This short podcast is filled with fantastic advice for writers aspiring to proclaim Christ through their work. Fiction writers may not teach the bible like these women do, but they are still accountable for the truths they proclaim in their fictitious work. It’s all for the glory of God.
Sticks and stones might break my bones, but name calling hurts too. Whoever penned the old rhyme that claims verbal abuse packs a smaller punch likely wasn’t called too many names.
Forgive and forget is another phrase perhaps spoken by some well-intentioned person. It all sounds good on paper but is so much harder in practice. What if the offender isn’t sorry, or worse, refuses to stop? What if the perpetrator is stuck in a pattern of sin that continues to hurt you? What if the culprit is dead and can’t be sorry?
No one wrote a rhyme about this.
These thoughts stir my soul and bring anger to a boil. It’s harder to forgive an unrepentant person. It’s harder to forgive when the world tells you that your anger is justified. It’s harder to forgive when it costs you so much. But forgiveness always comes at great cost.
“Mercy and forgiveness must be free and unmerited to the wrongdoer. If the wrongdoer has to do something to merit it, than it isn’t mercy, but forgiveness always comes at a cost to the one granting the forgiveness.”
~ Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God: Recovering the heart of the Christian faith.
Christ freely extends forgiveness, but it cost Him much. It wasn’t fair. It physically hurt, but he loved us too much to withhold it. He died for us while we continued to sin. Someone always pays for forgiveness.
This time that someone is me.
God has called me to set aside my rights and seek Him. He has asked me to do the hard work of cultivating a heart that forgives those who don’t know, appreciate, or understand how their actions have affected the people I love and me.
I can forgive someone who isn’t sorry because Christ forgave me. I didn’t deserve it back then when He died for all mankind, and I certainly don’t deserve it now. Yet, I’m forgiven.
The good news that brought me to a saving knowledge of Christ requires me to apply that good news to every moment of life. God can and will provide for my needs and answer my heart cry as I seek His face. Christ died for the sinner who wronged me and died for the sinner that is me. He loves us both.
We must work out our salvation in moments like these. We must turn toward God and repent of our bitter hearts and trust that He is all we need. As we do that, the anger, disbelief, and rage—yes rage—will lessen.
The kind of surrender God asks of His children isn’t a one time, say it right, get it right, never have to do it again deal. Trust me. I wrote a book about it. It’s ongoing. It’s a daily dying to self. It is a choice we make because we love Him because He first loved us. That makes today a good day to die to self for the glory of God. There is no right that I can surrender on earth that I will regret in glory.
Lord, may it be so.
All the wrong kinds of excitement filled our July.
A child in distress. A young woman with a life-altering diagnosis. A virus spun out of control with the power to steal life. July brought everything into question.
But not the sovereignty of God or the certainty of His love.
Did you know the words “steadfast love” are found 191 times in the Hebrew Bible and 123 of those times occurs in Psalms?[i]
Jason Soroski, writer and worship leader, writes about steadfast love.
“Steadfast love is a unique covenant love that only God can give. It is a love that never changes, never fails. Always promised, always true… God not only practices steadfast love, but God IS steadfast love… It is a covenant promise that is only valid because it is a promise based on God’s character and faithfulness to keep His promises.”[ii] ~ Soroski
This is the love that we clung to throughout July.
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Isaiah 43: 1b-3a
When tragedy strikes, it can feel like your drowning in fear and grief. When the illness flares the waters can feel overwhelming. When the virus is winning, the fire burns.
God never said there wouldn’t be trials. The waters will be deep. The river will swell, and we will walk through trials, BUT the children of the Lord will not be burned or consumed. Why? Because even if what you experience is more than you can handle, it is never more than God can handle. God’s steadfast love sustains you.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His love does not stop when tragedy strikes. His mercies don’t end when the diagnosis is grim. They are new every morning, including the mornings when the waters swell, the fire burns, and the pain is deep.
Great is His faithfulness. (Lam 3:22-23)
***
The Builder’s Reluctant Bride won the Best Christian Romance category at The Word Awards in June. Accepting the award for my debut novel felt surreal.
Shortly afterward, Hope Stream Radio invited me to speak about the book. We shared some laughs, read an excerpt, and discussed the Christian themes woven through the story. Here’s the link.
Available for purchase
It always comes.
Another loss. Another sorrow. Another walk down another hard road. Once again your sovereign hand guides me into the valley of the shadow. The struggle intensifies, and the road becomes hard, but you are with me.
In the deepest and darkest depths the lessons from high are challenged. Will the ache to be faithful overcome the ache to give-up? You comfort me.
You gather fragments in your pierced hands. Jagged edges mar your flesh. Still, your grip tightens. You press in. You never let go. You restore my soul, for your namesake.
Piece by devastated piece you will build something new. You will build something that never would have been without the wounds that burrow even deeper into You. You prepare something good for me.
Your love, your mercy, and your promise to restore makes the broken beautiful.
My cup overflows. You are my shepherd. I shall not want.