Thoughts from Lisa Williams to encourage you today.

When God Says, “It’s Time”

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“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.”

Psalms 37:23-24

J.D. stood in front of the mirror, gathering his long hair into a loose ponytail. He had waited years for this—the chance to grow it out. His Christian school had always required boys to have short hair, but once we started homeschooling, he finally had the chance to let it grow. And so, he did. 

I didn’t mind it much. It was just hair, and a chance for him to figure out who he was and wanted to be. Despite the challenges of being mistaken for a girl, I knew it was crucial to support his journey of self-expression and independence. But as time passed, I found myself wondering if I was doing the right thing. 

Then, one evening, he came to me and said, “Mom, do you think I should cut my hair?” 

I hesitated. “Well, what do you think?” 

He shrugged. “I think I want to, but I am just not sure when.” 

Everything in me wanted to say, Now! Right now is a great time! But instead, I swallowed my eagerness and smiled. “Whenever you’re ready, just let me know.” 

Weeks passed. If I ever mentioned it, his answer was the same: “Not yet.” Then, one day, he walked into my home office with his face clouded with uncertainty. “Mom, I want to cut my hair… but I’m scared. It feels like part of my identity. I don’t know who I am without it. Will you pray for me?” 

So, we prayed. For clarity. For peace. For him to hear God’s voice. 

The next day at work, I got a text. “Mom, I was talking to my teacher, and she told me she had a dream that I cut my hair. I think this is what I want to do! I’m ready.” 

That night, as the scissors snipped through each lock, J.D. lifted his head as he studied his reflection. His smile said everything. You see, it was never about the hair, but all about how he saw himself in God’s eyes. Now, he had his answer. 

Years have passed since that moment, and J.D. now stands on the edge of adulthood, facing bigger decisions than a haircut. But when I think back to that night, I am reminded: If God could guide him then, He can guide him now. And He can do the same for all of us. 

Because no decision—big or small—falls outside of His care. 

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The Miracle of Letting Go

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“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 

1 Peter 5:6-7

Adrian had always believed in one simple truth: hard work could fix anything. You push through, you keep going, and when life gets tough, you push harder. It made sense to him for a long time. 

But then it stopped working. 

The job offers dried up. His marriage ended, and suddenly, he was left alone in a house that used to feel like home. No matter how much effort he poured into it, things stayed broken. 

One evening, feeling completely worn out, Adrian did something he had not done in ages—he prayed. 

“God, I don’t know what to do anymore. I can’t carry this alone. Please, take it from me. Put me where You want me to be.” 

And for the first time in a long while, Adrian stopped trying to control everything. He let go. 

Less than a month later, the phone rang. 

He found out he got the job! And not just any job, it was the one he had been praying for. The hours worked, it was close to home, and most importantly, it allowed him to be there when his kids got off the bus. It was the perfect fit and a clear reminder that God had been working all along. 

When Adrian called in to Always Uplifting 88.7 The Cross to tell us his story, his voice cracked with emotion from relief. For the first time in a long time, he was not carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

Maybe you’re there right now, too. Exhausted. Stressed. Wondering why things aren’t falling into place. What if God has been waiting for you to surrender? 

It might be time to stop fighting. To lay it all down. Because sometimes, the freedom we are looking for does not come from trying harder, but from surrendering. 

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Reject Lies, Embrace Truth

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“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”

2 Corinthians 10:5

It is hard to put into words how the lies in my mind can sometimes take over. For years, they had come uninvited. “You’re not loved. You’re irrelevant. Nobody cares about you.”

They were just thoughts—small, passing ones.  But over time, they started to sound like truth. I had never thought much about it until one day when I was talking to my friend Brenda.

We were sitting at her kitchen table, the scent of fresh coffee curling in the air, when I finally admitted it.

“I know God calls me loved, chosen, and worthy,” I said, “but… I don’t always feel like it.”

Brenda set her mug down and leaned in. “Lisa, have you ever left honey on the table?”

I frowned.

“Honey,” she repeated. “What happens if you leave it sitting out?”

I shrugged. “Flies come.”

She nodded. “That is what agreeing with the enemy does. When you believe the lies—even just a little—it is like putting honey on the table. It invites the swarm. But you do not have to feed them.”

Tears stung my eyes. I had been trying to fight off the lies for so long, but I had never considered that I was the one allowing them to stay.

Brenda smiled, her voice gentle but firm. “You need to stop agreeing with the wrong things. And start agreeing with the right ones.”

That night, as I lay in bed, the lies tried again. But instead of letting them sit, I whispered truth into the dark.

I am seen. I am enough. I am held by God.

And I will keep saying it—because agreement matters.

What have you been agreeing with? And what might change if you started speaking God’s truth instead?

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God’s Lavish Love

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“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”

1 John 3:1

Jon David was my early bird, and I was very much not.

Every morning, without fail, he would burst into my room with rapid-fire requests: “Mom, I’m hungry! Mom, I’m thirsty! Mom, read me a book!”

Most mornings, I barely cracked my eyes open before mumbling something like, “Give me five more minutes, buddy.”

But one morning, he woke me up in a way I will never forget. Instead of his usual boisterous entrance, he stood quietly by my bed. He brushed my arm, and in the softest voice, he said, “I love you, sweet angel. You are a gift from heaven.”

Then he kissed my cheek and whispered it again!

I opened my eyes to see his face beaming at me, and my heart melted on the spot. I barely had time to gather my thoughts before he skipped off, leaving me lying there, stunned by the purity of that moment.

Later that day, as I drove home after dropping him off at kindergarten, I could not stop thinking about it. Then it hit me—he had repeated my words. The ones I had whispered to him night after night. The ones I had spoken over him when he was scared, when he was sleepy, and when I just wanted him to know how deeply he was loved.

Somehow, those words had settled into his heart. And now, without being asked, he had given them back to me.

And that is exactly how God loves us. He does not just hand it to us in small, measured doses. He pours it over us—like an unstoppable waterfall with waves that never stop crashing onto the shore. He delights in us, treasures us, whispers over us, “I love you, sweet angel. You are a gift from heaven.”

I don’t know what your morning looked like today, friend. Maybe it was chaos. Maybe it was loneliness. But I do know this: you are deeply and lavishly loved. And do you know what the most beautiful thing you can do with that kind of love is?

Let it pour back out.

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Ask Boldly, Receive Abundantly

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“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Matthew 7:7 

He almost didn’t do it.

His mom’s diagnosis had turned their world upside down, and he wanted to help. But what could a 14-year-old really do?

The idea had formed in a rush: if he shaved his head, he could raise money for cancer research. But standing on his neighbor’s porch now with a pair of clippers, he felt ridiculous.

He clutched them in his hand like a lifeline. “Uh—hi,” he started, voice cracking. “My mom has cancer. I want to raise money for research, so I’m shaving my head. Would you be willing to donate?”

Silence.

His heart pounded. The awkwardness clawed at him, but then the neighbor asked, “How much are you hoping to raise?”

He shared his goal. It sounded impossible the moment he said it, but the neighbor disappeared inside. When he returned, he handed the boy a check for a thousand dollars. The exact amount!

The boy’s mouth fell open. “Wait. What?”

The neighbor just smiled. “Yeah, and I am also going to talk at our homeowners’ association meeting tonight about how we can do more.”

He walked home with the check in hand, mind spinning. He had expected pocket change. But this? This was so much bigger.

All he had done was ask. And generosity had answered—louder than he ever imagined.

We tell ourselves we are too small to make a difference. That what we have to offer could never be enough. But maybe the real question is not if we can help. Maybe it is whether we are willing to step out, awkward and unsure, and simply try.

Because sometimes, when we do, hope shows up in ways we never saw coming.

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Embracing Moments that Matter

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“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

1 John 3:18

I should have already been on the road. Instead, I was staring at my Jeep’s very flat tire. This was not how the day was supposed to go.

I managed to limp the car over to Christian Brothers Automotive, hoping they could fix my flat quickly and get me back on the road, but they were closed.

So, I left my car there, called an Uber, jumped on a plane, and tried to push the thought of the tire out of my mind.

A few days later, as I flew home, I remebered my car. I hadn’t even called the shop! I wondered….Was my car still in their parking lot? Had they towed it?

When I called the shop, Jed answered and said, “It’s still here.  And we actually don’t do tires here.”

Argh.

Before I could even figure out what to do next, Jed kept talking. “We can air it up for you. Or if you’ve got a spare, I’ll put it on.”

I blinked. That was not what I expected. He had no reason to help me, and yet, his offer didn’t cost a thing.

When I got back to the shop, they had already aired up the tires, and I was struck by how intentional they had been with us. They even took the time to teach my son, JD, how to change a flat tire. As a single mom, it meant more to me than words could express. I had tears of gratitude as we drove away.

Jed probably never thought twice about offering his help, but I have not stopped thinking about it. That day, Christian Brothers Automotive truly lived up to their name.

Because isn’t that what following Jesus really looks like? Showing up for people and offering a moment of care when they least expect it? Being kind?

God constantly gives us chances to be that unexpected kindness for someone else. The truth is, we all feel stuck at times—whether it is a flat tire, a flat heart, or a flat hope. What we need most in those moments is not someone to fix us—it is someone to see us and remind us that we matter.

What if today, that kindness starts with you?

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Breathing Easy in Faith

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“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Isaiah 26:3

I woke up with fear sitting heavy on my chest.

Even before my eyes opened, the anxiety was there—pressing, suffocating, unshakable. The world had shut down because of the pandemic. The news was a constant flood of uncertainty, and my mind raced with questions that had no answers.

Would my family be okay? How long would this last? How would we make it financially?

I rolled over and stared at the ceiling, hoping the stillness of the room would settle my nerves. It didn’t.

I needed something stronger than fear.

I threw off the covers, walked to my home office, and pulled up the Christian radio stream.

The voices of my friends back at the radio station filled the room. Happy. Steady. Reassuring. They were not ignoring what was happening, but they were not drowning in it either.

As I listened, something wonderful happened. It was as if, for the first time in days, I could actually breathe. Tears blurred my vision as I sat back in my chair. Because in that moment, I knew—God had not abandoned us. He had not abandoned me.

And He had just used two people on the radio to remind me of that.

That is why I believe in Christian radio. Because it is not just a broadcast—it is ministry. It is real people, speaking real hope into real lives. And I know I am not the only one who needs it.

Someone else is waking up today with that same weight on their chest. I want to make sure that when they turn on the radio, hope is waiting for them.

Would you want to be a part of that?

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Be the Light in Someone’s Life

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“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”

Matthew 5:14-15

Melinda barely had time to breathe, much less think. Wednesday nights were always a rush—digging for her other shoe, grabbing her Bible, texting her cousin to make sure she was coming to youth.

Hey, you coming? she typed quickly before tapping the call button.

“Hello?”

Melinda frowned. It was not her cousin.

“Uh—sorry, wrong number!” she blurted, heat rising to her face.

A pause. Then a quiet, “Okay,” before the call disconnected.

Melinda let out a breath and shook her head. Well, that was awkward. Time to move on.

But she couldn’t.

It was like something in her heart caught on the moment, unwilling to let it slip away. Before she knew what she was doing, she opened the message thread and started typing.

Hey, I know I called by mistake, but I was actually inviting my cousin to church. You’re welcome to come too if you want.

She stared at the screen. This was weird, right? But still, she pressed send.

Three dots appeared.

Then a message that said,

“You don’t even know me, but I needed this. I was planning to end my life tonight. But your message feels like a sign, and I think I need to come.”

That night the person on the other end showed up. And God met her there. And in a room full of people, God made sure she knew—You are seen. You are loved. You have hope.

Was that a wrong number? Not a chance. And it makes me wonder, how many moments like this do we brush past? How often do we let discomfort keep us from reaching out?

God is always moving. Always working. But sometimes, He is waiting on us to press send.

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Discover Your Potential

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“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

2 Timothy 1:7

I was perfectly fine staying in my comfort zone. It was nice there. Predictable. Safe. And then, along came Paul Goldsmith, who had the audacity to think I should dream bigger.

You see, for years, I had this dream stirring inside me to create something meaningful that would point people to God’s love. But every time I considered stepping out, I could hear my own voice whispering, Who do you think you are?

And for a while, I believed it.

But for years, Paul called me just to say, “Lisa, you should start a podcast!” And every time, I’d laugh it off. “Right, Paul. I’ll add that to my never-gonna-happen list.”

He did not give up that easily. So he kept nudging and challenging me, until I finally ran out of excuses. And then something wild happened. A group of friends—dear, wonderful, slightly pushy friends—rallied around me. They did not just cheer me on; they fully funded the podcast launch. And with Paul’s coaching, “Life with Lisa Williams” was born.

Through it all, I realized something. We all need people like Paul who will not let us quit on what God has placed inside of us.

More importantly, I have found Jesus is the ultimate voice in our corner. He is the One who refuses to let us settle for less than we were made for. He sees the fear, the hesitation, the self-doubt—and He speaks right through it. “You were made for more.”

So, friend, who is speaking into your life? And more importantly, are you listening? Because the greatest moments of your life will not come from playing it safe. They will come when you take His hand and trust that He sees the potential in you, even if you don’t yet.

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God is Still with You

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“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6

There are people in your life who make you stop and think, How does she do it? Sarah is one of those people for me.

Three kids with special needs, a life that never slows down, and a faith deep enough to carry it all. I have watched her handle things that would have leveled me. But today, as we sat across from each other, I saw something different in her eyes.

She stirred her coffee and said, “I’ve been trying to put the last few years into words, and I finally figured it out.” She glanced up. “It has been a hurricane.”

I frowned. “A hurricane?”

She nodded. “For so long, I was just trying to survive. Holding on, keeping my kids safe, and fighting to keep everything from falling apart.”

My chest ached at the honesty in her voice.

“And then one day, it was over. The storm passed. Life was … calmer.” She hesitated. “I should’ve felt relieved.”

I waited.

“But instead, I finally looked around and realized—things were broken. My marriage had cracks I didn’t see before. Some friendships didn’t make it. And my own heart?” She exhaled. “I wasn’t the same either.”

She met my eyes. “I thought the miracle was that God got me through. But the real miracle is that He’s still here. He’s standing in the wreckage with me, showing me what’s worth saving and what needs healing. He doesn’t just rescue us—He restores us.”

I sat there, her words pressing into places in my own heart I hadn’t even realized were aching.

We talk about God parting the sea. Calming the storm. Delivering us. But we don’t always talk about the God who kneels beside us afterward, helping us pick up the pieces.

If you’re looking at what life has left behind and wondering how to move forward, listen—God is still here. He’s not done with you.

The storm may have passed. But the rebuilding? You don’t have to do it alone.

Let Him be more than the one who saved you.

Let Him be the one who stays.

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