Something wasn't right.
The thought in the back of my mind niggled me as Father and I started our trek up toward the mountain top. I carried the wood my father had chopped before the start of our journey three days ago; he carried the tools necessary to start a fire and to kill the sacrificial lamb. Wait. That's what we're missing! "My father." I broke the silence that had fallen between us. Ever since we'd left our servants behind, my father had grown more somber and thoughtful. The lines on his brow didn't smooth out as I'd hoped they would. He glanced at me. "Here am I, my son." I took a deep breath, my heart beating in an unfamiliar cadence. "Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" My father was silent for a moment, as we continued our upward trek. "My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering." He finally said. At last, we came to the place father had been informed of by the Almighty, where we were to offer up our burnt offering. Father gathered stones from the surrounding area and erected an altar. Next, he laid out the wood in a certain order. But still, there was no lamb like my father had said there would be. Uneasiness stole through me and intensified when father came toward me with a rope. My gaze tangled with his, and his expression told me the truth in every single terrifying detail. I was the lamb to be offered up on the altar. Quiet terror rippled through me as he bound me with the rope and carried me to the altar. He set me atop the wood and stones, all laid out, and stretched out his arm. That's when I saw the knife, its blade gleaming in the sunlight. I squeezed my eyes shut. Who could have imagined a more terrifying ending? Life flashed before me--and mother. What would she say if she knew? A whimper escaped from my lips. Any moment now, it would all be over. My breath tangled in my throat and fear threatened to strangle me of its own accord. It came then--a rumbling of thunder and a voice that seemed to come from somewhere above us, calling for my father. "Abraham, Abraham." I opened one eye, to look around, but saw no one. "Here am I." My father trembled, the knife still in his grasp. My stomach twisted at the sight. Again, the rumbling and the voice came for a second time. "Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me." Relief swelled through me and the same look reflected on my father's face as he yanked off my bonds and took me off the altar. His hands trembled as they clasped my shoulders, and he blinked back the mist in his eyes. Looking over my shoulder, he suddenly grew still and his eyes went wide. I followed the direction of his gaze. There, not far from us, stood a ram, struggling to free himself from the tangle of a thicket in his horns. I breathed in a sense of awe and wonder. God had provided us a lamb after all, and I couldn't be more grateful to Almighty God--Jehovahjireh--for sparing my life. (For more on this account, read Genesis 22:1-18.) So thankful today (and everyday) for the perfect Lamb who sacrificed Himself to save us and gave us this picture of Himself. To God be the Glory! "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)
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This was the project I tackled yesterday, going through my old notebooks and stories and trying to get them more organized. My grandma once told me, "Don't throw away your old stories. Save them." I'm so glad for that advice, because looking back on them helps me see the progress God has given me in the area of creative writing. The earliest date I can find on a story is 2012--so that's around the time I began writing stories of my own, inspired by all of the Beverly Lewis novels I started reading at that age. Can anyone guess what genre I started out writing? ;) And that date also helped me figure out. . . I've been writing for 11 years! You know you're a writer when. . . your stack of old notebooks looks like the picture above. :) I entered this project, determined to come up with some sort of outline of all the stories I have completed from then till now. This picture is missing a handful of other stories, some of which I've written but haven't had the time to print out yet.
I've completed 28 stories in the 11 years I've been writing. Out of that total, 15 are short stories. 3 of them are rewrites of older stories I adored (I loved those first characters!) And lastly, 10 of them are novel length. And besides that, there are countless stories that I started and never finished. Thanks for coming along on this unboxing with me! I hope you enjoyed it. And I pray that this encourages you in whatever gift God has given you, to keep working at it and doing it for His glory. Don't give up! "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. . ." (Ecclesiastes 9:10a) You're probably not expecting a book review after reading the title, but, if you read on you'll understand why I titled this blog post as I did.
Heart’s Desire is a contemporary Christian romance story that really changed one illusion I had about romantic relationships. I love how the couple’s relationship had realistic struggles and challenges. I read a lot of romance and not many of them are as realistic as this story. I blame other romance novels for giving me the idea that when you start dating, you *magically* have all the time in the world to spend with each other. Maybe some couples do have a lot of time to spend together, but I’m sure there are some that have to make an effort to work around schedules and commitments in order to make time for each other. This novel shattered that illusion by giving a realistic look at what a relationship could look like now a-days. Your responsibilities and commitments do not disappear when you start dating. You have to work around them. These characters did just that, after looking to God and waiting on His timing for them. It was an excellent read and one with many lessons I’ll be carrying with me. Thank you for writing this story, Mrs. Westcott. I have Haleigh’s story tucked away on my “to-be-read” pile, ready and waiting for a rainy day. P.S. Go get this book ASAP! ;) My eyes strayed from the open pages of my Bible and landed on the white, salt-streaked stretch of road outside my window. Movements caught my attention: the electric wires, their shadows moving in the breeze.
My eyes sought out other shadows nearby--thick, rounded telephone poles, the shadow in the sharp slant of roof lines, fence posts, tree branches. I saw them everywhere. It made me pause and consider this: everything (and everyone) has a shadow. What do we do with those shadows and what they represent to each of us? These were the beginnings of a seed being planted in my soul. A seed, I hoped, would be brought out again and carefully examined and planted into the soil of just the right story. A theme emerged from it, too. What would we fight these shadows with? The only solution we have is with light and all that that represents. These elements are both so unique, in that, they can't be mixed (think of oil and water) but, they can be present at the same time. Light and shadows. Shadows and light. It's a beautiful, telling dance they put on for those looking for them. To have that ability! To be able to see the beauty in the darkness, as well as in the daylight. Alas, we cannot do it by ourselves or with our own determination. Only God can help us see the beauty that comes from ashes, the joy after the mourning, the life after death. He uses them both--the light and the shadows--to teach us the lessons He wants us to learn. They are both instrumental in His capable hands. Shadows are redeemable opportunities when you bring them to God; only then can they be completely vanquished, by the light of His love and grace. Traces of those shadows will still cling to our flesh--we are human and sinful after all--but with God on our side, He will give us strength to fight for the light (the truth) and give us extra help to keep vanquishing those shadows that return to haunt us. So in those split seconds, a theme danced through my mind. . . a theme bigger than I ever imagined it could be, with so much imagery and deeper meanings. It brought a question to my mind. What shadows are chasing you? Bring them to the light and let Christ help you overcome them, once and for always. Happy New Year!
We're 12 days into 2023 and I have a question for you: What is a goal you made for the year? It can be one, ten, or a million goals, but I'm sure by now, you've started to feel the pressure mounting. You may have already failed at one of your resolutions. You may be thinking to yourself, "I haven't even accomplished the goals I set out to achieve LAST year." Toward the end of the year, we often get excited thinking about all that we want to accomplish in the coming year. We tend to take on many goals and we get the idea into our heads that we want to tackle them all at once. For example: Let's exercise, eat healthy, and keep our entire house clean every single day. Does this sound achievable? I didn't think so either. ;) Instead of trying to tackle everything at once, or "multi-tasking" in other words, how about if we make small steps toward a certain goal? Create achievable checkpoints to hit on your way to reaching that goal. If you set out to learn a difficult piano piece, start by implementing some sort of routine at the piano so you can practice and work your way up to learning the more advanced music. If one of your goals is to read the Bible in a year, why not start by reading one chapter and then work your way up to the 4 or 5 chapters that will get you to that finish line? As a writer, I've often heard the phrase "celebrate the small wins." We've set our goal: to write a novel. We have our computer, notebooks, and research ready to go. . . then what happens? Writing, of course! ;) Some writers knock out 5,000 words a day. Others are daunted by that number and manage to write at least 1,500 words. And then there are some who only have so much time in their busy days, and they knock off 500 words. Whether we write 5,000 words or 500, celebrate those small wins! If you only wrote a prologue for your story, celebrate the accomplishment! The same goes for whatever goal it is you're chasing this year. Tone it down to small bite-size pieces that can easily be accomplished and watch the progress you'll make toward your overall goals. I pray that 2023 will be a wonderful year for all of you wonderful readers, and remember, that even if we don't achieve those goals, we aren't defined by our failures. There will always be next year, Lord willing. Till next time, Carolyn "The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul. . ." Proverbs 13:19a |
AuthorHi! I'm Carolyn, a writer seeking to glorify God with my words. Archives
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