Finally, my brothers,
Be strong in the Lord
and in his might.
Ephesians 6:10
Sometimes we're too stubborn or blind to see what's right in front of our eyes.
But recently I've reached out to God for help,
that I might strengthen my faith.
I'm grown mentally and spiritually, I think,
throughout this summer,
and hopefully, learned a few things along with
sharing love and compassion to others.
I learned to trust,
and because of that,
I was able to trust my hubby
in helping me conquer a major fear of mine:
Swimming!
I'm still far from a professional,
but I overcame something
that I'd carried forever.
Fear of swimming.
Fear of swimming.
I learned to swim!
I practiced forgiveness.
Hurt really badly this past year by someone I thought
should appreciate all I'd done for them,
I carried that hurt inside me,
feeling justified in doing so.
In so doing, I hurt myself
because to be happy,
to have peace,
a person has to forgive.
Forgiving was a process God showed me
and helped me achieve.
I'm praying a hard prayer.
I was sitting in church one day
and felt like God directed my thoughts
to the ways I was praying.
Sure, it was easy to pray for those
who I loved dearly.
It was easy to pray for the softer hearts.
But what about that one I thought would never
serve God? Who, I thought, was a "hard" person?
Why didn't I pray for him/her?
My eyes were opened.
God is the God of possibilities,
and what I deemed as impossible
was nothing to God!
And, so, I allowed my prayers to include the impossible:
I began praying for that one.
Have I seen results?
Not yet.
But I'm not giving up either.
I will cast my faith on the waters of prayer,
and allow God to work.
I learned that the results are not my responsibility.
I'm required to do what I can.
God will produce the results.
***
How far would YOU go to
avenge a daughter’s cruel death? Cara is
considered rebellious and inappropriate to befriend. Dayne is the
apple of Elder Simmons’ eye—until he takes a stand against their
teachings. Can his prayers and love reach Cara and show her the way
to redemption? Will Cara realize God’s love and forgiveness before
she goes too far?
The Redemption of
Caralynne Hayman is a novel of hope shining
through the darkness with strong elements of suspense and romance. A
Selah Award finalist and a semifinalist in the Genesis contest, this
novel has close to 150 raving reviews!
Amzn Author Pg: http://amzn.to/1nFS0og
About Carole:
Besides being an active participant in many writing groups, Carole is an award-winning author and enjoys mentoring beginning writers. She loves to weave suspense, tough topics, romance, and whimsy into her books and is always on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas. She and her husband reside in SE Ohio but have ministered and counseled nationally and internationally. Together, they enjoy their grandsons, traveling, gardening, good food, the simple life, and did she mention their grandsons?
Personal blog: http://sunnebnkwrtr.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/browncarole212
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sunnywrtr/boards/
An encouraging devotional to start the week. Thank you for sharing from your heart, Carole.
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