There they were, hiding in the old box in the corner of the attic. Dusty. Faded. Tucked away like they were just waiting to be found.
It was spring cleaning time, and we had finally made it to the attic. Now, let me tell you—our attic is what we lovingly call the black hole. If you don’t hear from us in a few hours, come looking. I usually avoid it at all costs. It’s daunting, chaotic, and full of stuff I’ve put off dealing with. But that day, something led me to the far corner where I found a box covered in cobwebs. Inside were my book journals.
My heart did a little leap.
I had wondered where those had gone. As I sat on the floor, brushing off the dust, I opened the first one. And just like that, hours disappeared as memory after memory came rushing back. Page after page, I relived seasons of life I had walked through, many I had forgotten.
One entry stopped me in my tracks. It was during a chapter when I was a struggling single mom. I had written:
“I don’t like my story.”
I could feel that heaviness all over again. I remember how tired I was. How alone I felt. How much I thought I was failing. And I laughed through a few tears as I whispered out loud:
“Lisa… it gets better. Hang on.”
I wish I could go back and talk to that version of myself. I would hug her and say, “You have no idea how God is going to use this 
chapter. You’re not failing. You’re being formed.”
That painful season didn’t disqualify me from God’s best—it qualified me for an even greater purpose. Without it, I wouldn’t have been prepared for what came next: the love of my life, Skipper, a beautiful blended family, and a ministry birthed from the very pages I once wanted to tear out.
Friend, maybe you’re in a chapter you don’t like. Maybe it feels like the hardest part of your story so far. But hear this:
The parts you want to hide or forget might just be the ones God uses the most.
He doesn’t waste a single moment—not the broken places, not the lonely nights, not even the things that make you cry when you think about them. Those pages are part of your story for a reason. And when placed in His hands, they become the foundation for something greater than you could ever imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
So don’t tear out the pages.
Your story is not finished.
There’s a new chapter beginning.
And it’s a good one.
A really good one.
Hang on.
You’ve got a best seller in the works.
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