Lisa Harper - Life: An Obsessively Grateful, Undone by Jesus, Genuinely Happy, and Not Faking it Through the Hard Stuff Kind of 100-Day Devotional

Copyright 2021 by Lisa Harper

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

978-1-4336-9195-9

Published by B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

Dewey Decimal Classification: 248.84

Subject Heading: CHRISTIAN LIFE / QUALITY OF LIFE / DEVOTIONAL LITERATURE

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked ylt are taken from Youngs Literal Translation which is public domain.

Scripture quotations marked ncv is taken from New Century Version, copyright 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked net are taken from New English Translation, NET Bible copyright 1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked nlt are taken from New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked msg are taken from The Message, copyright 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson.

Scripture quotations marked niv are taken from New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked nkjv , New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked kjv are taken from King James Version which is public domain.

Cover design and handlettering by Tim Green at FaceOut Studio. Author photo by Amy Conner.

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I dedicate this to my daughter, Melissa Price Harper, who is tangible, giggling, dancing, singing proof that our God is a Redeemer.

Acknowledgments

Im indebted to the entire team at B&H but none more so than my editor, Ashley Gorman, whose wit and wisdom is reflected on pretty much every page of this devotional!

Day 1

Will the Real Happy Please Stand Up?

Happy the poor in spiritbecause theirs is the reign of the heavens. Matthew 5:3 Ylt

Heres the deal: you are going to be introduced to some real-life stories youll surely resonate with in this devotional, as well as some wildly embarrassing ones that I hope you havent had to deal with personally! Which means, sometimes youll be turning these pages thinking, Mmm hmm, I totally get that. While other times youll probably be reading along thinking, This chick aint right! and may even find yourself chuckling at the blooper reel chapters in my story. And Im all for that. I mean it. Sign me up . If you know me at all, you know Im all about experiencing joy with God and each other in this crazy beautiful journey we call lifein the small moments, the big moments, the quiet moments, the loud moments, the bright moments, the dark moments. You get it. In all the life-moments . However, by the time youre a few devos deep into this darling (I can say that since I didnt have anything to do with the design!) pink book, you may find yourself wondering, Why is happiness such a major theme?

So lets start somewhere super -original and cutting-edge. Yes, Im talking about the modern and wildly innovative world-wonder known as the dictionary. Good old Webster defines happy as: characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment, or joy .

Though definitions are helpful, my instincts tell me you probably didnt need one on the concept of happy . Why? Because you are already familiar with it. The word itself immediately conjures up idyllic images or memories in our minds, doesnt it? Like a toddler in overalls splashing through puddles while gleefully chasing a frog. Or a couple of kindergartners sitting elbow to elbow at a picnic table both wearing gap-toothed grins and holding slices of watermelon bigger than their heads. Or a bright-eyed cheerleader whos catapulted high in the air with her arms over her head in victory when the home team scores the winning touchdown. Happy . It sounds like fireworks, smells like roasted marshmallows, and feels like cannon-balling into a cold pool on a hot day, right?

What it does not seem to be, to some of us, is allowable for Christians. Surely happy is too based on our circumstances, too emotive, too... well, too unspiritual to be an appropriate and consistent state for Christ-followers, right?

Wrong.

Wildly, sadly, distorted-by-religious-Pharisees-for-far-too-long WRONG.

There are actually thirty-seven references to happy in the Old Testament and forty-eight in the New Testament. Did you know that there are more than 2,700 passages where terms related to happy gladness, merriment, pleasure, celebration, cheer, laughter, delight, jubilation and feasting are used?literally begins with the word happy ! See for yourself:

Happy are those who dont listen to the wicked, who dont go where sinners go, who dont do what evil people do. They love the L ord s teachings, and they think about those teachings day and night. They are strong, like a tree planted by a river. The tree produces fruit in season, and its leaves dont die. Everything they do will succeed. (Ps. 1:13 ncv , emphasis mine)

While most of the translations of the Bible render this term as blessed which admittedly has a more old-school, shiny wooden pew ring to itsuper-smart scholarly people who are familiar with the grammar and syntax of original biblical manuscripts (folks like the awesome professors at Denver Seminary who are currently half-dragging me up the steep hill of their doctoral program!) assure us that the term happy is every bit as correct!

And lets not stop at the Psalms. Lets talk about how Jesus Himself used the concept of happy. We dont have to look any further than the Beatitudesarguably Jesus most beloved messagewhich could accurately be titled How to Be Happy since the whole thing technically begins with the word happy as well. Once again, theological experts whove immersed themselves in the Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic of biblical lexicon assert that happy (which in scriptural context is about the consistent joy that comes with trusting in Gods

That means happy is a wonderfully legitimate outward sign of Christians who are walking with God and enjoying all the inward graces He gives us. In other words, happiness is the joyful fruit of someone who is deeply rooted in their relationship with God... its the outer disposition of a God-lovers inward reality... a covenant state of being for His people. Of course, that doesnt mean we wont have hard daysfrankly, Jesus proclaims that we will most assuredly have hard days (John 16:33), but He also assures us theres no need to worry because Hell be with us every step of the way! The bottom line is, happiness isnt silly or unspiritual for Christ-followers but is actually a sacred, celebratory, and I daresay necessary aspect of our walk of faith. Break out those party poppers, yallbecause happiness isnt simply a possibility for believers; its Gods lavish and oh-so-accessible gift to help us live and love well in a world thats often less than kind.

My sincere hope is that youll find your spiritual happiness increasing as you flip through these pages. God has taught me so much in every moment of lifefrom the lowest valley to the highest pinnacle. And at this middle-aged point, when I look back and realize that Ive lived more life than I have life left to enjoy, I can promise you that Ive never experienced Gods absence. Not once. Whether I was laughing so hard there were tears running down my face or grieving so deeply that I ran out of tears, I can trace His sovereign, steadfast compassion through every single season. I firmly believe youll find our Creator-Redeemer to be perfectly faithful and compassionate in the highs and lows of your life, too. So lets dive into this devotional and run hard toward Jesus together, knowing well inevitably share some pratfalls and belly laughs along the way!