I have always respected and loved Lysa TerKeurst from the first book I read by her. Many of her studies, books, and conferences have really impacted me. But watching her walk through some of the most difficult life circumstances these last 18 months have opened my eyes in an even greater way to who she really is and how what she says about God really is true. She believes what she has taught for decades and although some would say she took a break from teaching and leading I would say she taught me the loudest during her break.
Lysa’s husband had an affair, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a volvulus colon all in one short season of life. When the news hit about Art, her Christian husband, cheating on her I was devastated for her and her family. I was also curious how she would respond to the public.
How are you even supposed to respond in a situation like that? Maintaining the balance of dealing with such a personal issue privately while being a public leader is a delicate thing. So I was watching very closely. I know that sounds stalkerish but I wanted to watch a godly person deal with this.
I kept telling my husband throughout the time I was so incredibly impressed with how she was handling things. Honest but respectful of her husband in sharing minimal facts. She was honest with her hurt and pain but not in an oversharing kind of way or martyrish. Her focus was on God and she remained in his word and she clung to his truth.
It wasn’t always clear to me what her “strategy” was in sharing information with her staff and the public but in the podcast, below she talks about that.
The greatest thing out of all this is that she and her husband are reconciling and working through things. They are even talking about these things together as a couple in some settings. I praise God for this. I have prayed for Lysa and her entire family through all of this. I knew what Satan was doing and it made me furious. He tried so hard to wipe out a godly, humble leader and her family. But by God’s grace, he didn’t succeed. How neat if we all continued to pray for Lysa and Art. No, we don’t know them personally. But chances are you’ve learned something from her teaching over the years. Pray it back by lifting them in prayer. And when you have time check out this incredible podcast with Craig Groeschel and Lysa. Can download and listen or watch here. Great stuff!
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