Welcome To My Blog
Hello, my friends.
I hope you’ve been well. I know it’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything here.
Let me re-introduce myself…
Life has been hard for a while. But I’m here, ready to begin again! If we haven’t yet met, let me introduce myself—I am Tami Sorenson Gaupp—welcome to The Lanyap Life Blog! Here’s a quick word-sketch of what makes me who I am: creative ponderer, out-of-the-box preacher’s kid, raised two boys to men, proud grandma, navigated invisible illness without a diagnosis for decades, experienced a hard goodbye to my sweet husband when my birthday celebration suddenly became his heavenly birthday, author/owner of The Lanyap Life Books, both a receiver and a giver of the Good News, relentless advocate of a faith-filled life, and sympathizer of the weak.
Hope is for the hopeless…
Okay, enough about me, let’s talk about something more interesting—HOPE. It is an understatement to say that it’s a topic I have spent time pondering. I’ve gotten down and dirty with it: wrestling in the middle of my hopelessness, fighting tooth and nail to grab hold of it. My conclusion is that it is not true hope that we feel when life is working, the sun is shining, and we’re experiencing mountain top moments. Think about it. Is hope just a feeling that accompanies sparks of delight? I am certain it’s not. Just like the other gifts—joy is for the joyless, peace is for the peace-less—that are like sweet Lanyap for our soul. Hope is for the hope-less. God is a Good Father with an endless supply of gifts for us… hope, peace, and powerful joy are our inheritance. So the best news when we don’t have the power to fix our life is that He is able to do the impossible, including sparking us back to life.
A wise man once told me the most important thing is the act of getting back up when we’re down. He pointed me to consider the lives of the faithful who are listed in Hebrews 11. At the time, I thought I fully understood what he was saying and that I had that part figured out—life wasn’t easy, there were many struggles even though it was a joyous life with my husband. But since then, I have experienced just how low and dark the valley of the shadow of death truly is. From my sudden unwanted field trip to the underbelly of “the system” as a disabled widow, the social injustices that happen after losing a spouse, to my extended time (years not months) of low physical capacity, being housebound, and suffering. This is when I discovered that in the thick of the crisis, God’s grace is thicker still. My understanding has deepened to see how—even when we cannot get back up with our own willpower—Christ’s power at work within us is able to accomplish the act of getting us back up.
Do not give up.
But as much as getting back up is important, I know it is equally important not to give up. That’s why I want to talk more about hope and endurance. Those who succeed at finishing the race, do not stop when there’s an obstacle. They know there will be hurdles. If they fall, they know how to get back up and keep on. Strength and endurance are part of their preparation. Endurance must be part of our life if we want to be over-comers.
Jesus is the Living Hope. So let’s focus your heart on Him and ask that our eyes would be able to see His Light. Because when our world has gone dark, we are able to discern this reality more clearly: He is the Light in the darkness. It may not be as bright as we imaged it would be, or make everything feel better instantly. But the security we have is knowing that He will never leave us alone and that He will be the sustaining power that redeems the situations in our life.
Here’s a pep-talk of truth:
You are here today because of well-fought victories of yesterday.
Everything you have gleaned from past trials, apply those lessons to what you’re facing today.
God is with you; you are not alone.
I know that many of you have real-life stories of God stepping into your life and intervening. The good news is that He is unchanging—if He’s done it before, He will do it again! So if you’re facing a serious issue that seems impossible or have just experienced something heart-wrenching, please take heart. Because God is a Good Father. He leans down to the broken-hearted and those who are crushed in spirit. He absolutely cares for you. In your weakness, allow Him to be your strength.
Let’s journey on together…
It feels so good to be able to reconnect after all this time. Please let me know if you’re new here, or have been reading my blogs over the years. I will be starting a new series called Becoming Whole, as well as posting about our books and various topics. I hope that you’ll stay a while and that we are able to interact.
Oops, I almost forgot to mention that my book, See. Hear. Do. Prayer just relaunched and is available now for anyone desiring to electrify their spiritual journey. Hop over to our books and immerse yourself in the world of multi-sensory prayer!
Blessings & grace to you,
Tami Sorenson Gaupp
Keeping my eyes on Jesus.
