God uses almost anything to get our attention, doesn't He? Like donkeys and blindness and burning bushes. Sometimes they're more subtle things like whispers and facebook statuses and blog posts. Like this one: Out of the Boat Book Review of Made to Crave by Lisa TerKeurst
Hop on over there and read Lynn's review, but be sure to come back and find out what I'm talking about.
I've had Lisa's book sitting on my shelf for several months now. I recognized a need to read it when it first came out, and I bought myself a copy with the best intentions of getting right to it. And there it still sits - on the top of my bookcase near my desk.
Why? Because I've been avoiding it for simpler reading pleasures. Ones that won't challenge me to snap out of my eating indulgences and bring me to my knees before God. Because that, my dear readers, is where I need to be.
My husband, as many of you know, is working out of state. Has been for six months. In that six months, I've added a waist size to my jeans. Maybe two, as the buttons are trying as hard as they can to squeeze my muffin top under the material and keep it there. Are you with me?
I don't know why I've gained two pant sizes, other than the cookies I devour each night right before bedtime. The kids are sleeping, it's quiet in the house and I feel I deserve the treat. Because I'm the mom and have worked hard all day. And I love cookies.
But I love God more. And I need Him more than I need those cookies. So, before the end of March or April (I'm moving this weekend, so I'm giving myself time to get things unpacked - including the book - and to get settled in.) I will take that book off the top of my bookcase and read it! Because I know Lisa has packed some spiritually tasty nuggets within its pages. And I know God is calling me out of my cookie fetish and into a much deeper relationship with Him.
My first guest blogger is a sweetheart. Her name is Lynn Huggins Blackburn, and it's my honor to call her one of my writing friends. She blogs at Out of the Boat about everyday life infused with incredible humor. I love reading her posts, because I know I'll find a lesson but walk away laughing in its midst. Following is one of her recent posts, Future Fears, which blessed me with an encouraging word right when I needed it.
Deuteronomy 31:8 ~ It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. (ESV)
Some people wish they could know the future.
Not me.
If I spent too much time thinking about my future, I’d lose my mind.
For one thing, there’s so much cancer in my family, I’m a statistic waiting to happen.
Then there's the fact that my husband is a financial advisor. Yes, you read that right. So don't even get me started on the stock market.
And while you may fret over your empty nest—either current or future—I don’t expect my nest to ever be empty. Instead, I prepare to care and provide for a child for many years after my own passing.
And those are just a couple of my “biggies”. You have your own.
I try not to dwell on what my life will look like twenty years from now, but I recently heard about a situation that terrified me. It's one of those things where the consequences of other’s actions could have a significant impact on my life.
My stomach clenched into a knot that I couldn’t shake. I spent an embarrassing amount of time allowing my mind to wander into the future. I imagined one wretched scenario after another. (This is a problem with being a writer—I spend a lot of time making things worse and worse for my characters. When I start doing it to myself, it’s scary).
I eventually gave up and started praying about it. (Yes, I realize I should have started there. And yes, I should know better by now).
As I prayed, these words flew through my mind.
"It is the LORD who goes before you."
I clung to this truth and as I focused on Him, anxiety lost its grip. The potential calamity didn’t change but my fear of it lessened.
In Deuteronomy, God didn’t say the conquering of Canaan would be easy. He didn’t say the Israelites would never face difficulty. He said He would go before them and never leave them. And after He said that, He said, “Do not fear or be dismayed.”
I don’t know what’s looming in your life.
It may be scary. You may be terrified.
But you are not alone.
It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.
Thank you for joining us today, Lynn!
Lynn Huggins Blackburn has been telling herself stories since she was five and finally started writing them down. On her blog Out of the Boat she writes about faith and family while her blog Perpetual Motion documents the joys and challenges of loving and rearing a child with special needs. A graduate of Clemson University, Lynn lives in South Carolina where she writes, reads, knits, takes care of three amazing children, one fabulous man and one spoiled rotten Boston Terrier.
