Lacy L.

July 29, 2023 by Gabriela YarelizProfiles, Uncategorized

Today, Lacy speaks to us about some vulnerable moments in life and how God has seen her and her family through them (thank you for sharing those, Lacy), lessons from the book of Romans, and her language learning hobby. I have to say, Lacy’s ministry has always been filled with incredible content. She is a powerhouse. Her testimony and interview has impacted me deeply, and I know it will bless you, too. I can’t wait to see what God continues to do through this sister!

Tell us a bit about how you grew up and your childhood: I grew up in a home that was calm and peaceful. My parents never fought or argued much, actually, I don’t remember any of either. I was close with my siblings. We grew up with a legacy of believers. Both of my grandfathers were pastors, although one died of cancer before I was born. My dad’s parents were at every ballgame, dance recital, etc. They invested in us and in our discipleship. We were very close with them, and I miss them a lot even now. I would say we had a pretty good and normal childhood, played outside, created the best Lego cities ever, and were very imaginative kids. We were always going on some sort of adventure.

“We were always going on some sort of adventure.”

Inspiring biblical passage of the moment: Currently, I have been reading through Romans. It’s been challenging but so good. I can be a loner. I struggled during Covid, but not as much because of loneliness, but more of the letdown after walking through a stem cell transplant with my husband after his second diagnosis with leukemia. My body was going through stress even though my mind was fighting and taking thoughts captive and replacing lies with scripture in a very real way.

All that to say that Romans has been challenging me in a new way to look inwardly at how I contribute to being a part of the body. It has been challenging me to check myself more than I normally do. Am I living out the calling that has been placed on my life? Are there sins that I haven’t confessed, does my prayer life match what my beliefs about it are, etc.?

Also Proverbs 31. I know, I know, this is very “typical” but I think it’s this passage that’s been branded on so many women’s ministries but not usually studied. It’s something in the Christian community that we assume everyone understands what it is saying and how we are to interpret it.

As I have walked through rebranding my business and what I want to accomplish through my business I have studied it in depth and I am thankful that the Lord has revealed much to me in a fresh new way through it. And it has helped shape my purpose for educating and empowering other women in the journey to a peaceful, fulfilling, and intentional motherhood.

I would encourage any woman to re-read it and dig into it without just skimming it and saying, “hmmm… this is the picture of a perfect woman” What is that picture actually? I would encourage you to ask God to give you a fresh new wisdom and understanding as you dig deep into it. He will do that for us!

“All that to say that Romans has been challenging me in a new way to look inwardly at how I contribute to being a part of the body.”

If you wrote a memoir, what would the title be? Unapologetically Celebrating Life: A whisper of abundance and freedom amid long-suffering brings hope for all who call on Jesus. Or maybe: 20 Surefire Ways to Celebrate Life in Every Season on a Budget…

When did you first encounter God and how did you encounter Him? I first encountered Him as a child, I was 8-years-old. I will never forget grilling my parents with questions. On our way to my grandparent’s house my mom pulled over the car and led me in praying to receive Christ as my Lord and Savior. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized what true discipleship looked like and learned that Christ wasn’t just meant to be my Savior but also the Lord over my life. Once the Spirit revealed that to me in a very real and raw way I feel like my life has changed drastically. Always striving to put Him first.

How would you describe Jesus? A Mighty Savior and Gentle King. He is close and He is unchanging. In so many different seasons of life, He has been my unchanging and faithful resting place.

How has your relationship with Him changed you? He has changed everything. I came to a point when I decided that if I believe He is who He says He is then my life needs to reflect that in a real way and not just by the words of my mouth. I think digging into His word and realizing how close He is to us even in all His glory and power is humbling but draws us near to Him in ways that we don’t even realize. It has done that for me.

“I came to a point when I decided that if I believe He is who He says He is then my life needs to reflect that in a real way and not just by the words of my mouth.”

What has been the darkest time in your life, and how did you see God in it? I would say I have had three very deep and dark times in my life. The first was when my mom left us when I was a teenager. That took a toll on me that even into adulthood I still find that I am working through that in different ways and seasons of my life. The second is when my husband was diagnosed with leukemia. He has actually been diagnosed twice. The first time I can say that I had a brief moment of thinking he was going to die but very quickly the doctors assured us that he was in good condition to beat it and he did. The second time, they weren’t so reassuring. We had to sit in many meetings where they told us the outcome dooms and glooms and I felt numb through a lot of that. It sounds weird to say this but my biggest fear was that I believed that God could take Him away and I would still trust that His ways are higher and better than mine and that He was working for my good and His glory.

BUT the reality of that is terrifying. PRAISE THE LORD, my husband is still here working daily to glorify God in all he does. He is a testimony of God’s grace and truly the most humble man I have ever met. I read Job both times he was in the hospital and I can say that my husband suffered well and desired only for God to be glorified through his journey. Watching him suffer and fight for his life, while simultaneously not being able to see my kids because of his weakened immune system was the absolute hardest thing I have ever done. I also had to fight to keep our adopted daughter during this time because she hadn’t officially been adopted and that rocked me quite a bit.

The third was miscarriage, wrestling through that is so hard. I was pregnant with twins and lost one through a tubal rupture where both all three of us nearly lost our lives. The Lord truly used my OB/GYN to save my life and my son’s life that night, but God called the other baby to be in heaven with Him. I had all the questions for Him throughout that time of grief and still do if I sit and dwell on it too long, but I trust Him. Always.

What has helped you grow spiritually in this season? Honestly, I think desperation. Just a desperate need to know God more and fall more in love with Him than ever. I also feel desperation because I can’t lead my children well without the Lord and I feel the need to plead with God for their salvation, regularly.

Just read/currently reading (and what has it taught you?): Redeeming Your Time by Jordan Raynor

Top three essentials: Bible, dark chocolate, and family (but leggings are a close 4th).

How did God speak to you recently? I have been in a season of struggling to juggle it all lately. I think, as I said earlier with Him being a Gentle King, knowing that I can confidently come to Him with everything. All my thoughts and feelings and crazy-lady-ness and He is patient and gentle with me no matter what. He has just been so patient to let me come and sit at His feet and rest.

Hobby: Do we still have those? I just feel like I am doing all-the-things currently, but honestly, I absolutely LOVE what I do and I would say that work feels more like a hobby most days. If I am just getting to read blood work and hear client’s stories I am happy. It’s the backend things and technical hoopla that I don’t love. But I can handle it because I know it’s worth it. Does learning Spanish count as a hobby? Because I love learning Spanish

Top three practical tips for staying spiritually strong: Ask God to pursue you relentlessly. Resolve to give Him your firsts and spend time in His Word… And pray… pray without ceasing, pray about absolutely everything!

Favorite person in scripture? David! I relate to him so much. But I also love Israel. Both of their wrestling and then resting and the constant in that with God. I relate to

What do you want people to learn about God when they look at you? That He is good and will never fail no matter what. And I am not.

How do you engage with your community? I am on Instagram daily, but I have a Facebook group, too, that I am learning more and more about and I love the ability to have a safe space to talk through health issues and wellness where people actually need and want to hear it and engage.

Favorite holiday? Christmas!

A goal you have? To stand with others on the frontlines of changing healthcare to true well care and educating Americans better on the difference between acute healthcare and chronic healthcare.

A special tradition you and your family engage in or keep: Pancake Saturday!

Question you will ask when you get to heaven? I don’t actually think I will. I think we will be given a supernatural understanding just like we get the more and more we dig into the Word and I think I will just fall on my face before the Lord and then join the choir and sing praises into eternity. I actually thought about this the other day. After a long rehearsal night and my voice and really every part of me being exhausted I thought gosh this is going to be so fun in a perfect body one day when I will never get tired of singing.

Thing you want to raise awareness about: OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM! It needs to change and I am so excited to see so many people in the wellness space showing up to say there’s a problem and we can change it.

What does your morning routine consist of? Working out with my SDFitWell App by Shaela Daugherty while listening to my DWELL Bible App. Then, drink a glass of lemon and salt water and get ready. My husband usually does breakfast and then I pack the kids lunches or prep for lunch and we all do our morning chores then sit down and I read the kids my Bible study for that day.

[Note to reader: We interviewed the lovely Shaela Daugherty, here].

What is on your nightstand? Too much junk! A stack of books, my faux Stanley, a jewelry holder my lamp, and another stack of books, and chapstick. Whatever the kids put on there during the day and random papers that I need to deal with at any given time… I think there’s a paper airplane currently too.

Define Christianity in a sentence: A relationship with a Savior King who loves you as a father and a friend.