====Click To Tweet.)

So I am learning to weigh everything against Him first…even the seemingly “good” things that come along.

Life is full of choices, and there are so many “good” options out there with promising results. But you can only spread yourself so thin, and in the end something’s always gotta give.

And sadly what gives is usually the people and things closest to your heart. If you don’t fight for the dreams He has given you and pursue those goals, other people will fill your time with theirs.

This morning I read from Colossians 3:23 {NIV} –

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

I realized that when I spread myself so thin, I’m not wholeheartedly giving my ALL to the Lord, or to the tasks He has placed in front of me.

As I’ve tried to adjust my viewpoint, here are a few things I’m learning:

Every life is in a different season.
What works for one person right now, may not work for me in this moment. The day-to-day life of a mama with young kids has different demands than the life of a retired grandma. Same as if you are working outside the home, juggling homeschooling, etc. We are all in different seasons of life and there is nothing wrong, better, or more holy about one versus the other. Different seasons enable us to do different things at different times. There is no shame in that.

Stop comparing my life/job/family to anyone else’s.
Comparison is the true thief of joy. And if someone else seems to have it all perfectly together, I can guarantee that behind closed doors ― they don’t. Their struggles are just as real, just as huge, and just as hard to bear.

Live intentionally.
This is a hard one for me as I’m a pretty spontaneous person. However, by not allowing myself to get sidetracked or distracted by the things that won’t/can’t/don’t help me accomplish my goals right now, I make much more progress long-term. Schedule, take baby steps, and prioritize.

It is not selfish to take care of my own body (in fact it might be the opposite).
Lots of stress + lack of sleep = migraines. And when that happens, it’s a no-brainer that I accomplish far less than I set out to when I push myself too hard.

I am not Wonder Woman.
As much as I wish I had Super-Hero powers that could pause time or that could dissolve laundry piles, I don’t. Some days dinner is late and meetings get skipped. But again, it’s okay. Life is unpredictable and often chaotic with kiddos, but they won’t always be little and I wouldn’t trade the dust in the corners, or the dishes in the kitchen sink, for a single night without them in my life.

Life is NOT a race against anyone else.
It is a journey, and we are meant to LIVE all of it…Every messy, amazing, mundane, glorious moment of it. Life should be cherished and celebrated! I don’t want to rush through what I can never get back.

So in the end, I am slowly learning to say “No”, so that I can wholeheartedly say “Yes” to what really matters. (<====Click To Tweet.)

What about you? Do you ever struggle with feeling like you have to do it all too?

Shared by: Lisa Larson