God Understands When Life Gets Hard by Marianne Evans

Marianne Evans

I’ve never been comfortable letting God know I’m upset. I’ve never been comfortable letting God know I’m fearful or disappointed by any given set of circumstances that might be going on in my life. Doing so, to my mind, was equal to faithlessness and irreverence. I’ve always feared letting God go deep into any negativity I feel because, after all, who am I to question His plan?

Sometimes, though, I just can’t seem to help my fallen nature.

I suffer from what I refer to as left brain/right brain syndrome. What does that mean? It means I’m governed in equal parts by raging creativity and a detailed, task-oriented pattern of life. I create fictional worlds and characters that become a piece of my heart and soul. That’s the free flow, and I resent intrusions into that precious space. At the same time, I work hard to be ‘productive’ as well, and respect deadlines and marketing efforts. Then, there are my nine-to-five job commitments and times I want to spend with my family and friends. Those desires stem from love and the more organized, ‘effort equals results’ side of my nature.

After eighteen years of 'home,' we’re preparing to move. That’s a lot of work and emotion to dive through. I’m on multi-book deadlines with edits sliding in on previously contracted titles. Invariably, those are the moments when I stroll across friends and colleagues who seem to effortlessly glide from one thing to the next with great success. Am I just not ‘doing it’ right? The two sides of my nature go to war and I find myself overcome by additional issues like care giving and work responsibilities. Stress levels increase. I try to remain tied to God’s call, but slide on an ice patch of anxiety.

My faith leads me to know God is always there. Jesus is supporting me. The human part of me, however, begins to rant, and rave, and wonder if, given all God has to do in a world filled with troubles far greater than mine, He truly has the time (or inclination) to focus on my insignificant problems. In those moments I hear one calming, soothing word. Precious.

We. Are. Precious. Plus, time and again, God’s Word tells us He longs for relationship with us. Not servitude, not blind obedience, not false affection. Relationship. That means the good and the bad. That means love and devotion and persevering. It can also mean yelling and crying…and coming to terms. God understands the ‘tough.’ When I face the ‘tough’ – I think of Jesus in the garden at Gethsemane. Even He cried, bled, pleaded with His Father for a reprieve.

But He followed His Father’s all-perfect will. I pray to do the same. I can’t express how many times I’ve looked back on periods of my life – both happy and sad  - and realized the countless ways God kept tabs on me.

He loves me – warts and all – rages and all. He loves you in just the same way. What a blessing, and I hope that truth encourages you this week.

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God understands when life gets hard

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Aiden Balfour has always craved stability, independence and security. He’s led a rocky life but always treasured his summers in Northern Michigan with his best summertime friend, Olivia Masters.

Olivia is dedicated to preserving the life she’s known and always treasured at her grandparent’s home high on a bluff overlooking the pristine waters of Avalon. With their blessing, she’s turned the expansive piece of property into a quaint, restful bed and breakfast.

But developers are circling—and they’re led by none other than Aiden Balfour.

Now an ambitious businessman, he’s determined to turn the lake into a tourist mecca. A successful business owner, Olivia is equally determined to stop him...no matter what his hold on her heart.

Can the innocent joy and love of their youth be reclaimed? Can Then…and now…ever be reconciled to a future overflowing with love, and hope?

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Then & Now is part of the Pure Amore imprint at Pelican Book Group. Pure Amore is a ‘book of the month’ subscription service featuring Christian romances centered on the concept of pre-marital purity and abstinence that doesn’t surrender one moment of the thrill to be found when two people fall in love. Check out Then & Now and the other wonderful Pure Amore titles at Pelican Book Group.

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Marianne Evans is a multi-award-winning author of Christian romance and fiction with over twenty titles to her credit. Her hope is to spread the faith-affirming message of God’s love through the stories He prompts her to create.

Happily married and the mother of two, Marianne is a lifelong resident of Michigan who is active in a number of Romance Writers of America chapters, most notably the Greater Detroit Chapter where she served two terms as President.

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