Every once in a while I read a book that is so helpful that I can’t help but share it. Lisa Murray, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, wrote Peace for a Lifetime: Embracing a Life of Hope, Wholeness, and Harmony Through Emotional Abundance
In her newly released book she shares the keys to cultivating a life that’s deeply rooted, overflowing, and abundant, the fruit of which is peace. Today, Lisa has graciously offered to be a guest on my blog and shares about the moment when she began to #livefree. ~ Suzie
Why admitting my brokenness actually set me free
by Lisa Murray
Broken.
I am broken. It is the most freeing word that can escape my lips.
For most of my life I was on a feverish journey on the road toward Good Enough, desperate to arrive at the place called Perfection where I could find my worth, where I could lay down my struggle. Where I could find peace.
It wasn’t just a desire. It was a need, and a relentless one at that.
I felt my distinct humanity, my wound, as a great shame to be hidden. If I could avoid it at all cost I could get closer to Perfection.
Yet the road toward Good Enough was a terrible and winding one. It consumed all of my energies. It drained what little hope I had. Just when I thought I had arrived, when I could see the outline of this land just over the horizon, I would trip and fall.
Devastation and shame clouded what little hope I had. To reveal my brokenness was to open myself to both ridicule and rejection. I just couldn’t bear to add more condemnation to the consuming weight of my own.
At church, I heard voices imploring me to lay it at the altar and I would surely be healed. My deliverance would come if I would just spend two weeks in the Word.
Then all of my problems would disappear.
As I waited in desperation for the miracle that would welcome me into the promised land of healing, the voice of sorrow inside incessantly echoed that this promised land was for others, but not for me.
Mine, it seemed, was the road toward Good Enough.
One day, Jesus lovingly took my hand and guided me into a season of healing— emotional healing.
It was a season of unpacking a load of heartaches and disappointments that had festered along the way. It was an offering of relief, of release. This season was a gift in learning to listen. Learning to lean in and discover the voice of the Holy Spirit inside of me speak of my belovedness.
He beckoned me to let myself off the hook of perfection, to feel my worth as an infinite and immutable fact, to offer compassion to the wounded, weaker parts of myself. To accept, perhaps embrace, my brokenness.
To love. Me. Right where I was.
How could this be?
It went against everything I had come to believe. It drained me of everything I thought I knew. Maybe I didn’t know. What I do know is that somewhere along the way, Jesus was kind enough, gentle enough to offer me a gift called compassion. He stopped me on the road toward Good Enough and showed me the way toward Peace.
In my new book, Peace for a Lifetime
, I share the keys to cultivating a life that’s deeply rooted, overflowing, and abundant, the fruit of which is peace. Through personal and professional experience, I’ve discovered how to take the broken pieces of life and find indestructible peace with myself, God and with others.
Through my story and other’s stories you’ll realize that you can experience the life for which you long. You can experience abundance beyond anything you can imagine. You can experience peace, not just for today, not just for tomorrow. You can experience peace for a lifetime.
Peace. It was right inside all the time. It was the most beautiful gift I ever received.
Yes, I am broken. As I’ve heard said, That’s how the light gets in.
Lisa
Through Lisa and other’s stories you’ll realize that you can experience the life for which you long. You can experience abundance beyond anything you can imagine. You can experience peace, not just for today, not just for tomorrow. You can experience peace —for a lifetime!
Lisa has offered to share one copy with one of you today.
Just leave a comment sharing how you found peace, or in what ways you are seeking peace. Lisa, myself, and others will be here all throughout the day to pray with you.
We’ll choose a winner on Wednesday.
You can read more of Lisa’s articles at www.lisamurrayonline.com. You can also follow her on Facebook: Lisa Murray, or on Twitter: @_Lisa_Murray.
I am seeking peace for a relationship I am in that is very difficult. I have tried my best to make things better, but there is nothing I can do if the other person chooses to not want to. I am seeking peace to let it go and let God. Very hard for me because it is hurtful and painful, but I believe God can bring me peace and be still.
Lord, thank you for Terry. While we cannot change another person, we can open our hearts for you to heal our broken hearts. Tenderly touch Terry’s heart. Tenderly lead her, watch over her, guide her. In Jesus’ name.
I am seeking peace as I was given the diagnosis non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I am seeking scriptures to rest my faith in………I know this has not taken Him by surprise. I’m so grateful He is my Shepherd.
From one cancer survivor to the other, my friend.
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
James 5:15-16 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
I am broken too.
Father, I pray for Sherry today. Cover her, Lord. Heal her broken heart. Make her whole by your power. Thank you that Sherry will share this story one day with many. Sharing who you are. What you’ve done. And what you can do in the lives of others.
We all need to find peace from the brokenness around us.
Yes, Lori! There is no escaping the brokenness around us. So thankful that we can find hope in the midst of the broken places and peace in the midst of life’s circumstances through Christ. Blessings today, friend!
I am seeking peace for a lifetime to heal all my brokenness. God is the ultimate healer. Thank you for loving me and with your grace of forgiveness. I look forward to a life of peace & pure forgiveness.
So thankful, Jeri, that God is the God who heals, who loves, who forgives to the uttermost! Praying that you experience the healing and the peace God has for you today!
Longing for peace in difficult family relationships. Thank you for your post. Eager to read the book.
Lord, today we come together around Amy. Give her wisdom. Show her what to say and what not to say. Give her peace that transcends people and situations. Cover her today with your presence. In the powerful name of Jesus, amen.
I’m seeking peace in His plan for my life. Learning to trust and not to try and control my circumstances.
Father, thank you for Heather. I pray today that she reaches for your hand. You are not far away from us, Lord. Walk with her. Thank you that we are never alone.
WOWUH! Love this, Lisa!!! Thank you for your transparency. I can’t wait to read Peace for a Lifetime, and have no doubt that women will receive healing and freedom from your words. I have a similar past with the drive to Perfection. Grateful for Christ’s sweet mercies and for freedom in Him! Thanks for sharing these powerful words, Suzie!
Crystal,
This drive for Perfection we share is a destructive one! I too, am grateful for the matchless love and compassion of Christ that gives the truest healing, freedom, and peace possible! Blessings, friend!
I accepted Christ on March 28, 2015 and in the past 10 1/2 months, I have found that holding out my dirty feet for Jesus to wash them has freed my heart as well as my voice. Freedom has come in the ability to walk away from a life of alcohol and drugs, the shame of abortion from my early 20’s, and the pain of my family’s generational curses. I am laying it all down in order to pick up the peace of Christ!
Judi, I’m dancing in delight with you! Praise God who is a Healer, who makes us whole, who redeems the past. You are truly an example of living free through Jesus.
What an amazing testimony of #livingfree!! No matter what our past is, no matter what our wounds are, they all pale in light of the magnificent love of Christ who heals, redeems, and forgives! His peace is better than anything! Blessings!
I am seeking peace in dealing with anxiety and fear that has taken over my life. I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and while this is a scary diagnosis, I can’t help but think that that God is going to turn this into a positive for my life.
Kim, I was diagnosed 24 years ago with cancer and will celebrate cancer-free 25 years in September. I remember going through the diagnosis, surgeries, chemo and radiation. I wish someone would have told me then that there would come a time that I wouldn’t even think of cancer. I pray that for you, sweet Kim.
I pray that for you, too, Kim!!! Blessings to you during this season on your journey! May you hold on to His peace even in the difficult and challenging days!
I am seeking peace within myself for my current challenges and a distinct lack of grace toward myself.
Kris,
Peace within ourselves is one of the greatest challenges for all of us – to learn to accept God’s love and grace, and to be able to extend that same kind of love to ourselves. Praying that God would grow within you a spirit of compassion and grace – it truly makes a tremendous difference!
Broken, but seeking. I have found myself on that broken road, Good Enough, many times.
Tammy,
Finally allowing myself to admit my brokenness was the first step toward my healing. I could let go of Perfection, stop traveling down the road Good Enough and enjoy the place called Peace. There is nothing better! Praying for you on your healing journey!
Lisa, so glad to see you here! Suzie, thank you for featuring Lisa and this book. I’ve had the pleasure of reading it and it has blessed me in so many ways. I have found peace by letting go of bitterness resulting from childhood hurt, and in in realizing it’s not my responsibility to fix others. Only God can do that. Lisa and Suzie, your words are freedom-inspiring gifts to others.
Thank you for your kinds words, sweet friend!
I am seeking peace in the midst of many life changes. My family and I recntly moved to a different state. I’m also struggling with my health and how I’m not who I want to be or even used to be. I’m holding onto the fact, the promise that God never changes.
Sometimes knowing that God never changes is all we have to hold onto! Life changes can be the most unsettling, and unnerving circumstances for us to find our grounding. I pray that you would experience God’s peace even in the midst of the transitions and health struggles! Blessings, Michele!
This scripture right here is what has helped me learn how to walk in peace.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
One day I finally started taking God at His word. Instead of fixating on my fears, problems and what could possibly go wrong (that usually never did), I began to pray and really trust God with those things. My hurts, my fears, and everything that would cause me anxiety, I simply laid at His feet, sometimes multiple times in a day or hour! I saw that He was faithful to His word. As I trusted Him to work all those things out for my good, even if the outcome was not what I wanted, I felt His peace invade my heart. Now I don’t have to make myself pray first anymore. It has become my default response to anxious situations. He will honor His word!
Great word, Cheryl!
I’ve struggled most of my life with not feeling “good enough”. I care too much about what other people think and try to be what others want me to be. As a result, very few people know the real me. I’m just now, in my forties, coming to the point where I’m trying to focus on pleasing God more than pleasing others. I’m trying to share my struggles more openly instead of acting as if I have it all together but It’s hard for me to do because I don’t like to feel vulnerable. I’m seeking peace to just be able to accept myself for who I am and allow God to help me change.
Michele,
Learning to lay aside our facade and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable is a real challenge on our journeys. Yet God wants us to not only discover our authentic selves, He wants us to accept and embrace the person God created! Praying that God would give you freedom from pleasing others and enjoy the peace that comes from learning to please Him alone!
Words of wisdom for my heart Liss. Thank you ♡
I think peace has always felt a bit illusive for me. There have been moments when I’ve came close, yet never actually experienced what peace feels like. Before I took my first breath, my earthly father requested that no one know I was his child. Few people ever found out; he is deceased now. As a little girl, I longed for a daddy. As a teenager, I looked to boys to fill my father’s void. I longed to be accepted and often tried to make as many people like me as possible. Often times my attempts led to greater hurt, more wounds and the paralyzing thought that indeed “I wasn’t good enough.” Truthfully, as hard as it is to admit, I still struggle with these same feelings as an adult. The ugly quest for perfection and to be “good enough” sometimes suffocates me. Indeed this life is a journey. One I often don’t feel knowledgeable enough to navigate, and so I look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. He is good, thus I am confident He isn’t holding out on me, but that I am the one holding up the process.
Peace can be elusive for many of us, Leigh Ellen! Our real brokenness keeps us from experiencing the peace God has designed for us. Praying that you keep taking one step at a time on your journey, knowing that you will find the fullness of healing and wholeness in your life. His peace is worth it!
I have tasted the goodness of the Lord’s peace in my life, and it has been beautiful – truly a peace that defies human reason. My youngest child was born 2 months early, not breathing. We turned our fears and anxieties over to our loving, heavenly Father and he exchanged them for his amazing peace. He restored her life, and held us through the long journey of her time in the NICU. I am so grateful for His love and care. And yet…. for myself, life continues to be a struggle. Finding freedom from the hurts of my past seems almost impossible. Joy and peace are elusive. I am left to question what I am doing wrong in all of this, and why I can’t seem to find the freedom and abundant life that has been promised to me. I do love my heavenly Father, and choose to believe in His goodness and His love. I just have such a deep longing for personal freedom and for His peace to flow abundantly into my life.
Kamea,
So grateful to have your sweet voice and spirit in my community, friend! Don’t give up on your journey! Each step, even the small ones, take us closer to our freedom, closer to our healing, and closer to His peace! Keep walking, friend – we’ll walk together!
You know Lisa, truth be known I’m struggling with what my mom left behind when she died last December. She gave us so much good and left behind so much damage.God has been helping me dig out from under the debris for about the last 15 years. Her passing brought al to of it to a head.
Only by His grace,
Christy
Love your words and your vulnerability, Christy! Praying that God continues healing all of the wounds that have been surfacing since your mom’s passing. Blessings, friend!
I am so striving for good enough from the standpoint of never enough. Many broken relationships have left me only with the hope for good enough. I know Jesus wants more than that for me, but it is so elusive.
Yes, the enemy tries to get us to settle for Good Enough. That is not God’s plan for His daughters. Even though it can seem elusive, as we trust, as we take one step at a time toward healing, toward wholeness, we will find it. Praying for strength on your healing journey, Kathy!
😰All I can say is I’ve needed this book my whole life. Sometimes hanging only by a thread, I’ve held into the Hope that God is no respect or of persons. I cannot be beyond help. PEACE- I crave!!❤️🙏❤️
We are never beyond help, friend. God’s love is relentless and powerful. Don’t give up on peace. Blessings!
So thankful that God provides us with a peace that transcends all understanding! Seeking His peace in the areas where fear and doubt can creep in, especially concerning my children and the future.
Fear and anxiety have plagued me most of my 27 years of existence. They have robbed me of some of the most basic things. The key to total freedom in this area; I believe is my acceptance of Christ’s love for me. Perfect love casts out fear. If I could just grab hold of that truth I know I’d have a fighting chance.
Cheronda,
Fear and anxiety were a huge part of my life until my emotional healing came in my mid-twenties. I spent so many years having accepted Christ as my Savior and my Lord. Yet it took unpacking some emotional wounds to be able to accept myself as His Beloved. That was the moment that changed everything! Praying that you experience His great love toward you in a deep and powerful way, friend!
I understand! I’m 54 and struggle to receive Christ’s unconditional love and acceptance of me. Therefore, I struggle to accept myself. I’m sure we’d both benefit from Lisa’s book…..peace for a lifetime sounds wonderful to me! Praying for you, Cheronda ♡
I’m an emotional mess! I constantly feel like I need to ‘come clean’ and let God have it but every time I try, nothing comes. It’s like I am physically impossible to open my mouth. It’s freaky when I describe it like that but it is almost like my mouth is shut up.
My childhood was bad and I have a lot of issues with my heart and head. I am always looking for books that help me understand how to settle. The Bible is my main source of course but other books help as well.
I think most of us have felt like an emotional mess at times, Beth! You are not alone. Praying God would continue to bless your heart to pursue healing in your life. He is faithful!
Beth, you are the winner of Lisa’s book! I’ll contact you by email! Congratulations!
Woohoo!!!! Thank you!
My daughter and son-in-law are going through a rough patch. Jobs are in short supply around here and even tho he currently has one, he is the youngest guy on the crew, and could be let go if things get much slower! Add in that he has lost his confidence, and he zones out when we try to explain that everyone goes through tough times…very frustrating. This sounds like a book that could help them both. xo
Such a tough situation, CarolAnne! Praying that God would provide exceedingly, abundantly for them as they continue to put their trust in Him! Blessings to you and your daughter’s family today!
Thank You! xo
This post speaks to exactly where I am today – realizing that my road to perfection in hopes of finding God’s love and compassion keeps coming up empty – but at almost 50 can I live another way. This is a book that I will add to my reading list.
Yes, Amanda! It is never too late to heal. Never too late to grow. Letting yourself off the hook of perfection and exhaling into the awesome love of Christ gives the greatest feeling of freedom you can imagine. Praying God comes around you and encourages you on your healing journey today!
I am learning to seek peace by understanding that God is the center of my life, not my husband, not my family… Only God. I thought this was the case but some devastating news last year made me realize I have been too dependent on my husband and not leaning enough on God. Learning to reorient everything back around the one true Center is where peace is found. Thank you for this post and I’m looking forward to reading your book!
Yes, Krysten. No one should be our true Center except God. This is where we will find our strength, our identity, our passion and purpose, this is where we will find our peace! Praying continued blessings over you on your journey!
I am broken. I try to let God heal me but always seem to take things back into my own power. I just want peace.
That was my heart cry, too, Vicki! I wanted peace. I was desperate for peace. God has healing for you. He wants to you live a life of wholeness, abundance, and peace. Praying that God would strengthen your steps as you keep pursuing Him, His healing, and His peace.
Seeking peace by opening myself up to gratefully receiving all God has for me, whether I like what it looks like at the time or not. It’s a continual welcoming of His grace in all its mystery and beauty. Sounds like you have a wonderful message, Lisa! Thank you for sharing.
I find peace in the arms of the One who saved me. Jesus has saved me from myself. He’s saved me from a lifetime of anguish. He is our Peace Maker. Your story and words are beautiful Lisa, you are truly gifted. a I’m sure your book will touch and inspire countless others. In Jesus Name, we dwell in piece. Susan
Thank you, Susan! Blessings to you!
Peace would be a wonderful thing. I, too, would love to have peace in a relationship that is tearing my heart apart. I know that I should only find my worth in God but still struggle with being not good enough for someone that I have trusted and loved for years.
Ruth,
Relationships are the hardest! Many times I needed so much from the people in my life that they could not give. Thankfully I learned how to allow God to feed those hungry places in my heart so that I could free my relationships to be abundant. Praying that God blesses you as you learn to plant your roots more deeply in Him!
Embracing our brokenness can be one of the most helpful, beautiful things we can do. Thanks for sharing your story, Lisa!
Absolutely the most freeing moment in my life! Blessings today, Lauren!
Dear LIsa
Thank you for reminding me of my own brokeness and helping to embrace it as a way to wholeness. For showing me that, no matter what, I can regain a new in-depth knowledge of who I am in Christ and discovering my identity.despite my going through my desert land.
God truly bless you
Ana Maria
I needed this reminder to be grateful! I am grateful for a godly husband with a servants heart.
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