Your Opus - By Debra Courtney

Burlington Free Press

 "...your voice is unique, and it is sweet to God's ears." Song of Songs 2:14 

Any woman who has the courage to believe in her music “Opus” (her work) inside her will write the music for her orchestra, but must to turn her back on the audience to conduct the instruments that brings HER VOICE. "Neglect not the gift that is in thee..." 1 Tim. 4:14.

This is really a word that speaks to me and rings true to who those who know who they are and who’s they are and what their “Opus” their work is. But some of us don’t. 2013 was a mixture of breakthroughs, delays and contradictions for many of us. Like the noise of an orchestra tuning up.

 If we want to orchestrate heavens symphony we must be willing to turn our back on things and some people on the earth. Sometimes God puts His people into a thing called “transition processing.” It is a place where we go into our own “wilderness transition” so we can find GOD’S VOICE and FIND OURS! I have experienced this “transition” even all the while being surrounded by people. Have you?

It takes courage for us to believe in the music, the “Opus” inside us, the instruments that we bring together and surround ourselves with so we can conduct the symphony we need to hear, and to be faithful to write it out accurately so that others can hear it also. 

When we are true to the one thing that we alone were created to do, we tap into an inner strength, not in and of ourselves, but an inner helper, an inner comforter, what could be called a “Spirit of Truth” that we are doing the right thing, even when nobody around us fully understands where we are at. This “place” of being is the most powerful in the world. It is an aspect of “God Speaking” out through the uniqueness of His design as he created us that we are exhibiting.

DESIGNED for PURPOSE and DRIVEN by PASSION

If driven by purpose without passion our work (our Opus) is average and never the best. If driven by passion without purpose, we are pleasure seekers (sensualist). If driven by both, we are a creative force in a uniquely designed universe waiting to cooperate with us and to bring us all into all that we were designed and destined to be.

I like what Steve Jobs said, “To design something you really have to get it! Be passionately committed to thoroughly understand something. The design of the Mac was not in how it looked…it was how it worked.” 

It is not so much what people think about us that matters, it’s what heaven knows about us that matters! Use the criticism to your advantage. In fact get on the positive side of it.

"Poverty and shame shall be to him who refuses instruction and correction, but he that heeds reproof is honored." Prov. 13:18.

The notes erased, marked through or scratched out on the paper of our lives are ugly – however stay with it, because when the 'Opus" is finished the melody is beautiful.

Forgetting those things in the past and pressing onto the greater achievements of the future. The symphony you will conduct with all the different talents of the orchestrate (instruments)that shows up in your life can change everything in your future. It's your choice. It's your "Opus".  Be that instrument in the Redeemer hand.

Looking for God's Blessing - by @Lori_Kennedy

Photo by Amelia Grace Photography

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

(Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

I recently went to the poorest county in West Virginia on a mission trip with my church.  We were planning to work in the clothes closet and the food pantry.  We were also planning to have a women’s retreat, including dinner, while we were there.  Several of us were also scheduled to do some neighborhood visits with a local missionary.  There were fifteen of us, and most of the women were between ten and twenty years older than I am. 

Four of us headed out with the local missionary to the mountain hollers to visit some of the poorest families in the county.  As we drove the curvy roads up into the mountains, the surroundings looked familiar, and my stomach began to turn as old feelings of pain and shame invaded my heart.  My dad’s second wife was from the mountain hollers of Virginia.  We would visit her parents often and had spent many a holiday during my childhood years driving roads that looked eerily similar to these.  Memories of molestation by a step-uncle during the Christmas that I was eleven assaulted my brain and threw me into a melancholy mood. 

We arrived back at the camp, and I went to the dorm and just let the tears flow.  I truly didn’t realize I would be affected this way, but I also recognized that I needed to get this poison out.  I trusted God’s character and acknowledged that this was another layer of healing and that I would have to peel this layer back in order to reveal a new tender layer and move forward in my healing and relationship with God. 

Now here’s the amazing part.  Since I lived with my dad and more than one stepmother from the age of seven, and since my biological mother was not very present in my upbringing, I have always struggled with an empty “mommy love” place in my heart.  These precious women came around me.  They prayed with me; they loved me; they hugged on me; they treasured me; they celebrated me.  They allowed me the opportunity to heal in their safe and soothing presence.  It was a beautiful and precious picture of God’s love and redemption.  It was such a secure way to walk through those moments of grief that I was facing in order to take that big leap forward in healing. 

These precious moments reminded me that God’s plans for me are good and that God’s character is good….always.

Click here for a video of Kari Jobe's "Steady My Heart"

Bound in Chains - By @Lori_Kennedy

Photo By Amelia Grace Photography

Bound in Chains

By

Lori Kennedy

“I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made.  But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me.  Friends, don’t get me wrong:  By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward – to Jesus.  I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.”  Philippians 3:12-14 (MSG)

“I know the worst about you, but I also see the best in you.”  This quote is from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young on July 7^th.  There is such truth in this statement!  Our Creator knows everything about us – both the good and the bad – yet still He loves us!  His desire is for us to grow in Him.  One thing author Andy Andrews says in his book "The Noticer" is to take a good honest look at yourself and ask yourself, “What is one thing about me that others would change if they could?” And then work toward changing that one thing. 

God does know the worst about you, but He desires that you be the best you can be living with the Holy Spirit inside of you.  You can UN-learn the habits that you’ve learned as coping mechanisms.  You don't have to keep yourself bound in chains that you’ve created for yourself.

Circus elephants are trained by being bound in chains.  Once they realize they cannot get away, their chains are removed, and they will not run.  In 1967 in Germany, there was a circus tent fire, which wounded and killed several elephants, who were free to run but didn’t recognize their freedom, even to the point of death.

Has God called you to something today that you have been running from due to chains that you have perceived bind you?  What you have been called to, you will be led through.  And if God is for you, who can be against you?  So, throw off the chains and run toward the prize – the destiny that has been prepared for you before the foundation of the world. 

Hummingbird by @Lori_Kennedy ~ #Trapped ?

Hummingbird 

By

Lori Kennedy  

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) 

One day I walked into my garage to get something out of the freezer and I noticed my boys had left the garage door up when they had left for school.  I also noticed a hummingbird in the garage hitting the top of the ceiling.  I was wondering why it was doing this when the huge open door was right there within its view.  I came back inside and Googled, “hummingbird stuck in garage”.  It’s amazing all the information that became immediately available to me.  Unfortunately, all the ideas were things I couldn’t pull off for various reasons.  For example, the hummingbird would land on the ground where you could reach him to rescue him if there wasn’t any light, but my garage has windows.  However, I did learn that it would only take about an hour for a hummingbird to exhaust himself and starve to death when trapped this way. 

This scenario brought to mind a couple of lessons I want to share with you.  First, I am sometimes trapped by my to-do list.  I feel as though my day has been successful if I complete many things on this list.  As a matter of fact, I have become so trapped by this list at times that I have missed God in the process.  You see, everything in the Bible is about relationship, and although it’s important to continue moving forward in your tasks so that you can complete the things He’s called you to, you don’t want to be so driven that you put what He has planned for you that day behind your task list and potentially miss the blessing that He has prepared just for you.  You see, the hummingbird was so anxious to release himself from the trap he had found himself in, that he was exhausting himself, even to the point of death, in order to get released.  In fact, he was in such frenzy that he didn’t realize the very means to escape was looming directly in front of him.   

The second way to become desperately trapped like the hummingbird in this example is in your self-centered and sin-filled life.  God has placed Himself right in your path and is calling out the way of escape as immense as the light shining into the garage from the open garage door that sunshine filled day, but you miss it as you wear yourself out frantically trying to survive and depend upon your own strength to find a means of escape from that which binds you.   

This story has a happy ending.  Once the bird finally landed in sheer exhaustion, I was able to capture and free him to live as he was meant to live in freedom and abundance and not desperately seeking to remain alive for just a few more moments.  As we continue through this hectic and busy life being ever molded by the Potter, remember to slow down enough to look for Him in your daily life and be willing to find your strength in Him as well.

 

www.lorikennedy.com

Facebook - lori.d.kennedy

Twitter - lori_kennedy

I-Tunes - Lori Kennedy

Zephaniah 3:17, "The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love.  He will rejoice over you with singing."

By Your Side Tenth Avenue North from pinkangel1011 on GodTube.

Comparing Our Pots by @Lori_Kennedy

Photo By Amelia Grace Photography

Comparing Our Pots 

ByLori Kennedy

 “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves.  When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.”

 II Corinthians 10:12 (NIV)

My sister recently received a new car from our father for her birthday.  I really struggled with this and felt like my father didn’t love me as much as he loves her.  None of my gifts are this good.  This was painful for me. It caused feelings of discontentment, was stealing my joy and filing me with bitterness, envy, anger and feelings of worthlessness.  

I went to see a ministry friend sing at an event.  She has a beautiful voice and I never get tired of hearing her sing.  She constantly amazes me with her gifts and talents. As happy and proud of her as I am, I don’t feel that I’m as gifted or talented.  None of my gifts are this good.  Again, this is painful for me: causing feelings of discontentment, stealing my joy and filling me with bitterness, envy, anger, and feelings of worthlessness. 

Yes, I just said the same thing twice, but you get my point, right? 

We find ourselves comparing our looks, our talents, our weight, our homes, and our children.  In fact, we can compare just about everything that filters through our tainted eyes and enter our struggling hearts.  In every single case, when we compare we lose.  We perceive that we are either better than…or….not enough.  

When we feel better than, we have pride and we may not continue to attempt to move forward in a positive direction since we will feel “good enough” and then possibly think less of that person.  If, for example, you think you are in a better place spiritually than someone else and are comparing your spiritual walk to theirs, you have to ask yourself, “Are you really?”  

On the other hand, when we feel that we don’t measure up, we may feel unworthy and filled with shame.  Sometimes these feelings of inadequacy may make us feel like giving up thinking there is someone more equipped to handle the destiny that God has placed before us to fulfill.   

I do believe that God places people along our paths to challenge us, to cultivate us and to help us to mature in our spiritual walk.  However, whenever there are feelings of shame, unworthiness, or pride that come up, then you need to realize that is a lie from the enemy and is not a message from God.  “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” II Timothy 1:7 (NKJV).  Some bible versions say self-control or self-discipline instead of a sound mind.  Either way, we are called to walk in confidence of who we are and whose we are, connecting with those that God has placed in our path with the purpose of increasing His Kingdom on Earth and not with the purpose of feeling better than or not enough.   

God has used the example of a potter and his clay in the bible many times.  Just as an earthly potter cannot make the exact same piece two times, God has purposefully created us each differently and with our own destiny to fulfill.  We are all on our own journey and on our own path….each of us is slightly different…we all have different D.N.A.  This is all good…it’s the way He planned it for us.  God states in Micah 6:8 that we are required to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.  The only way to truly accomplish this task is to seek Him first, and compare ourselves only to Christ and not each other.  

The LIE is that my dad doesn’t love me as much as my sister.  The TRUTH is that my dad was being sensitive to a need in my younger sister’s life.  It was a need I didn’t have.  My dad knows that my precious husband supplies all my provisional needs and my heavenly father supplies all the rest.  My dad doesn’t have to worry about me.  He was called to meet a need in her life and that doesn’t take anything away from his love for me. 

The LIE is that my gifts and talents aren’t good enough.  The TRUTH is that God has blessed me with an anointed and blessed calling.  He has also blessed me with my sweet and anointed friend who is using her gifts to further the gospel.  She is a light and an encouragement in my life.  Our gifting is slightly different and that’s okay because we are uniquely equipped to fulfill the destiny God created for us on this planet.   

The LIE is that I am not good enough.  The TRUTH is that I am good enough.  The Potter created a pot with the exact purpose that is required for His plan.  It’s a unique, one of a kind, creation that has a distinct purpose to fulfill.  The TRUTH is that God loves me just as I am….AND too much to leave me there.  The TRUTH is that God loves YOU just as you are….AND too much to leave YOU there as well.  We will continue to be molded by the Potter throughout our journey on this earth.

When The Cape Doesn't Fit ~ Guest Post by Jill Hart @CWAHM

I am so thrilled to have Jill Hart sharing with us today! I met her through Facebook when she came across a copy of my newest book and asked if I'd be interested in being a guest on her radio program with her co-host, Lori Twichell. It was definitely a "God-connection" as our lives intersected and a friendship was born. I know that so many of us can relate to Jill's story as most of us have tried and tried to find a cape that fits!

~Warmly,
Shelley
        *****************************************

Photo from JillHart.com

When The Cape Doesn’t Fit 

ByJill Hart 

When I first began working from home, I thought I could do it all. Take care of our home, run a business and have time left over to read a good book every now and again. At first, things went pretty smoothly and it felt like the invisible superwoman cape that other women seem to wear was beginning to fit me, too.

A year later our daughter was born and my new reality began to take shape. I was still trying to wear my cape, but it was now oftentimes wrinkled and had a few spit-up stains. But still, I pushed forward – surely I could add motherhood to my list of accomplishments without needing help . . . right?

Somehow I had gotten it into my head that since it was my decision to leave the workforce, my decision to start a business, and my decision to do it all at once; it was necessary that I put forth the hard work and do it all. Without help. See, in my mind none of the other women that I knew seemed to need help. They flitted around me crafting and sewing and running businesses and looking like they had it all together.

Thankfully, God knows what I need much better than I do.

When my daughter was around eight months old, I began getting fevers. I would have the fever for a few hours each day in the late afternoon. They zapped me of all energy and left me completely exhausted. I went to doctor after doctor and they tested me for everything from mono to the West Nile virus, but every test came back negative.  No one could give me a diagnosis, nor could they decide how to treat my random fevers.

After struggling through each day for several weeks, my parents offered to take our daughter for a few days to give me a chance to rest and try to build my strength back up. It was so hard to let go of my baby and allow them to care for her for a few days. I felt like a failure even though the illness was nothing that I had chosen. My superwoman cape was long forgotten, stuffed in the back of a drawer in my brain. I certainly didn’t deserve to wear it.

As the months went by, the fevers eventually faded. I was able to be up and around, caring for my daughter. My parents still came to town often to help me keep up with housework, as they had during much of my illness. My business was still growing little by little and as I felt better, I grew more and more excited about working on new things to add to it.

I learned so much during that time in my life – how to begin letting go of my children, that they WILL be okay without me around 24/7. I learned that I could trust my husband to care for me during sickness – we had only been married for about two years and this was one of the first major hurdles that we had faced together.  I was reminded that life is short and we aren’t promised tomorrow.

I also learned that it was okay to need help once in a while. No matter how hard I try, I simply can’t do it all. My life is richer because of the family and friends that God has given me. I’m a stronger person because of the people who surround me with their love and support. My attitude has become one of thankfulness instead of self-loathing – thankful for the people in my life, thankful for a new chance at life each morning I wake.

The doctors never did figure out what had caused the fevers, but then in 2008 (7 years later) I was diagnosed with Grave’s Disease and my then-doctor suspects that the fevers all those years ago were the beginnings of my thyroid issues. I still struggle with the symptoms from my Grave’s Disease and there are times that I need more help than others.

And that superwoman cape that I thought was my goal? Well, it really didn’t fit me that well anyway.

Jill Hart's entrepreneurial career began in her teens when she spent a summer working with her father who ran his own business. When he put her in charge of a Coke machine and allowed her to keep the profits, she saw the benefits of being her own boss.

She is the cape-less founder of Christian Work at Home Ministries and the co-author of So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom. Jill has articles published in In Touch Magazine, P31 Woman magazine and Focus on the Family’s Thriving Family, as well as across the web on sites like DrLaura.com. She speaks to audiences around the country about faith and business topics.


 Learn more about Jill at www.JillHart.com and connect with her on Facebook  and Twitter @cwahm.

Click here to enjoy "In Your Arms" by Meredith Andrews with Jared Anderson

Dying of Thirst ~ a Guest post by @SundiJo

I became acquainted with Sundi Jo Graham through mutual friends and knew from the start that I had been introduced to someone special. Sundi Jo has a powerful story to tell and I am so thrilled that she has been given the opportunity to do so in her new book, "Dear Dad...Did you know I was a Princess?" We at Church 4 Chicks are honored to have her writing for us today and we are confident you'll be blessed by this post.

Because He First Loved me,
Shelley
  *********************************************************************

Photo By Amelia Grace Photography

Dying of Thirst

By

Sundi Jo 

“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” - John 4:13-14

From Dear Dad... 

As I walked back to the wine department, I got a text message from my friend Jennifer. It was John 4:13-14. 

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 

How did she know? Was it God? He was finally reaching out. Now what? I could have put it up, turned around, and gone home, and no one would have known, but I didn’t. 

As I walked up to the counter to pay, she sent another text. Ecclesiastes 2:3 flashed across the screen, “The king tried everything, including intoxicating drink, to see if it satisfied. It did not.” 

What was I to do with that? He is enough to satisfy. Even kings cannot be satisfied. Was I doing it for satisfaction? Had I tried everything? I certainly wasn’t doing it because I was thirsty. It was too late. I couldn’t turn around now; I would embarrass myself. 

More... 

Isn't so easy to satisfy ourselves? To indulge our flesh with the "things of this world." We convince ourselves in moments of despair that God can't help us. We've screwed up too much for Him to come to our rescue now.  

That's so far from the truth. He's right there, waiting. Waiting for us to call on him, cry out for his help, and admit we can't do life without him. 

I remember that day as if it just happened. I remember the cold chill traveling down my spine as I gripped the frosty wine bottle in my hand. In a few hours I would be thirsty again, seeking something other than the only one who could fill me up - Jesus. He was enough to satisfy.  

He is enough to satisfy. 

Do you believe that today?  

Sundi Jo is an author and speaker. Her first book Dear Dad, a memoir of gritty redemption, offering hope to the broken, is available now. You can find her on Twitter and Facebook.  

Sundi Jo 
Writer, Speaker, Lover of Life
www.sundijo.com

"A memoir of gritty redemption, offering hope to the broken." - deardadthebook.com

Jabez

Photo By Amelia Grace Photography 

Jabez

by Lori Kennedy

“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain."  Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.” (1 Chronicles 4:9, 10)

 

Historically, the prayer of Jabez has been equated with financial blessing.  However, there are some powerful “non” financial truths that apply to this prayer.  There are 149 verses of genealogy before and 261 verses afterward.  This prayer was hidden in scriptures.  It makes sense to ask why. 

Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.  During this time in history, people were recognized by their family genealogy.  The culture rules were that the conduct and honor of your family line directly indicated what was to be anticipated from your own conduct and honor.  If there were scoundrels in your past, then it was assumed you could not be trusted.  If you had heroes in your past, then you were automatically thought to be a hero. 

The name Jabez means I gave birth to him in pain.  Parents expressed their aspirations in their children’s names.  Names were significant in these times and in this culture.  A person was considered to be marked for life by their name.  It reflected their expected destiny.  It was customary to step into the role of your name and to play out the role you had been given.  Jabez did not want to live up to his name.  Instead, Jabez wanted a dynamic encounter with a great God that would change his life forever.  He wanted to break free from the dysfunction and circumstances and transform his future. 

First, Jabez asked for a blessing. James 1:17 (NIV) “Every good and perfect gift is from above.”  God WANTS to bless his children!  He then asked God to enlarge his territory.  Or for us, increase our sphere of influence.  Next Jabez asked that God keep his hand with him. This is a practical request not to step back into the dysfunction.  Jabez asked to be kept from harm.  In other words, may I trust You and follow You and not become dependant on myself, knowing all blessing is from you and not of myself.  Finally, Jabez asked to be free from pain.  This is powerful as this was his name and he was asking to be freed from his name and the destiny that man had assigned to him.  How many times in the bible was a person given a new name?  II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) states “For you are a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.” 

Jabez had great faith.  God responds to Jabez’s faith and answers his prayer.  Jabez took the remarkable step to put faith in God to fulfill his destiny in a different way which was totally unacceptable in this time and culture.  Something about this average person touched the God of the Universe.  In a world where everyone becomes what was expected and lived out their predetermined path, Jabez had the courage to take a different road.  He was set apart because he was truly seeking God’s will for his life. 

I challenge you today to be a Jabez!  Get out of your dysfunction and into God’s will by overcoming and having the faith to fulfill His purpose and destiny for your life!

 

Restore the Years

                                Restore the Years

Photo Courtesy by Lori Kennedy

By

Lori Kennedy 

“…I will restore to you the years the swarming locust has eaten…” Joel 2:25 (NKJV) 

As I was going through my healing journey, the book that I was reading kept referring to the scripture Joel 2:25, “…I will restore to you the years the swarming locust has eaten…” (NKJV)  I always struggled with understanding how this verse applied to my life.  Even though I can use the time I have left well, I couldn’t go back and re-live those lost years in victory.  So how does that restore the lost years? I know each of us will interpret scripture a little differently and through our own lens.  This was one scripture that had always eluded me just a little bit. 

I was asked to come give a short testimony and lead worship at a high school girl’s bible study.  Someone else was originally scheduled to do this and I was called in at the last minute due to a death in the family of the scheduled speaker.  I knew God was up to something here. 

By the end of the evening, one fifteen year old had taken her mother in the other room and told her that she had been raped two years earlier.  I have found that ministry is bittersweet at times.  I was heartbroken that this had happened to her but I was also filled with joy that she had the courage and boldness to tell someone.  Now she could begin to heal!  Her mother told me that her daughter was standing taller and with her head held higher when she left that evening than when she had arrived.  This young lady told her mother that she felt that a great weight had been lifted off of her shoulders that night as she revealed her secret.  

On the way home, I was in joyful and prayerful communion with God.  In that moment, I was being molded by the Potter as He revealed this scripture to me in a new and unique way.  He spoke quietly into my heart that through my obedience in telling my story, I was empowering this young girl to have the courage to realize and reveal her wounds.  Once this occurred, she could begin healing.  Healing would now come earlier in her life. 

What a praise this revelation was to me!  God showed me in a moment in time that more years could be restored to me than the years that I lost!  This was happening through the healing in the lives of others that would now come at an earlier time due to my obedience.  If this girl had waited to give up her secret and the chains it held on her life, continuing to make her decisions through fear and self-protection until adulthood, she may have lost joy and hope in her youth as I did.  Now she had the opportunity to live those years in victory.  In a mysterious and miraculous way only God can accomplish, those years can be restored to me through her!

Revealing Wounds by @ShelleyHendrix (A New Post)

 

"He refreshes and restores my life (my self)"

Psalm 23:3a Amplified

"When you are in the midst of your God-ordained destiny, it WILL expose unhealed wounds in others. Be kind. Offer grace. But keep going." 

~Shelley Hendrix

I posted those opening words above on Twitter and Facebook yesterday after thinking about how this reality has played itself out in my own life. Whether we want them to or not, our lives impact other people's lives--and emotions. One of the starkest examples for me happened in 2007.  I was in the very early years of following God's call on my own life and I had just taken a big risk: I had written a book. I think the statistic out there says that 90% of writers who set out to write a book never finish one, so I felt mixed emotions. On the one hand, I felt pride in my accomplishment, and on the other, absolute terror at the idea that I had actually put enough of myself on paper for others to read, judge, and even mock. 

Through a friend, I was able to get this new book into the hands of an editor for a large, well-known publishing house. Getting the book to him took little effort and I appreciated that. I truly never expected to hear anything from him--and if you knew who I was talking about, you'd understand why. This editor works with the best of the best in this industry; so when he called me on the phone a few weeks later, I was stunned!

I will never forget that phone call nor will I forget his affirmations about the book and my writing style. I will also never be able to forget when he said, "Unfortunately, though, we can't touch it. "So and So's" next book is on Esther." 

The lump building in my throat nearly choked me to death, but I knew I had to hold myself together to get through the call. He was so kind, encouraged me to keep writing, and then we hung up. And then, the dam broke. It was such a big break that it took me nearly four days to clean up the mess it left in its wake. 

I cried out to God, "Why?...Why would You lead me to write a book and work so hard on it only to give this same topic to someone who could write a book about teaching your children to burp the alphabet and it would sell? Did she need this as much as I do? Did I misunderstand You when I sensed you telling me to write this book?" I felt like the butt of a joke. 

I cried on the shoulders of my husband and my children. It seriously broke my heart. 

I wish I could tell you I got over all of that within those four days, but I would be lying. 

What I know now, 6 years later, is that God allowed one of His girls (the other author) to walk in His calling on her life and as she did, allowed me to bump into her just enough to pull back some bandages I had placed over some unhealed wounds in my own soul; wounds with a voice, and played on repeat, mine said, "Who do you think you are?"

"Who do you think you are to write a book?"

"Who do you think you are to think anyone wants to hear what you have to say?"

"Who do you think YOU are; of course people want her books...why do you even bother?"

These questions hurt so much because the accusations behind them seemed so solid. Who was I? Who did I think I was?  

These accusing questions pointed to my insecurities and fears and God loved me enough to bring about just the right circumstances to expose places within my heart that I preferred leaving covered up. These were wounds that God had begun to heal in me in the past, but when it got to a certain point, I guess I put a cute band-aid over some and felt like that was healed enough. Sure, I felt better; but I wasn't whole. Not yet. And because the wound had continued to fester underneath my false covering of a cute band-aid, its voice was louder now than it had ever been. 

I'm thankful to say I learned a lot as I allowed the Voice of Truth to speak into my life. In fact, a few years ago, when I began speaking with my publishers at Harvest House, they too, turned down my Esther book because one of their authors was currently writing one (which came out the same day as "Why Can't We Just Get Along?"). I was so encouraged by my own emotional response to this news. I felt a little discouraged, but more than that, I smiled because I was okay. I could trust that God wasn't taking something away from me in order to give it to someone else He liked better. 

I can also tell you that as I've taken step after step in my own calling, I have become aware of how my own moments of success have revealed wounds in other people. This reality can create the temptation to pull back from a God-ordained destiny if we don't understand this dynamic. It might cause us to feel false-guilt for hurting other people when in truth, we aren't wounding anyone--all we are doing is living our life. God may be using this, though, to reveal unhealed wounds in His other kids. It doesn't necessarily mean that we caused them. 

I close with something my friend, Lori Kennedy, fellow Team C4C Writer had to say about this reality:


"I have encountered this in the past. And, at one point, began to question whether or not I was fulfilling my God-given destiny as I was thinking that my walk and talk shouldn't hurt others. Then I remembered that healing does hurt--but only for a short while. Afterwards, the taste of freedom is incredible! Holding all of that poison inside of you is much worse! We must grieve our wounds because grief says that the wound mattered. Yes, YOUR wounds matter- don't ignore them- don't stuff them- allow God to raise them up in you because maybe He's saying it's time to grieve them and throw off those chains that bind you so that you can walk in FREEDOM!"

• How have you seen your own wounds revealed through someone else's journey?

• How have you seen someone else's wounds revealed as you've walked in your own destiny?

• Is something holding you back from pursuing God's clear call upon your life? Could it be that He is inviting you to allow Him to tend to some covered over wounds?

*****

What about you?