how the light gets in

by Andrea Smithberger
how the light gets in
  • November 1: Honoring
  • Day 2: Signaling
  • Day 3: Revealing
  • DAY 4: Reminding
  • Day 5: Reflecting
  • Day 6: Changing
  • Day 7: Surrounding
  • Day 8: Healing
  • Day 9: Filtering
  • Day 10: Spreading
  • Day 11: Unveiling
  • Day 12: Distinguishing
  • Day 13: Challenging
  • Day 14: Nourishing
  • Day 15: Unassuming
  • Day 16: Leading
  • Day 17: Delighting
  • Day 18: Reaching
  • Day 19: Shining
  • Day 20: Reviving
  • Day 21: Growing
  • Day 22: Comforting
  • Day 23: Holding Space
  • Day 24: Beckoning
  • Day 25: Stunning
  • Day 26: Igniting
  • Day 28: Introducing
  • November 2020
  • Tag: Romans 15:13

    • CHRISTMAS – Day 25

      Posted at 2:09 pm by How the Light Gets In, on December 25, 2019

      Merry Christmas

      You did it. WE did it! Hooray for us! 24 days of reading God’s word. 24 days of devoting a little time to learning God’s voice. I’m so proud of you and me!

      Take a moment to scroll all the way back to Day One. Grab a piece of paper and a pencil and jot down the websites, books, Instagram accounts, Music, Photography, Email subscriptions, Apps, Artists, Podcasts, Places, People, Recipes.

      Then, take note of what struck you most – was it the beauty, the pain, the encouragement, the community?

      Finally, we should list all the scripture from the posts. The Bible still blows my mind with all those words written so long ago and somehow still very alive and so powerful.

      You know what ALLLLL this tells me?

      GOD

      WILL

      STOP

      AT

      NOTHING.

      God will stop at nothing to get YOUR attention.

      These 24 days have just been a glimpse of how relentless God is trying to grab your attention.

      Christmas gives us the sweetest example of this. Immanuel is God with us.

      Jesus IS God with us.

      But wait, the story doesn’t end here. There’s Good News! Jesus wasn’t just born, end of story. Jesus lived a life full of friendship and story telling and healing and teaching and loving. There’s more to learn. Jesus didn’t just live for you and me. He also died for you and me.

      Today we celebrate His birth but there’s so much more.

      And hey, if you’re reading this you’re alive too which means God’s not done with you. Your story with Him might just be beginning. Or maybe you go way back. Either way, keep walking with Jesus. Read His Word. Learn His voice. Look for Him.

      Remember how we started this journey with Gods word as a “lamp for our feet”? Today let’s celebrate because the light is here. Jesus – God with us – is here “to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1:79)

      Thank you for being with me this Advent. You have made it so special for me.

      One last song Reckless Love

      Posted in DECEMBER 2019 | 0 Comments | Tagged 1 John 1:5, 1 John 1:5-7, 1 John 5:14, 1 Peter 2:9, 1 Peter 5:6, 100 Days to Brave, 2 Corinthians 1:6-7, 2 Kings 20, Acts 2:28, Advent, Ann Voskamp, Annie F Downs, Christmas, Church of the Nativity, Colossians 1:9-10, Cory Asbury, Elevation Worship, Ephesians 5:13, Exodus 33:14, Genesis 28:15, Hooray, How the Light Gets In, Isaiah 40:3-5, Isaiah 43:18-19, Jenna Mace Photography, Jesus, Jesus Calling, Job 42:5, John 11:38, Joshua 1:9, Journal, Luke 1:3-4, Luke 1:79, Matthew 14:13-21, Matthew 28:66, Psalm 119:105, Psalm 16:11, Psalm 27:14, Romans 15:13, Romans 15:4-5, Wonder, Zephaniah 3:17
    • Espera

      Posted at 10:33 pm by How the Light Gets In, on August 30, 2017

      A lot of you have asked me what to pray for; no MS, no cancer, no more lesions, clean MRI, lower white blood cell count.   Please pray for our family to feel a steady calm over the next week with “no fear of bad news, steadfast hearts, trusting in the Lord.” Psalm 112:7

      My hero is an 8 year old boy with crooked, duct-taped glasses.  Joseph went into his big “Testing Day” with a steady calm about him.  “Will I have to get an IV?”  The nurse said, “Yes, you will.”  He nodded his head, let a few tears fall down his cheeks and said, “Okay.”  He got the IV while listening to a Child Life Specialist read the letter from, Lauren (my 15 year old hero).  Long story short, MRI, Spinal Tap and blood work are done!  Joseph woke up happy and thanked everyone.  Monday was the tough part for him.  And, he handled it so well.  He set the bar high.  And now, the tough part comes for me and Jason… the wait.  We will wait a week to hear results.  That’s 168 hours to let a mother’s brain wander.

      And wander it has, but to random things like… Spanish.   The word “esperar” means to WAIT.   And the word “esperanza” means to HOPE.  Esperar & Espereranza.  To wait and to hope are connected.   The Spanish language has been with me my entire life.  Not until now did I make that connection.   Funny, isn’t it?  That’s exactly what we’re doing now, waiting with hope.

      Are you waiting for something now?  An answer or a person or a change?  Let’s link arms and hold each other up.  Patience is hard.  Trusting in the process is hard.  Letting go of YOUR timeline and handing it to someone else, yikes.  Remember, waiting and hope go hand in hand.  I’ll be praying for you and for us, “May the God of HOPE fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

      Let’s OVERFLOW con ESPERANZA!

      Posted in AUGUST 2017 | 2 Comments | Tagged Espera, How the Light Gets In, MRI, Psalm 112:7, Romans 15:13, Spinal Tap
    • Looking Back and Seeing…

      Posted at 5:01 pm by How the Light Gets In, on August 13, 2017

      We’re coming up on a year.  One FULL year.  I was looking for a picture on my phone and ended up at a group of pics from August 2016 that made me swallow hard.  Joseph hooked up to lines and monitors.  Joseph slumped over, skinny and pale.  Joseph leaving the hospital with a line in his chest and his eyes crossed from the swelling on his brain.   Just like that, those pictures took me right back to some dark days.   So, I switched over to Jason’s phone hoping to find the one picture from our beach trip last year.  Instead, ugh.  I found pictures of my family I didn’t remember.  Pictures I had never seen because I wasn’t there.  I wasn’t there for Lauren’s Gateway Ceremony.  I wasn’t there for Joseph’s impromptu birthday “party” to go apple picking with his best buddy Ryan.  I wasn’t there at the park.  I don’t remember because I was in and out of surgeries myself.  And then, I was so doped up on pain medications that I was asleep or dazed on the couch.

      Looking back makes me cry.  Makes me so sad.  So, I started asking God for how to work through looking back.  “Guide me on HOW to look back, Father because there’s a lot of bitterness and anger and dark wanting to take over right now.”  He answered.  I feel like when you lay it out, plain and simple.  God gives it right back the same way.  You see, later that day, I went to my eye doctor for a contact lens fitting and as I was checking out I heard a voice behind me.  Nope, not a James Earl Jones God voice… I heard Karen’s voice.  Karen was Joseph’s home care nurse.  She taught me how to give Joseph his daily infusions and she would change his dressing weekly.  I hadn’t seen her in months!  Karen is a living breathing reminder of Joseph’s medical journey.  For HER to be at the office and then sit down with me on a bench in front of Giant and ENCOURAGE ME to keep advocating, and APPLAUD ME for getting my boy into CHOP, and REMIND ME that Joseph is a tough little booger.  Turns out sometimes, God can look and sound like Karen.

      The Gospel from mass this morning is from Matthew 14, you know this one.  The Disciples were out at sea when a bad storm came up and Jesus walked on water out to them.  Yeah, I’ve heard this a million times before, Andrea.  HEAR IT AGAIN, Jesus walked on water.  Father White pointed out not that Jesus walked on water BUT that Jesus did the unexpected.  His friends were calling out to him and he showed up.  Call out to God and let Him surprise you.  I asked God for help navigating hard memories and He gave me someone who saw us at and through our ugliest, Karen.

      I ran home to pull out my journals from last year.   I wish I could post pictures of every page.  Because EVERY. SINGLE. PAGE. is God walking out to meet me.   Criste stuffing our pantry and TWO fridges full of food is Jesus walking out to me.  Keyne, Nicka, Jenna and Criste sitting out in a waiting room for hours is God sticking close to me.  Mary cleaning up the raw chicken mess and just being Mary is God’s defiant love for me.  Mrs Certeza, Mrs Reuter, Mrs Lebowitz, Mrs Nossel, Mrs Matthews creating a circle of compassion and patience for Joseph at school is God protecting my boy.  Laura and Christa showing up to clean my house while I tell drugged up, wacky, nonsense stories is God showing His sense of humor.   The pizza, fried chicken, tortilla soup, lasagna (Bethany, that my family still raves about), CHICKEN POT PIE, Chicken a la King (that I still have the handwritten directions for Janine), yummy onion potatoes, chili, grilled chicken and orzo, SPECTACULAR breakfast surprises; YES, God saying, “I see how you roll, Smithbergers.  You eat a lot.  I will send you a lot.” Beth organizing it all and encouraging through it all is God’s friendship; blue eyed and beautiful.  Taylor.  There are not enough words for how Jesus shines through her.  Angie, someone I never see, but she sees me and reflects Him.  Annette, that God would know me so well He would gift me a soul sister decades ago shows his all-knowing awesomeness.  Colleen is Godly beauty and just a really cool chick.  Running into Carey or Dana at Target and just laughing shows Jesus likes Target too.  Meredith, “deep calls to deep,” offers me wisdom no else can know unless you’ve watched your child go through the hard.  Johnny Kelly, evidence of God’s attention to detail and love for the Buckeyes (hee, hee).  My sisters… evidence of God’s artistry in weaving them into my life to save me my whole life.  I’ll never forget being in the ER, hooked up to morphine, and Pop Pop sitting faithfully by my side telling me stories – his loyalty to family is a beautiful reflection of God’s love.  Mike and Jill, continually reaching out to me to offer encouragement all while fighting their own battle, is Jesus selflessness.  My husband, working full time, taking care of me and Joseph, watching our pain, running the other 4 kids to whatever they had going on, being BOTH parents, his devotion and energy are His grace.

      Those are the real life examples of God meeting me.  But the journals are also filled with His word, scriptures speaking straight to my heart. “I am with you and will watch you wherever you go.” -Genesis 28:15 or “Remain in me and I will remain in you.” – John 15:4 and “May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with Hope by the Power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13 and Deuteronomy 3:16 “Be Strong and Courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes WITH you, He will never leave you…”

      Joseph is now scheduled for another spinal tap, MRI and some bloodwork on August 28th.  365+ days later, still looking for a diagnosis and treatment.  Do I wish Joseph was cured by now?  And that my pain would disappear?  Yes.  Looking back, would I change anything?   Let’s say I wouldn’t plan it the way it happened.  Being honest.  But I wouldn’t change the past year.  Looking back, yes, I will feel the painful memories.  The pain is purposeful.  But, I won’t let it linger.  We have learned too much.  We have been loved so much.  I have been surprised by how God shows up.  And the “unexpected” is worth it all.  God is real.

      Amen.

      Posted in AUGUST 2017 | 2 Comments | Tagged CHOP, Deuteronomy 3:16, Genesis 28:15, How the Light Gets In, John 15:4, Journal, looking back, Matthew 14, MRI, Romans 15:13, Spinal Tap

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