New Book Tease

Dear Reader,

 

It has been quite some time since I have last blogged. I have been busy, however, writing several things that I hope will eventually become books. I will try to keep you up to date with my writing, which I know is a big change from my normal blogs. I intend to continue with my blogs as they were as well. I will do my best to keep it up better than I have been.

 

In the meantime, I am writing a book on trust and hope, two things that the enemy loves to steal from us. He fills our minds with thoughts that are totally out of line with what God says about us. This book will be filled with stories of how God showed me His faithfulness and His enormous love for me. When He does these things that go completely against the norm of our human nature, when there is no other explanation except for "it's a God thing," then we take on a stronger confidence in knowing that He is beside us and has our best interests at heart, whether it's to our liking or not.

 

The following is just a 'tease' as to what the book will be about. I don't even have a name, and that's not really important. I write as He directs me, always collaborating with the Author and Finisher. I pray that what He reveals to both you and I through these pages will fill our hearts and spirits with inspiration and hope.  God bless you, dear Reader. May your day be filled with joy and wonderment. The kind you can only know through your belief in Him. Please comment below, I would love to hear your thoughts!

 

And now, the 'tease'.

 

 

You’re Going to Be Okay

 I, like you, have had many life-altering moments. Certain things happened in my life that caused my rebellion, my torment, my independence, my brokenness, and finally my redemption. I didn’t know it at the time, but each moment, each cold lonely moment, each persecuted and grievous time, each occurrence where I begged for death to steal me away, had a purpose. It was all part of God’s grand plan.

Most times in my life I stayed stuck in the moment. From not being included when choosing sides for field hockey during gym or not being invited to someone’s birthday party would make me feel left out and troubled. Even at a young age, to not be noticed at all or to be noticed for the wrong reasons, like being the tallest girl in the class with frizzy hair could devastate me, and usually did. How could I just shrug it off and go on as if nothing happened? I stayed in the moment, sometimes for weeks on end, sad and lonely, feeling like nobody liked me. To be accepted is all we ever really want, is it not?

 

God accepts us. He knows us and He loves us. He took us from the pathway to hell and gave us a chance to be with Him in Heaven forever more. He chose us! 1 Peter 2:9 NLT says, "But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light."

 

And  2 Timothy 1:9 NLT says, "For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus." 

 

This book is about some of those moments meant to kill me, meant for evil gain. Oh, but God!

 

The Dark Can’t Stand the Light

The light is much more powerful than the dark. The dark has no choice but to flee when light is near. Darkness is defined as the absence of light. And don’t you know, it doesn’t stand a chance to even a match in the desert night.

My husband and I live in a subdivision in the country where the houses are spread at least 100’ apart. On some lots the houses are not at all visible because of the woods around them. There are houses on my own street I have never seen in the 20 years we’ve lived here. We used to walk our dog at 5:30 every morning. In the winter months it was very dark out so we had our flashlight. But even when there was no moon or streetlights and everyone was sleeping, we could see the tiny light of a neighbor’s doorbell from over 300 yards away without any other source of light available.

Have you noticed how most people react when the electricity goes out at night, maybe even you? Some are upset because the TV or computer just died. Some had dinner on the stove or in the microwave. But usually the next feeling is a little bit of a panic. “Where is the flashlight?” “Where is my phone?” “I can’t see a thing.” It’s like we are at the mercy of the darkness. Have you ever noticed that while you’re trying to locate a candle in a closet and you are reaching out your hands in front of you seeking the wall to use as a guide, if you have a dog he will be standing somewhere in front of you, or lying down in your path, not a care in the world? So you trip over him and go flying cursing the dark? There is something about the dark that we seem to be naturally repelled by. We don’t find it nearly as safe as the day. Even the sounds of darkness can be ominous.

When you are outside in the dead of night and have no light, sounds you don’t notice during the daylight can make you uneasy. There is a strange rustling, or a nocturnal animal scurries by. The sound of a Little Owl or a fox or bat can scare the living daylights (no pun intended) out of anyone. The badger’s sound is quite disturbing. The things that lurk in the dark of day are oftentimes predators. If you are stuck somewhere near woods it’s very hard to venture out.

Then there are those absolutely beautiful nights that I love so much. The ones when the moon is so bright that everything is lit up with a peaceful silvery glow. Flashlights are not needed on those nights because everything is visible to the naked eye, just different. It’s not scary like when a storm is going to come and everything gets dark all of a sudden, that’s a scary kind of darkness to me. The thoughts of how bad the storm may be run through my mind. The skies at that time are filled with dark threatening clouds, pulsing like a sick heart when the lightning within them flashes. But the nights of a bright moon, not always a full moon, are so peaceful, and so beautiful to me. It's like being between two worlds somehow.

At the very beginning of the Bible, in Genesis 1:3-4, God said, “”Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness.” Verses 14-18 go on to say, “Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, and to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.”

It was good. God placed His own stamp of approval on it. ©