Revelations along the Way: 15 Spiritual Truths to Overcome Heartaches and Achieve Greater Freedom

By Susanna Larison

It seems paradoxical that a desert wilderness is an ideal environment for growth. Most of us want to grow in palaces and gardens, not in parched land. We want the mountaintop without the climb and the glory without the sacrifice. We assume spiritual formation is a Starbucks order and not a seed that takes years to grow.
In REVELATIONS ALONG THE WAY, Susanna shares that the ideal journey for a heart to be transformed is often the one that we'd rather not travel. Susanna shares with humility, vulnerability, and honest humour the fifteen revelations Jesus taught her during many painful circumstances over a seventeen-year period.
Each chapter concludes with points to ponder and song suggestions to help connect more deeply with Jesus for healing. Susanna shares not as a someone who has reached a destination, but as one who now has greater freedom while still on the journey. This book is an invitation, a walking stick for seeking personal transformation on your own journey.
• Revelation of Revelations
• Revelation of Success
• Revelation of His Love
• Revelation of His Will Not My Ways
• Revelation of Rejection and Shame
• Revelation of Disappointment
• Revelation of Friendship
• Revelation of Self-Compassion
• Revelation of Bondservant and Bride
• Revelation of Comfort
• Revelation of Forgiveness
• Revelation of Self-Care
• Revelation of Waiting
• Revelation of Dread
• Revelation of Hope and the Eternal Perspective

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: Jan 31, 2024
• ISBN: 9780228850120

Susanna Larison

SUSANNA LARISON is a gifted communicator. Her uncanny depth and unique perspective allows her writing to bridge the human heart to the practical in a way that is inspiring. Her bold honesty, whimsical style, and twist of wit both challenges and comforts. Susanna has been likened to a miner who mines for treasures: black soot on her face and in every pore of her skin, sharing openly the truths she's worked hard to uncover so that others can glean from her findings and acquire the courage to dig for their own. Susanna is currently working on other writing projects. Susanna and Brent live in St Albert, Alberta, Canada with their two adult children. Susanna's favourite thing is eating out so she doesn't have to figure out what to make for supper. To get in touch with Susanna, she can be reached through her email at [e-mail]. She looks forward to hearing from you.

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Revelations Along the Way

Copyright © 2024 by Susanna Larison

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Tellwell Talent

www.tellwell.ca

ISBN

978-0-2288-5011-3 (Hardcover)

978-0-2288-5010-6 (Paperback)

978-0-2288-5012-0 (eBook)

Table of Contents

Foreword

Chapter 1     Revelation of Revelations

Chapter 2     Revelation of Success

Chapter 3     Revelation of His Love

Chapter 4     Revelation of His Will Not My Wants

Chapter 5     Revelation of Rejection and Shame

Chapter 6     Revelation of Disappointment

Chapter 7     Revelation of Friendship

Chapter 8     Revelation of Self-Compassion

Chapter 9     Revelation of Bondservant and Bride

Chapter 10   The Revelation of Comfort

Chapter 11   Revelation of Forgiveness

Chapter 12   Revelation of Self-Care

Chapter 13   Revelation of Waiting

Chapter 14   Revelation of Dread

Chapter 15   Revelation of Hope and the Eternal Perspective

Epilogue

Dear Reader ,

Acknowledgements

Praise for Revelations Along the Way

This isn’t a book that should be read, it is a book that should be absorbed. It is a love story that peels back many layers and exposes how a heart is transformed in the presence of a loving holy God – His name is Jesus. As a writer Susanna has a gift for the turn of phrase that arrests our heart and communicates truth in a way that it can be received. She doesn’t shy away from vulnerably exposing her own heart, not in the sense of some sloppy sentimentality but in a way that connects to and strengthens hearts. Get this book and sit with it and let it read you. You will find the investment of time well worth it and transformative if you go deep.

– R. Baker

This is one of the best Christian books I have ever read! It’s like a manual – one you will want to return to again and again as you navigate all the twists and turns of life. I was left feeling encouraged and empowered to keep running my race! As Susanna puts it, revelations will become revolutions if you put them into practice. It’s a gift to read a book where the author shares transparent examples from her own life. This deeply increased my understanding and immensely helped me to apply the revelations to my own life. Jesus’ heart is evident in these pages.

– M. Herter

"Susanna’s book is timely, relevant and has the potential to change your life! She shares her story from a place of openness and vulnerability always directing the reader back to Jesus. If you want to develop intimacy with the Lord that will enable you to find joy, hope, and victory in your life, this book is for you!"

– J. Keasling

The theme of this book is intimacy with Jesus. Knowing Him, His heart, His truth, His Personality and His Kingdom and knowing oneself as He sees us. Revelations Along the Way is a deep dive into the things of the soul. It is refreshing, candid and challenging in the invitations extended throughout each chapter to truly do soul work with Jesus to greater healing, wholeness and freedom. It isn’t for the person who wants someone to make them feel good" in their pity party or give them permission to stay stuck. You won’t get that! But for the person who desires real transformation, for the person who desires honesty, forth rightness, candid conversation and a hope filled invitation extended to them in a loving, humble, unapologetic, vulnerable and compassionate way – this book is for them!

– L. Peters

Susanna’s book in part, is a reflection of her relentless pursuit of God, no matter the cost. I have seen many Christians over the course of their lives, through the various trials and temptations they have faced, become discouraged and distracted to the point of losing their spiritual passion. Susanna has not done this- her resolve has been to press into the Father’s love with greater resolve and abandonment when life’s storms rage. As such, there is an inspiring, incredibly perceptive, and uncanny depth in Susanna’s writings matched by few. Her book is a rare treasure.

– J. Burden

To Brent, we have made this journey together.

Foreword

When our desire and passion is to follow Jesus to wherever He leads us, it’s important to have support from other believers, especially from family and friends whose words really matter to us. However, this is often not the case when it comes to decisions that conflict with how success is measured by many in the church, and more painfully from those who we look to for support when making life altering decisions in our pursuit of using our gifts to glorify God. Regardless of the motivation of those around us, our first loyalty is to our Lord.

Unfortunately, worldly success often triumphs Kingdom success by many who claim to have a relationship with God. I understand the struggle, but what Jesus wants us to do far exceeds the desires of others in our lives. Afterall, we won’t kneel before man at the end of time to give an account of how we used our gifts and time here, but before our God!

In Revelations Along the Way, my friend Susanna Larison is open and transparent about the distress and misunderstanding that she and her husband Brent went through in their pursuit of God’s calling on their lives. In this raw, authentic and practical book, Susanna allows us to see her struggles and heartaches close up, not so we feel sorry for her, but to remind us that there is hope even when it feels like you’ve hit rock bottom. Susanna and Brent are fighters who will not give up on the God dreams for their lives even when it’s really hard!

Over the years in my travels of meeting and interviewing persecuted Christians around the world, I have been challenged by so many of them who are prepared for whatever consequences they may face, even death as they choose to be obedient to the call of God in their lives. Regardless of where we live, the radical calling of Jesus is the same. It takes total commitment!

If you are ready to go deeper in your journey with Jesus, and put Him above all else, I would encourage you to start reading this book with an open heart. Thank you, Susanna for taking the risk of putting yourself out there so others can experience the same healing you have received.

Greg Musselman

— Minister at Large,

The Voice of the Martyrs Canada and co-host,

100 Huntley Street

Chapter One

Revelation of Revelations

I began this book 10 years ago, after what I can only describe was an inner audible voice that told me it was time to start my book. I had the title before I had ever written a word. I’ve stopped and started this book more times than I can count, shelving it for years at a time. It has been daunting to write, not because the story is complicated but because it’s always evolving.

This book is really the story of two friends journeying together, Jesus and me. It has taken place over the last 17 years. Had I known 17 years ago the path labeled with my name would be drenched in a lot of pain, I’m sure my flight instinct would have kicked in and I would have taken off in the opposite direction. Instead, I took off bouncing like Tigger down the trail labeled with my name. I thought that since God had told us which path to take, it would be lined with sweet treat shops, cool pools followed by warm Jacuzzi tubs, and the awe and admiration of those who had the privilege of watching us on our road to success.

I shake my head at this now. A faint giggle escapes as I contemplate just how naïve I was. The reality of our path turned out to be more like an 8-lane highway in the middle of a desert wilderness. No mode of transportation could get us out of there, passersby for the most part thought we were idiots, and the conditions we were to undergo would prove to be humbling, harsh, and isolating to say the least.

I spent all my energy the first few years trying to figure out the escape plan and ensure that no one saw the mess we were in, but over time I learned my attention was better spent looking at my heart and the work Jesus was trying to do there.

Eventually, I understood that the wilderness was not some accidental mishap; it was planned. It was planned to provoke and isolate the thought patterns, emotions, and choices that God knew required extraction from my heart for my freedom. If I cooperated, I would find my life and become more like Jesus (Matthew 10:39).

It seems paradoxical that a desert wilderness is the ideal environment for growth. Most of us want to grow in palaces and gardens - not in parched land. We want the mountaintop without the climb and the glory without the sacrifice. We assume spiritual formation is a Starbucks order and not a seed that takes years to grow.

Oswald Chambers articulates it this way in My Utmost For His Highest. Do we not see God at work in our circumstances? Dark times are allowed and come to us through the sovereignty of God. Are we prepared to let God do what He wants with us? Are we prepared to be separated from the outward blessings of God? Until Jesus Christ is truly our Lord, we have goals of our own which we serve. Our faith is real, but it is not yet permanent.

I had no idea when I took off like Tigger the challenges that lay ahead to live out a yes to Oswald’s questions. Such questions are easy to say yes to when in a state of emotional zeal or religious rhetoric but not so easy when, minute by minute and day by day, one circumstance after another, piles up, creating crippling pain. Each time I pointed at our hard circumstances, Jesus would gently take my finger and point it back at my heart.

Although the circumstances of the wilderness helped to locate what I refer to as my soul cancers, the removal of these soul cancers happened as I gained revelations and applied what Holy Spirit was teaching me through them.

Waiting for our son’s hockey game to start, our daughter Guinevere and I were playing solitaire on her iPad. We looked at the cards, studied them, racked our brain for an option, but we couldn’t see a solution. I suggested she press the help button. Within a second, the computer showed us a place to move one card, an option both of us had not seen. We moved the card and the game continued. Quickly we were placing cards, no longer stuck, no longer defeated. Within 10 minutes, we moved at least another 30 cards to win the game.

We are told in Proverbs 29:18, Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed are those who heed wisdom’s instructions. I see a parallel between this scripture and my everyday parable of the solitaire game. The victory was in seeking help, waiting for the right answer, and having the wisdom to heed the instruction. Some translations say, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Guinevere and I would have lost the game without the revelation. How many men and women are spiritually dying because they lack a revelation? It became clear; I would not survive the disorientation of our circumstances if I did not know God’s perspectives. These perspectives became what I call revelations.

I wish uncovering these revelations looked like the scene in the movie, Enchanted. Giselle makes her way through a lush Central Park where choruses of people sing and dance with her in unison while she twirls about in a lovely princess dress. It is a happy scene. And while some revelations have come this way after pressing help, I would hate to mislead you. Receiving revelations for me often resembles one of those old western movies, the ones where a man stumbles, eventually falling on the desert sand, reaching forward, and groaning. Uncovering revelations for me is less whimsical and more like wrestling.

Uncovering God’s truths to make our faith permanent, as Oswald wrote, involves a word we read in scripture but often don’t literally apply to ourselves; the word is SEEK. We are silly to think that revelations will not involve seeking. Indeed, searching, finding, putting effort towards, and locating God’s perspectives are how revelations are found. Revelations require effort. That’s just the way it is.

However, we seek revelations not for the purpose of finding undiscovered theories, equations, unscriptural doctrines, or philosophies. Instead, we seek so that we can know God and develop a meaningful, rich relationship with Him. We do not seek to fill our heads with knowledge because …while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes. (1 Corinthians 8:1-2)

Revelations are interesting because when acted upon, they actually create revolutions. In fact, the word revolution comes from Latin and means turn around. Revolutions by definition and example create fundamental turn arounds or changes.

Take, for instance, The Industrial Revolution; it began first with the revelation that machines could replace human labor and add efficiency. The consequence of this revelation changed every aspect of civilization as we know it. More cities formed, a middle class emerged, innovation was embraced, and consumerism began.

The Microcomputer Revolution started with the revelation that computers could be commonplace fixtures within homes. This truth led to a paradigm shift in the way we work, communicate, learn, and play. Further revelations were uncovered on the heels of the home computer, including the internet, mobile and hand-held devices to name a few. Each of these revelations created revolutions where a quick turn-around happened, and life as people knew it changed.

We are all in need of revolutions - turn arounds and changes. No one is exempt from the wear and tear of life and the inward fractures that are caused just by being alive. Whether caused by our own sin, the sin of others, or just crappy stuff that happens, God’s desire is to restore His children from the wear and tear of life and the resulting brokenness that happens.

His goal isn’t about the creation of perfect people but rather people that are fully alive - no longer restrained by prison cells of thoughts and feelings that keep them inwardly dead and in bondage from truly knowing Him, experiencing His love, and sharing it with others. God knows it is possible to free us from shame, pride, selfishness, insecurities, fear, strife, isolation, condemnation, disappointment, bitterness, dread, control, ungodly anger, discouragement, addictions, loss of identity, unforgiveness, resentment, trauma, confusion, rejection, hopelessness, self-loathing and any other soul cancer that may come to mind.

We are 17 years in the wilderness, and although it feels like our toes may be crossing into a Promised Land because circumstances are becoming less burdensome, I won’t tell you my story from any other perspective than as someone who is still very much on a journey, discovering revelations that are proving to be revolutions. I am living proof that the wilderness is what grows an abundant life as one seeks Jesus. The journey continues – thank you for coming along.

Points To Ponder:

1.Can you think of a time when you uncovered a truth or revelation? What was it? What revolution did this revelation have on your life? What change occurred? In what way did this make you more like Jesus?

2.Is there an area of your heart that you sense Jesus is wanting you to experience a revolution in? If so, what might this be?

Music:

One Place by Tasha Cobbs (live version)

God I Look to You by Francesca Battistelli

Chapter Two

Revelation of Success

In the summer of 2003, Edmonton experienced several days of hot weather. Our 1918 home could handle some heat, but after a couple of days, the upstairs was unbearable. On nights like this, Brent would often sleep in the guest room.

While I was asleep in our room, I had no idea God was waking Brent up and giving him instructions concerning his employment. He wanted Brent to give a letter of resignation in two weeks with thirty days’ notice. Jesus explained that if Brent followed the timeline, his last day of work would fall on October 10, 2003, Brent’s 32nd birthday. Brent found a calendar, counted the days, and God’s instructions were confirmed.

We naively believed this was the beginning of a dream come true. For years we had been wrestling with discontentment. This would have seemed ridiculous to most. Brent was earning an excellent living as an engineer. He had a master’s degree in engineering and was leading a large team of engineers and technicians. He had the corner office and the salary to go along with it.

But there was a cry in our heart. More finances were needed to relieve pressure from people so they could follow the dreams God had put in their hearts. I often recount a story of when Brent was in Grade 2. His teacher asked the students what they would do with a million dollars. His classmates rattled off lists of toys and games they would purchase. Brent’s reply was he would build a hospital. His heart to give never changed and mine caught up.

Right around the time God woke up Brent, a series of events took place that led Brent from engineering to financial services. A financial company recruited Brent, relaying stories of individuals who became wealthy in a short period of time. We were convinced - this was the ticket. I remember thanking God that the time we had spent in the wilderness would soon be over. I envisioned us stepping into the Promised Land - shortly. My ignorance proved to not be blissful.

One of the first revelations I learned was that our obedience would not result in the payoff that I had imagined or the benefits I thought we deserved. I assumed (wrongly) the blessing for our obedience would be financial. I had no idea that God intended to strip us of our finances a few times over and in the process, prosper us by establishing us in righteousness. (Hebrews 15:4) Yes, the Promised Land of milk and honey would be a very long way off, and the desert was in fact just beginning.

While others were making six figures in this financial company, we had gone through our six-figure savings. I was praying for diapers and gladly accepting leftover turkey from my mother-in-law within a year and half of Brent leaving his engineering job. Eventually, the financial company asked Brent to quit. Brent was making the business model look bad, because although Brent was going above and beyond, we were failing – badly.

For the first couple of years, I could not make sense of why we’d obeyed but our circumstances were heading in the opposite direction from what we believed was the point of obeying in the first place. I was tangled and tripping over nets of confusion. I questioned if Brent had heard God. Those around us thought the failures certainly pointed to the fact that he had not and that we had screwed up. It wasn’t until God revealed that His and my definition of success were completely different was I able to find more and more peace in the midst of the failures.

Over time and with increasing self-awareness, I accepted that God would have been foolish to give me wealth when inwardly I was lacking so much. The pressure of the failing job and my confusion around success caused my control, anger, pride, fear, and entitlement to surface like an ocean liner in a backyard swimming pool! My desire for success, mainly to feel financially secure and impress others, made it so I could no longer ignore my internal mess in light of our sinking ship.

It takes diligent work to reject the glossy images and the messages that bombard us with false definitions of success. Owning a home, a loving marriage, high-achieving children, a fit figure, a meaningful career, a growing business, vacations, not having debt, retirement savings, nice cars, being well liked, volunteer work, and looking young are some of the main trappings of success communicated while standing in line to buy milk and, sadly, even while shaking hands at church.

But I learned Jesus’ definition has nothing to do with these things nor did it have anything to do with my desire to be secure or impress others. Let me say this again, Jesus’ definition of success has NOTHING to do with the way most of us define success.

Understanding this, led me to ask three questions:

1.What is God’s definition of success?

2.Do I actually care that His definition is different than mine?

3.Am I willing to change my definition to match His?

The answer to the first question is sure to cause our human soul to plummet. It lays out a challenge to walk the narrow road. It’s little wonder why this was one of the first revelations God gave me and why it continues to be a place He and I visit fairly regularly. Jesus knows it is a difficult road – and my heart must be steadied often lest my feet slip by how I’m tempted to define success in any other way than