I often feel closest to God when I’m surrounded by nature.
How about you? Not only do I feel his presence, but I think there are so many
analogies about what we experience in life and what we see in his creation. So
it was so easy for me to appreciate what author Sandra Orchard shares with us today about her personal writing journey and a visit to a national park.
I felt like I was right there with her. You’re in for a treat! ~ Dawn
Why
You Shouldn’t Give Up
by
Sandra Orchard
Last summer my husband and I visited Algonquin National Park
in Northern Ontario, a wilderness brimming with pristine lakes, winding rivers
and spectacular views. Being avid hikers, we chose one of the more difficult
climbs, and as we sweated our way up a very steep, very long incline, I began
contemplating how very much like the writing journey this hike was becoming.
A few mosquitoes buzzed around taking chunks out of me, not
unlike how I felt after reading the first few critiques of my writing.
The air was unusually humid and several times we were
tempted to stop and turn back. Then we’d arrive at a plateau and feel the sweet
cooling breezes and catch a glimpse of the spectacular view awaiting us at the
top.
And once again I found myself contrasting the experience to
my writing journey. How in a similar way, God had given me little glimpses of
hope to refresh and to encourage and to spur me to keep moving forward.
As my husband and I pressed onward and upward, my mantra
became you can’t see the view if you don’t climb the height. Sure I could
experience it vicariously by listening to others rave about it, or by looking
at photos, but part of what makes the view so very spectacular is the effort
required to get there.
I honestly don’t think I would have appreciated it nearly as
much if I’d simply been able to pull up in my car and snap the photo. And I
wondered if I’d have felt the same way if getting published had been easy, if
the first novel I’d written had immediately found a home and launched my
writing career. Somehow, I don’t think I would have savored the accomplishment
nearly as much.
In the same way, the photo doesn’t do the view justice. You
can’t feel the breeze on your face, hear the cry of an eagle soaring overhead
or the rustle of the leaves, or smell the heat on the rocks or the scent of
pine. Neither do you feel your pounding heart begin to slow as you recover from
the climb.
As I stood at the height soaking in the spectacular view,
Psalm 121: 1-2 came to mind:
I lift
up my eyes to the hills—
where
does my help come from?
My help
comes from the LORD,
the
Maker of heaven and earth.
And I was filled with a profound gratitude for the arduous
journey toward publication, because it taught me to lean wholly on Him, to
follow where He leads and trust in Him for the fruit.
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Award-winning author, Sandra
Orchard, majored in math at university, and credits her mathematical bent
to her love of weaving suspenseful plots. She is currently working on a
romantic suspense series for Revell, which debuts next summer, as well as her
next Love Inspired Suspense. “Shades
of Truth” (March 2012), a Harlequin suspense best seller, is the second
book in her series, Undercover Cops: Fighting for justice puts their lives—and
hearts—on the line. The third book, “Critical Condition,” releases in October.
Married with three grown children, when not writing, Sandra enjoys hanging out
with family, brainstorming new stories with fellow writers, and hiking or
kayaking in the beautiful Niagara region of Canada where she lives.
Sandra offers her readers “extras” to enhance their
experience of her books. You can check out these, along with other resources
for readers and writers, at her website: http://www.SandraOrchard.com
She’d also love for you to connect at: http://www.Facebook.com/SandraOrchard
and http://www.SandraOrchard.blogspot.com
The third book in Sandra’s Undercover Cops series, Critical Condition, is up for a giveaway
on Goodreads until Tuesday. Here's the link: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/32791-critical-condition
