Lisa’s Legacy: A Living Sacrifice
This week marks four years since my dear friend, Lisa Merideth, went to be with Jesus.
If you never had a chance to meet Lisa Merideth — a woman who loved God deeply and tirelessly served His people — it’s hard to describe the grief that still lingers in her absence. Yet there is also great joy in knowing she is completely healed (and most likely dancing!) in the presence of her loving Savior, Jesus.
At the bottom of this reflection, you’ll find a short list of previous “Lisa’s Legacy” pieces I encourage you to read. To say that Lisa, and her husband David, changed my life would be an understatement, as the earlier writings highlight.
Each early October, I reflect on the great impact of Lisa’s life and seek to honor her legacy. Lisa will always be a powerful reminder of how Jesus uses His willing servants as His hands and feet to transform lives! Today, I’m looking at Romans 12, often subtitled as “A Living Sacrifice” and remembering how Lisa’s radical service and love embodied these passages.
REMEMBERING LISA
To know Lisa was to know someone radical. In nearly every way, her life was counter cultural.
She woke up early each day to read her Bible and journal. She didn’t just bring her family to church to attend, she brought them early and stayed late to serve and prepare spaces for the next ministry moments.
Her home was always open, her table always full because she never knew who might show up for dinner — everyone was welcomed.
Lisa spent countless evenings and weekends serving the church, especially with the youth. She never made excuses, rarely complained, and always gave with a generous, willing heart. She wasn’t seeking anything in return — her whole aim was to glorify the One she loved most: her Confidant, Comforter, and Best Friend, Jesus.
She truly lived for Him. And it was radical.
FORGIVE MUCH. LOVE MUCH.
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. — Romans 12:9
Lisa loved everyone. Age, status, finances, background, or education didn’t matter — she simply wanted to know you and strengthen you in your faith.
And she wasn’t afraid of messy, difficult situations.
Take me, for example. When I got out of jail, I felt alone. I didn’t have a place to belong. Lisa and David invited me into their lives and treated me like family. They added me to their family text group, we vacationed together, and we celebrated birthdays and holidays together. Most importantly, they prayed with me and encouraged me in my faith.
And I wasn’t the only one. All while raising a family of their own, they took in countless troubled teens and spent endless hours ministering to youth groups, local and abroad — if that’s not messy, I don’t know what is.
How could Lisa love so radically? She would be the first person to tell you that Jesus had forgiven HER of much, and that caused her to utterly fall in love with Him.
And it was that love for Jesus that made her willing to forgive others and therefore love much. God loves us in our sin and made a way for us to be forgiven. Then He asks us to do that for others. Not that we accept sin, we don’t.
Rather, we are called to forgive so that we can be moved to a place of sincere, actionable love from a place of freedom.
FOCUS ON OTHERS
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. — Romans 12:10
This is where Lisa shined. It’s like Lisa was on-mission to fully see and actively listen to others. She constantly looked for ways to honor and bless those around her.
One time, for example, I mentioned that I liked something on her work desk. A couple of weeks later, the same thing arrived in my mailbox. She paid attention to the little things and used them to show love.
Her and David’s whole lifestyle was centered on Jesus and His mission: loving God, loving people, and serving others. They lived with humility, joy, and a radical mindset of service, taking to heart that it’s better to give than to receive.
Lisa’s efforts — whether a thoughtful gift, a home-cooked meal, or a word of encouragement — were unmatched. Each act of kindness brought glory to God and built up the Body.
GET UNCOMFORTABLE
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. —Romans 12:11
I love making pizza with my kids, though it always gets messy. Cheese on the countertops, sauce on the floor, flour on just about every surface you can imagine.
Sure, I could do it cleaner and faster alone, but that’s not the point. The point is doing life together. In the same way, God wants to do life with us — even in the mess.
Lisa understood this, too. She went on countless mission trips, always with teenagers in tow.
On one trip to South America, she and her group stayed in a house where she had to sleep on the couch. As soon as the lights went off, cockroaches swarmed the room. Her solution? Sleep with the lights on. She didn’t complain — she just carried on with the mission. That mission was to bring the Good News to broken people, and nothing — not bugs, not sleeplessness — would stop her from sharing God’s love.
She also knew that discipleship itself can be uncomfortable. She loved me enough to call me out when I needed it — always with gentleness and care. Just as my kids know I love them when I discipline them, I knew Lisa loved me when she spoke truth into my life.
The mess never got Lisa off course. It never put her light out. She loved, and served, with a willingness to lean in despite uncomfortable situations.
GIVE IT ALL UP
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. — Romans 12:12
Toward the end of her life, Lisa was so sick that she was hardly mobile. She still read her Bible (with a huge magnifying glass!), prayed faithfully, led a Bible study online, and did all she could to host visitors — and she did so with an unmistakable sense of joy and hope.
Lisa modeled what it looks like to hold nothing back for the sake of the Gospel. She treated her body, home, resources, and even her family as belonging to God. Everything was surrendered for His Kingdom. Are you willing to lay down your comforts, your possessions, even your very life for Jesus? Are you willing to endure affliction with joy?
If it meant bringing glory to God and making heaven crowded, Lisa was more than willing to, and did, endure suffering with joy.
THANK YOU, LISA
Lisa’s life is an incredible example of what it looks like to be a living sacrifice: one willing to give up everything to love and serve Jesus.
Today, my encouragement to you is to GIVE IT ALL to Jesus.
Hold nothing back.
Serve His people.
Open your life to walk with others.
Love His Word and let it shape you daily.
Be His hands and feet.
Forgive much.
Love much.
We may never know just how many people God will touch through our lives — Lisa’s example reminds us that it can be many! Thank you, Lisa, for the eternal impact you have made in my life. In all our lives.
We love you. We miss you. We will see you soon with Jesus.
LISA MERIDETH LEGACY FUND
Lisa was foundational to the launch of Greenhouse Project. Her shared vision and heart for how Jesus-centered impact can transform Chester is a mission we live out daily, thanks to her partnership in establishing this ministry.
In loving memory of our friend and Greenhouse visionary, Lisa, you’re invited to share in her special legacy fund that directly serves our vulnerable neighbors with the love of Jesus.
PREVIOUS ARTICLES
If you’d like to read more about Lisa’s tremendous legacy, how she directly impacted my family’s life, and her dedication to Greenhouse Project, here are the past articles: