True confession:
This past June I was contacting publishers, pitching my second book — a detailed memoir/self-help book that celebrates Gods grace in the midst of trials. Suddenly a serious and painful life curveball came out of nowhere and hit our family— no red flags, no tips, no warnings. I will be honest. I was heartbroken, tempted to crawl under a rock, and give up on this new book that I have been working on for a couple of years. After an immediate heartfelt blog post, I felt like I lost my voice for an additional blog post, or even for a simple Facebook page post, and I put them both on the shelf for weeks. I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me, and I couldn’t stand. Soon my spirit reminded my soul that defeat was not God’s plan for me. Just because I had written a book celebrating victory, didn’t mean that difficult challenges would cease. This trial was a chance to once again cling to Jesus and practice the very principles that I will be sharing in my book.
As I crawled for a bit, catching my breath, I repeatedly chose to trust God to refill the strength that seemed to have been sucked out of my heart. God pulled me to my feet, and directed me to constructive healing measures for those of us who have been affected the most. There have been tears, lost sleep, recovery costs, but also good trusted help. I do not intend to share more details publicly, and a description of this recent event will not be added to my book. However, I will say that we are in good hands and on the mend. I give this report because I hope to encourage and inspire anyone who is hit with severe adversity as you are trying to move forward with what you sense God is asking you do to. Even if one of your worst nightmares seems to become your sudden reality, there is a bigger picture. You and your loved ones are in Gods hands and He will not let you go. I believe you will also find grace to move forward in your assignment.
I am still reeling a bit from the hit, so I admit that there are moments that it is easier to say this than others, but I still choose to declare it: God is never surprised by what shocks us. If we humbly place our trust in Him and look to Him for guidance and support, we will see evidence that He was and is always with us. He will not let us down. In fact, He has a sovereign plan to create something beautiful and wonderful out of anything that may look dark and ugly at the moment. Traumas do not trip Him up or set Him back. He also never wills evil — it is contrary to Who He Is. He always knows ahead of time, when destruction or wounds will occur, and has a healing plan in place, to bring life changing triumph out of it. We can always be sure that He loves us and He has good plans. We can cling to Him, and He will comfort us. He will pick up the pieces and put them back together in a spectacular way. By His strength, I will personally take myself and those in my care, through the healing steps that he directs, and be looking for beauty with expectation. Even if some tears and trembling should still emerge in the night hours, He will hold us, He hears our prayers, and will calm us with His peace.
And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. Romans 8:28 AMP
The timing of your blog coming out today was unreal. I felt so much of what you wrote as a result of news that I got today. Thank you for sharing from the depths of your journey!
Thank you so much for your feedback! May you feel God’s love and guidance very near as you navigate through what you are facing. He is faithful and loves you so much!