the unexpected good
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a blog for Christian women about

discovering joy

in the challenges of singleness,
marriage, motherhood, chronic illness,
​and every day faith

The Gift of Joy

2/10/2018

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​I wrote this in May of 2016 and, for whatever reason, I never actually posted it. It just sat in my drafts...until now. Because Joy is something worth sharing about. Enjoy!

"Oh!" I gasped as I looked down at the street from the second story window. "It's raining! Look how beautiful it makes the world!"

My friend laughed. "You're cute, you know that? Most people dislike rain."

Later, as we prayed, my friend said, "Thank you, Lord, for giving Yaasha such joy..."

And it hit me like a spray of sunlight through clouds. My joy was a gift.

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The Life I Could Have Had

3/28/2015

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When I am old, I never wish to moan: “Oh, the life I could have had!” Life is full of “if-onlys,” but I do not believe that intense regret is my destiny. Why? Well, to answer that I must tell you my life story.


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Living In The Present

12/16/2014

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A story tells how an old woman gave a young man a ball of string. If he pulled the string, she told him, he could fast-forward his life. 

At first, he pulled the string just a little, to skip chores he disliked and get to the "good parts" of his life. But as he grew older, he began to skip larger and larger portions of his life, seeking for the next exciting thing. 

When he reached the end of his life, he was filled with regret for all the moments that he had skimmed over in his search for something better.

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Learning About Trust

10/28/2014

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I have always been confused by the phrases that Christians commonly use, and one of the most confusing to me is the phrase “just trust the Lord.” It is very good theology, but to my practical mind, it seems like an exceedingly abstract concept. How, specifically, does one trust the Lord?

One day, I asked God to explain to me the meaning of trusting Him.

The answer came in the form of a question.

“If you trusted Me, what would you do?”

Do? Well, that’s easy to answer!


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The Exchanged Life

7/29/2014

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Luke 5:36 
Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.
“When I first learned that I had to eat gluten-free, I tried to find substitutes for all my favorite foods. But eventually, I realized that living gluten-free is not a matter of finding alternatives. It’s a matter of creating a whole new diet and learning to love it.”

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Close to the Vine

6/10/2014

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John 15:5
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He whoabides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
It is high time to prune our grapes. On my parents’ land, a crumbling arbor of wood and metal mesh supports the weight of a network of vines. As the summer deepens, the grapes swell to their full size, becoming dusky purple fruits that pop with flavors both tart and sweet. I love our grapes, but they are overgrown.

Our neighbor’s grapes, on the other hand, look very different.

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Living Without Leaven: Why My Family Celebrates Passover

4/22/2014

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1 Corinthians 5:6b-8
Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Some years ago, my family decided to begin celebrating the Jewish feast of Passover—not simply the day of the feast, but also the entire week. This meant a full 7 days of eating absolutely no pork products (like pepperoni or sausage) or leaven (like yeast or baking soda).

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Running Through Obstacles

4/15/2014

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When I first joined my high school cross-country running team, I had a bad habit of looking at my feet. Partially, this was due to the fact that the school cross-country course included a narrow path that meandered through the forest, snaring runners with roots and puddles and the occasional gopher-hole. With so many obstacles, how could Inot watch where I was going?

The Problem
But looking at my feet had an unintended consequence: It slowed me down. There was no way to race effectively and watch my step at the same time. Necessity forced me to make a choice: either accept the fact that I may trip, or never discover my true speed. 


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How a Dog Taught Me to Trust God

2/11/2014

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This first appeared in the Spring 2014 issue of Incorruptible Beauty, a quarterly newsletter for Christian women. It was originally entitled "The Great Dog Disappointment."

My Dream Dog
When I was in my early to mid-teens, I wanted a dog. I knew exactly what kind I wanted. I flipped through a dog breed book until I found it: an alert, bright-eyed dog with almost cat-like grace and a mane of soft black fur. It was called the Groenendael, more commonly known as the Belgian Sheepdog.


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Learning to Love the Lord (From Ready For Him Today)

1/28/2014

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Our relationship with the Lord is the doorway to all other relationships. This relationship must become the basis for relationships with others, so that our relationships will be strong and long-lasting.

Of course, we will always struggle to love the Lord as He ought to be loved. We will not always feel a spiritual sense of closeness to Him. But loving God is not about feeling lovingly toward Him; it is about acting in a way that demonstrates our love for Him. I once confessed to my father, “I feel like I don’t love the Lord anymore. I feel like I’m just doing what He wants me to do out of habit and not because I love Him.”

My father asked, “What’s wrong with that?”

At the time, it seemed barbaric that I could obey God out of habit rather than out of love, but as time went on, I began to see what my father had meant.


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    Meet Yaasha

    None of my life has gone the way it was "supposed to go," but I don't love my life any less because of the hardships and new directions. I see so much unexpected good in it, and I want others to see the good in theirs.

    Learn more about me here.


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