Sometimes It Hurts

Sometimes it hurts. We feel forgotten or ignored. I’m sure it happens to most of us. It happened to me last weekend.

I’d emailed a few former coworkers three weeks earlier to say hello and to tell them I missed them. None responded. Why? Were they too busy? Did they not miss me too? And the friend I texted? She didn’t respond either.

Although I didn’t know the reasons for their silence, Romans 12:14 instructed me on how to handle the hurt.

Speak blessing, not cursing, over those who reject
and persecute you. (TPT)

No one persecuted me, but I felt rejected. I prayed for God to bless them, to help them in their struggles, and for His will to be done in and through their lives. I reasoned that maybe life was tough for them, and they didn’t want to share—too personal. Or perhaps they were busy but intended to respond later and then forgot. 

After spending time in my Bible and praying for them, I listened to worship music and lifted my hands to “House of the Lord” by Phil Wickham. I have a hard time staying in the mulligrubs while worshipping my Lord.  

I also put on my armor as stated in Ephesians 6:10-20 and prayed the “Warrior’s Prayer.” [Click link for a pdf copy warriors-prayer-printable.pdf (com.s3.amazonaws.com).]

None of my feelings were new to the Lord. Christ understood rejection. He recognized how I felt and offered me comfort and strength as I honored Him.

Sometimes it hurts. The evil one wanted me to spend my day in despair, but I had too much to do. Through Bible reading, prayer, worshipping, and putting on my armor, I found victory and peace in my Lord and Savior.

A special thank you to J.D. Wininger for introducing me to the “Warrior’s Prayer” in his blog post: Preparing for Battle - J.D. Wininger, Christian Author (jdwininger.com).

Photo by Kyle Glenn - Unsplash

The Past Seven Weeks

Since my last blog post, we moved into our new home and traveled to Ohio to visit my family. The past seven weeks have been busy, and this blog post is long overdue.

God is good. He’s blessed me several times with a view of cows from my dining room window. My youngest daughter joined me on the back patio one afternoon while I watered my orange and yellow gerbera daisies. A sound nearby brought a smile to my daughter’s face. “Was that a cow?” Poor city girl—her first time to hear a cow moo.

We’ve met many friendly neighbors. The first was a young boy, about ten years old. Cody came to our door to introduce himself within hours of our closing while we were cleaning. I thought he was such a sweet young man. Later that afternoon, we met another neighbor—an adult from down the street. We told him we’d met Cody. He said, “You met Eddie Haskell.”

What I remember about Eddie on Leave It to Beaver was his sweetness to adults but his sneakiness away from them—an instigator of trouble. So that’s our Cody? Time will tell.

In Ohio we met my sister, her husband, grandson, and two foster boys at a park in Toledo. Kenn and I walked along the paved trails while we waited for them to arrive. We enjoyed the park so much that we returned three more times during our two-day stay to walk and talk. My favorite spot was a covered bridge along our path.

We also visited my brother and his wife and gathered with nieces and nephews for a mini family reunion. The two foster boys surprised me with hugs when they arrived. When they left, they and my sister’s grandson did the same. Three sweet young men.

Another highlight occurred when we attended church with my sister and her family and chatted with our former pastor after the service. This was the man who preached a message during a revival forty-seven years ago that woke me up to my need for a personal relationship with Christ. He, along with his wife, taught me of God’s love and forgiveness. She played matchmaker in getting Kenn and I to date, and this pastor performed our wedding.

God has blessed us for the past seven weeks. I am grateful for His goodness and the people He has placed in my life. I pray that I’m able to share that same goodness with others.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100:5, NIV

Second Greatest Gift

God’s greatest gift to me is His son, Jesus Christ, and salvation found only in Him. His second greatest gift is my husband. After four months of waiting before leaving New Mexico and four months in Tennessee without a home, Kenn suggested a trip to the beach for the two of us before our closing.

He planned a five-day vacation starting in Miami, traveling to the Florida Keys to spend a night in Marathon, and ending back in Miami. Since I have a story idea that takes place in the Everglades, I suggested we visit there again even though we’d spent time there in December 2019. Kenn agreed without hesitation.

He carried my extra lens as I took photos of manatees, gators, turtles, and the prettiest grasshoppers I’ve ever seen. And since I want to stay close to reality in my story and not exaggerate or add coincidental happenings, we found a ranger and asked him a few questions. When I realized my storyline needed tweaking, Kenn offered great ideas for changing it to express truth within my fiction.

My current project includes scenes that take place in Key West. We hadn’t planned to travel to the southernmost tip of the United States because we’d traveled there two years before. But when I asked about revisiting the area, hubby was eager to please. While there, I paid close attention to our surroundings, which I hope will spill out onto the pages as I continue to write Ben and Becca’s story.

In Key West, we sat along the edge of a wall while waiting on a table at a beach café. Kenn stepped away for a few minutes while I stared at my phone. A squawk sounded in my right ear, causing me to shriek. A rooster stood on the wall within a foot of me. After he jumped down, I chased him so I could grab a picture.

Another highlight for me was our visit to the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory. I’ve enjoyed butterfly exhibits in the past in Phoenix and Chattanooga, and this one was no exception. I took several photos of their vibrant colors.

Our getaway turned out to be an informational trip for my books and a relaxing time with my second greatest gift. Kenn puts my needs and interests before his own, considers my feelings, and treats me with kindness and respect. He’s a good example of a Christ-like husband, and I thank the Lord for blessing me as He has.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Philippians 2:3-4

A Grateful Heart

The waiting has ended. With a grateful heart, I can share that we found a house in Middle Tennessee, thirty miles from downtown Nashville.

Our good news came two days after my birthday—a grand gift from the Lord. We will move into our new home in early June. Ours wasn’t the highest bid the sellers received, but they chose ours because of other factors for which I am thankful.

At one of my favorite houses (offer number seven), I walked to the edge of the backyard and peeked over the fence. Down a hill lay three cows. I shouted a big hello to them. One stood and stared up at me. I was ready to make an offer because I loved seeing the cows. God knew that, but He didn’t give us that house.

I loved the small-town feel of another one of my favorites (offer number eleven). My husband and I were excited to find a state park nearby. We love to hike and walk trails surrounded by trees and wildlife. God knew that, too, but He didn’t give us that house.

When we drove out to visit offer number twelve, which was in a subdivision out in the country, we commented on the lush, green farmland we passed. We arrived at the house with our agent and while on the back patio, to my left, cows grazed nearby. Another special feature of this house’s location was its proximity to another Tennessee state park—larger and closer than the one near the small town. God gave us this house.

I hope to see the cows often while I sit and relax on my patio or as I gaze out my dining-room window. And I look forward to seeing wildlife when I trek along the trails at the state park with my husband.

Although we had to wait longer than we expected, the Lord gave us a home with both cows and hiking nearby. With a grateful heart, I can say it was worth the wait. And because of our large fenced-in backyard, maybe I can talk my husband into buying me a cow of my own!

Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart,
I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
Psalm 103:1-2, NLT

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