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Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young

Chasing God's glory down life's unexpected trails

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Stepping into abundant life through the door of His love

{If you prefer to listen rather than read, check out the audio version of this post here on my podcast.}

When I stepped in the door my jaw dropped. The buffed hardwood floors, the wrap-around staircase perfect for prom and wedding photos, the windows upon windows. As I walked through and saw the open floor plan, the granite counter tops, and all the entertaining space, I fell more deeply in love. Of course, the thing that my family fell in love with was the pool. That summer we had 57 days of triple-digit temperatures in Central California. My three daughters were pining for a pool.

Then I took a mental note of the number of other couples and families perusing the halls during this Open House. There was no way we would get this house. We couldn’t even offer near the asking price. I didn’t even dare dream. We were perfectly fine in our current home about a mile away, I told myself. We’ll wait. We’ll pray.

Fast forward two months. I get a phone call from my brother, who is also our savvy real estate agent, “You’re going to get the house. I expect a call in the next hour.”

“What?!” I balked in disbelief.

My heart did a few back handsprings. I never really even dreamed this would be possible. We had prayed for weeks. We simply said, “God, if you want us to buy this house, open the door. We will use it for your glory.”

Then we found out the owners were building another home and needed to sell this one by a deadline. Their real estate agent and my brother said we didn’t have anything to lose. We put in an offer. They countered. We counter-offered. They accepted.

Then the real work began. Not only did I have to pack up our current home in that triple-digit weather. I also had to get my kids launched in a new local school and church, while my hubby’s company endured a big restructuring. By God’s grace and some friends with servant hearts, we moved into our home in August 2018.

The Apostle Paul penned these words in a letter to the Ephesians: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

God has certainly done abundantly more than we ever imagined by opening the door to this home. I’m ashamed to say I actually struggled at first. I was so afraid of what others would say or think. I was a missionary moving to a mansion by some estimations. When people would visit for the first time, I found myself apologizing for how big the place was. I struggled with guilt for having something so extravagant I didn’t need.

Then I stepped into 2019 – the year of abundance. Deep in the earth of my heart, I felt like God was inviting me into a harvest season after a long stretch of pruning and resting.

God started by excavating some of the misconceptions about scarcity and abundance deep in my soul. After doing non-profit work in Haiti for more than a decade with my late husband, it was hard for me to imagine God wanted me to live in abundance. I was surrounded by poverty and even lived in poverty for so many years that I had taken on a poverty mindset. I was confusing prosperity with abundance.

Friend, God has good things for all of us, starting with His lavish love and grace. Sometimes He gifts us community to lift us up. Sometimes He entrusts us with resources. Sometimes He may bestow on us a talent, a passion, or a gift that can be used for His glory.

Abundance allows us to accept His good gifts and share them with others without hesitation.

At the heart of it is this question: What will you and I do with the gifts God gives?

If someone gave us a special gift for Christmas, we would never leave it under the tree unopened. God gave me a gift, but I wasn’t even unwrapping it.

This year, I started to shift my mindset. I decided to see our house as an opportunity to share His abundance with others. My goal was to make every person who walked through the door feel loved and seen.

We welcomed many people, including our life group on Sundays, the Lead Loved group for local women leaders, my women’s Bible study group from our new church, a book club for local friends, our kids’ Track & Field and Cross Country teams, and countless family and friends.

As far as I’m concerned, this house – and everything in it – belongs to the Lord and His Kingdom. God has granted me a humble confidence that I am to unwrap this gift again and again, so I can share it with others and point them to His abundance.

Here’s the truth: The Bible doesn’t say having money or resources is a sin. How we steward those resources is what truly matters.

Let’s not be like the one servant in Matthew 25 who buried the money entrusted by his master for fear of losing it. Let’s be like Jesus who entered the world humbly through the womb of a teenager, was affirmed by an elderly priest, his wife, and their son John. He was welcomed by a band of angels, a motley crew of shepherds, a trio of wise men, and their entourage.

Jesus was born into the tension of scarcity and abundance. Jesus was humble, intentional, loving, and always giving God glory. We have an opportunity to follow His lead. Instead of chasing prosperity or having an attitude of entitlement, we can embrace generosity as Jesus did.

 

How has God done “abundantly more” than you asked or imagined?

(I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic in the comments!)

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December 24, 2019 Categories: GeneralTagged: abundance, behold, christmas, community, family life, flourishing, gifts, one word, rest, struggle, wonder

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. JollyNotes.com says

    January 2, 2020 at 7:54 pm

    Beautiful family!:) Beautiful home!:)

    I praise God for making you laugh..I love how you desire to use all of your blessings for His glory.

    I pray that laughter and joy will always ring true in your home and in all of your lives, Amen:)

    Blessings, Bomi.

    Reply
  2. Hope says

    March 29, 2022 at 8:56 am

    Wonderful pic.

    Reply

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Meet Dorina

Aloha, friend! If you love stories, you are in the right place. I write about grief, glory, running, food, and more. I hope these words inspire you to chase after God’s glory in your life today!

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Before Footer

I’ve created this compassionate resource for your personal journey with grief. This book was 8 years in the making and offers a comforting, giftable resource for those who are processing their own loss, whether of a loved one, a season of life, or a dream. Breathing Through Grief includes 25 short devotionals that each focus on a different aspect of grief from my personal experience.

The journal also includes special resources such as:
•
breathing exercises
•
reflection questions
•
soul care tips
•
ample writing space
•
advice on how to talk to children about death
•
suggestions on how to approach triggers
•
creative ways to honor a loved one’s memory

If you or someone close to you is walking through loss⁠, let the comforting words in Breathing Through Grief encourage you with the knowledge that you are not alone and bring you a semblance of peace as you continue forward on the road to healing.

The book releases Nov. 14. You can pre-order today. For more information, visit www.waterbrookmultnomah.com.

View

Sep 21

Open
I’ve created this compassionate resource for your personal journey with grief. This book was 8 years in the making and offers a comforting, giftable resource for those who are processing their own loss, whether of a loved one, a season of life, or a dream. Breathing Through Grief includes 25 short devotionals that each focus on a different aspect of grief from my personal experience.
The journal also includes special resources such as:
•
breathing exercises
•
reflection questions
•
soul care tips
•
ample writing space
•
advice on how to talk to children about death
•
suggestions on how to approach triggers
•
creative ways to honor a loved one’s memory
If you or someone close to you is walking through loss⁠, let the comforting words in Breathing Through Grief encourage you with the knowledge that you are not alone and bring you a semblance of peace as you continue forward on the road to healing.
The book releases Nov. 14. You can pre-order today. For more information, visit www.waterbrookmultnomah.com.
2 0

Last week I embarked on a new adventure. My sister and I were hired as the new chefs for the Open Door Sisterhood retreat in Priest Lake, Idaho. This annual 5-day retreat is part of a year-long experience carefully curated and nurtured by podcast hosts and authors Krista Gilbert and Alexandra Kuykendall. This gathering is designed for professional communicators and business women who want to infuse the hope of Christ into their work.

As I was chopping onions and adding fragrant spices to the pot, I felt great pleasure. My heart swelled with delight as my sister and I showed a small group of women how to roll lumpia just like our Grandma Cora taught us. I experienced joy in serving up Pancit, Bibimbap bowls, Butter Chicken, Pizzelles and Pumpkin tiramisu - all the while sharing the stories of how these foods connect to my family.

I remembered one of my favorite stories in the Bible after the resurrection of Christ. Jesus appears by the Sea of Galilee where his disciples were together. The group heads out to fish, but they don’t catch anything.

The next morning Jesus is standing on the shore waiting for them. He calls out, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

They answer no.

He urges the to cast their nets on the right sight of the boat. The result is a catch of 153 large fish - so many that the net is torn. Jesus urges them to bring the fish for a big fish fry on the shore. “Come and have breakfast.”

None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish (John 21:11-12, NIV)

We see Jesus’s joy in serving them. He takes time to make bread and prepare fish to nourish them well and then send them out. This is the power of food and sharing a meal across the table. It’s nourishment for the body and soul.

🫶🏾 Friend, what about you? Have you ever had that experience of doing something that brought you great joy and blessed others?

{Read the full reflection here: https://open.substack.com/pub/dorinaglorygram/p/follow-the-joy-set-before-you} #foodie #food #cookingtherapy #nourish #lovelanguage #powertothesisterhood #retreat @theopendoorsisterhood

View

Sep 18

Open
Last week I embarked on a new adventure. My sister and I were hired as the new chefs for the Open Door Sisterhood retreat in Priest Lake, Idaho. This annual 5-day retreat is part of a year-long experience carefully curated and nurtured by podcast hosts and authors Krista Gilbert and Alexandra Kuykendall. This gathering is designed for professional communicators and business women who want to infuse the hope of Christ into their work. 
As I was chopping onions and adding fragrant spices to the pot, I felt great pleasure. My heart swelled with delight as my sister and I showed a small group of women how to roll lumpia just like our Grandma Cora taught us. I experienced joy in serving up Pancit, Bibimbap bowls, Butter Chicken, Pizzelles and Pumpkin tiramisu - all the while sharing the stories of how these foods connect to my family. 
I remembered one of my favorite stories in the Bible after the resurrection of Christ. Jesus appears by the Sea of Galilee where his disciples were together. The group heads out to fish, but they don’t catch anything. 
The next morning Jesus is standing on the shore waiting for them. He calls out, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
They answer no. 
He urges the to cast their nets on the right sight of the boat. The result is a catch of 153 large fish - so many that the net is torn. Jesus urges them to bring the fish for a big fish fry on the shore. “Come and have breakfast.” 
None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish (John 21:11-12, NIV)
We see Jesus’s joy in serving them. He takes time to make bread and prepare fish to nourish them well and then send them out. This is the power of food and sharing a meal across the table. It’s nourishment for the body and soul.
🫶🏾 Friend, what about you? Have you ever had that experience of doing something that brought you great joy and blessed others?
{Read the full reflection here: https://open.substack.com/pub/dorinaglorygram/p/follow-the-joy-set-before-you} #foodie #food  #cookingtherapy #nourish #lovelanguage #powertothesisterhood #retreat @theopendoorsisterhood
26 4

I had a fantastic Sunday morning running the Diamond 10k! 🩵💎🦋 The weather was simply gorgeous! I could feel a cool breeze kissing my shoulders (most of the way) on the out-and-back course from the San Joaquin River Parkway Conservatory. My hubby Shawn was the race announcer. The runners got to cross the finish line under a chandelier and sparkly sun rays.

This is one of my fave races because of all the phenomenal women cheering each other on, the beautiful jewelry by Endure Jewelry (instead of traditional medals), and of course, the sparkly donuts. 🍩 🏃🏽‍♀️My friend and race director @sunny.runs always has every detail dialed in to make it a beautiful & community-oriented event! After a long week, this was definitely the breath of fresh air and reset I needed!

#glorychasers #walkrunsoar #eatprayrun #runningmotivation #running #runhappy

View

Sep 18

Open
I had a fantastic Sunday morning running the Diamond 10k! 🩵💎🦋 The weather was simply gorgeous! I could feel a cool breeze kissing my shoulders (most of the way) on the out-and-back course from the San Joaquin River Parkway Conservatory. My hubby Shawn was the race announcer. The runners got to cross the finish line under a chandelier and sparkly sun rays. 
This is one of my fave races because of all the phenomenal women cheering each other on, the beautiful jewelry by Endure Jewelry (instead of traditional medals), and of course, the sparkly donuts. 🍩 🏃🏽‍♀️My friend and race director @sunny.runs always has every detail dialed in to make it a beautiful & community-oriented event! After a long week, this was definitely the breath of fresh air and reset I needed! 
#glorychasers #walkrunsoar #eatprayrun #runningmotivation #running #runhappy
47 2

It was truly my joy to
design, cook, and serve up
11 meals
Over 5 days
Taking 13 women on a
World tour.
Nourishing souls.
Telling stories
through food.

#foodiefriday

View

Sep 16

Open
It was truly my joy to
design, cook, and serve up
11 meals
Over 5 days
Taking 13 women on a 
World tour.
Nourishing souls.
Telling stories
through food. 
#foodiefriday
31 4

📖 Join me today for a verse-by-verse reading and unpacking of one of my favorite psalms! Psalm 139 is a reminder that we are known by God and He is always with us.

Maybe you are feeling lonely today. Maybe you are wondering if He really cares about your grieving heart or sees you in the waiting. These honest and passionate words from David are a honey-sweet reminder that we are never alone.

I personally love thinking about God with knitting 🧶 needles designing and knitting each of us together in our mama’s womb. I love thinking about how with thread and needle 🪡 He hems me in.

🫶🏾What was your fave verse or image from Psalm 139?

#psalm #biblestudy #versebyverse #david #fearfullyandwonderfullymade #knitting #bibleverse #psalms

View

Sep 15

Open
📖 Join me today for a verse-by-verse reading and unpacking of one of my favorite psalms! Psalm 139 is a reminder that we are known by God and He is always with us.
Maybe you are feeling lonely today. Maybe you are wondering if He really cares about your grieving heart or sees you in the waiting. These honest and passionate words from David are a honey-sweet reminder that we are never alone.
I personally love thinking about God with knitting 🧶 needles designing and knitting each of us together in our mama’s womb. I love thinking about how with thread and needle 🪡 He hems me in. 
🫶🏾What was your fave verse or image from Psalm 139?
#psalm #biblestudy #versebyverse #david #fearfullyandwonderfullymade #knitting #bibleverse #psalms
20 6
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