This has been a learning year for all of us. I've seen and read articles about how 2020 has changed us or what 2020 has taught us in regards to gathering with family and friends and so on. I'd like to take a step away from that and address a bigger question, What did you learn from God this year?
Please feel free to leave a comment here on the blog or over on my Facebook post about it. I'd love to hear what God has been teaching you this year, through His Word, or through any season of life you're just trying to get through right now. I'll go first. ;) So there are a lot of things I could tell you about that God has taught me and lessons He's brought to my attention, but the one that sticks out most in my mind is this: how utterly weak I am and how STRONG He is. "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. . . .for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9,10b) For the past month and a half, I've been working a holiday job and this is really where I felt my weakness and inability to go on my own strength. I've been busy, running on my limited amount of strength, and feeling exhausted. . . almost like I couldn't go on. And I couldn't--not depending on my own strength, that is. That's when I learned that God's Word is my strength. HE is the source of our strength. He has an unlimited amount, an endless supply ready and waiting whenever we ask and seek for it. Reading verses like Philippians 4:13, Isaiah 40:29, and Psalm 29:11 really encouraged me to turn to Christ when I was feeling especially weak. When we are weak, that is when we're truly strong with God's power resting on us. :) Lean on Him, friends. Look to Him to provide you with His strength when you're feeling weak. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13 "He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength." Isaiah 40:29 "The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace." Psalm 29:11 So tell me, what did God teach you this year? And *drum roll, please* last but not least, my end of the month (and year) writing update! Eeee! I'm excited to tell you that after a month and twelve days and over 50,000 words, I've completed my latest novel about a baker searching for God's path for her and the help she finds in a rugged (and handsome) cowboy, while visiting a ranch in southern Montana. :) This was the "spontaneous" story I've been telling a couple of you about. Normally, I plan out my stories and know what's going to happen getting from point A to point B. This time, on a whim, I jumped into it with only a general direction of where I wanted the story to go and rolled with it. And I learned (hey, something else I learned!) during the writing of this, how much I LOVE writing without a set outline. I use to be all organized that way, with a list and an outline, but now I love how unrestricted my story feels. I don't have to try to fit it into the plans I had for a certain scene or point in the story. It all came to my mind at the time I was writing it, really. God was faithful in giving me a great spiritual aspect and the right verses to weave in with it and also in helping provide my ever-whirling mind with ideas about what would happen next just as I finished one scene or another. :) Whew! Sorry about being long-winded there. Can you tell I love talking about writing? ;) ANNND fun fact for this year: I've written and completed three stories all within the space of twelve months, and of all different lengths. Elisabeth's story in "Wrong Move" was 13 chapters, Lydia's thrilling love story in "Their Hope" was 29 chapters, and JoBeth's story in "Help Me Find It" (unofficial title) was 18 chapters. Let me know if you'd like to read any of these stories. I'd be happy to send a copy to your inbox. :) And since this is my last post of 2020, I'd like to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year! Bring it on, 2021! ;)
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Hey, friends!
Just popping in here to say that I will be back up next week with a writing update for you! I've been so busy with work that I forgot about doing a post today. I realized "Hey, wait, it's Thursday! I didn't do a blog post." So, my apologies for that. I'll be back next week! :) P.S. So excited to say that I finished the rough draft of my latest story this afternoon! More on that next week. "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?" Psalm 22:1
I have been thinking a lot about this verse in the past couple days and really mulled over the words of this Messianic psalm. Weren't these the very words Jesus uttered on the Cross? (see Mark 15:34). In a sermon my family and I listened to recently, the pastor pointed out that Jesus had to endure something that we will never have to endure. God forsakenness. There, hanging on the Cross, Jesus endured the reality of God forsaking Him, turning His back on Him. His own beloved Son. Contrast this with the words of promise to us—His children—found in Hebrews 13, towards the end of verse five: "for he [Jesus] hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Isn't that comforting? We have God's presence with us always, even when it seems like we don't feel Him near. He is always there beside us, caring for us. Jesus endured God forsakenness so we would never have to. What an amazing, sacrificial love! Last night, I was hopping around the book of John and reading small portions of verses when I stumbled on more verses along the same lines. Consider this one with me: "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." (John 14:18) You know how you read the same passages over and over again and then one of those times the truth in it just blows you away? That's how it was for me reading this last night. There is His promise again, to be with us. He will come to us and comfort us in those times when we need it. Even His name--Emmanuel--means "God with us." So take heart, readers, in knowing that God is with us and will never ever leave us or forsake us. We will never be forsaken. Blessings, Carolyn |
AuthorHi! I'm Carolyn, a writer seeking to glorify God with my words. Archives
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