 |
| Linda Wood Rondeau |
If at first you don’t succeed, don’t give up. Take a bubble bath.
~ Linda Wood Rondeau, from
I Prayed for Patience God Gave Me Children
I Prayed for Patience God Gave Me Children
I couldn’t understand it. I had mimicked her stance to perfection. Yet, when I swung at the golf ball, it sailed far to the right or far to the left, never the fairway where her drives landed nearly every time.
I contemplated quitting golf until I realized I’d been standing wrong. Kathryn stood five-foot two. I was five-foot eight. Her swing worked best for her short stature but was wrong for a taller person like me. With the help of a golf pro, I adjusted by stance and began to see more successful drives. What was golden for one became lead for another.
Paul had a message to give the world. “Jesus saves.” Yet, he changed his stance depending on where he was and to whom he delivered the message. For the jailer, he’d forego the opportunity of escape. For the tempest tossed seaman, he endured shipwreck. For the Greeks, he appealed to their belief in an unknown God. For the Hebrews, he reminded them of their heritage. He truly was all things to all men that he might win some.
As writers, we have a message to drive home. Some of us write romance. Some of us write humor. And still others use imagination as a platform to dispel myths and bring home truth. Whatever genre we choose, the next step to sending our message is in the marketing. As in all other areas of our lives, the technique we use is dependent upon the person we want to reach. Some are speakers, some send out postcards, some advertise on-line, and some spread the word through the voice of others. In most cases, the writer will choose a variety of marketing avenues to get the message of his/her product to as many people as possible.
As I thought about these techniques, I am reminded that God treats us the same way. He will use whatever method he can to reach us with his Truth. Sometimes he whispers gently in our ear. Sometimes he takes the hard-line approach, slapping our rigid behinds with a proverbial two by four. He will be all things to us.
To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel that I may share in its blessings
(1 Corinthians 9:21-23 NIV).
So what unique "stance" do you use to share your story? Leave a comment and let us know.
 |
| About the Author |
 |
| I Prayed for Patience by Linda Wood Rondeau |
Winner of the 2012 Selah Award for best first novel, The Other
Side of Darkness (Harborlight), Linda Wood Rondeau writes stories of God’s mercies. Walk with her unforgettable
characters as they journey paths not unlike our own. After a long career in
human services, Linda now resides in Jacksonville, Florida.
Linda’s best-selling Adirondack romance, It Really
IS a Wonderful Life, is published by Lighthouse of the Carolinas
and is available wherever books are sold.
These books are also available in ebook format along with
her other ebooks by Helping Hands Press: I
Prayed for Patience/God Gave Me Children and Days of Vines and Roses. Songs in the Valley is scheduled for
release this fall by Helping Hands Press.
Readers may visit her web site at www.lindarondeau.com or email her at lindarondeau@gmail.com or find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest,
and Goodreads.
 |
| Days of Vines and Roses by Linda Wood Rondeau |
About I Prayed for Patience: God Gave Me Children
Parenting is the hardest job in the world. God knows we are
frail and forgives our mistakes. What’s more, He stands in the gap, making up
for our deficiencies. “I believe God invented parenting to show us His wisdom, grace, and mercy as our Father,” says Rondeau. Parents are also God’s children,
experiencing the same chaos, misadventure, and heartache as their charges,
humorously demonstrated through a compilation of vignettes, quotes,
illustrations, and witticisms.
