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| Melinda V. Inman |
There
is Providence
In spite of what I see on motivational mantras, I know that
success doesn’t depend entirely on me. Dreaming big and working hard doesn’t
guarantee my success. The outcome doesn’t rely upon only my actions. There is
Providence.
Whoever “happens” to see my work, whether a global tragedy
occurs on my launch day taking media attention elsewhere, whether I am struck
down by a chronic illness as my first novel goes to publication—all of these
are outside my control. Outliers by
Malcolm Gladwell calls this luck, but we believe in the sovereignty of God.
This should be remarkably freeing, but I find myself
repeatedly tied up in knots. I’ve been relying on myself and my own strength
for decades. I don’t know how to rely entirely and totally upon Christ, to let
go and simply trust. My life has been fraught with too many hardships. I'm a
doubter. He’s teaching me. I’m trying to learn, but I am self-reliant.
When I first began to write, He whispered to me that my
responsibility was to use my gifts for Him, while His responsibility was the
outcome. Since then He has repeated this, bringing it to me in what I’m
reading, in words from others, in my dreams, from His Word.
I’m of pioneer stock, a workaholic to the bone, a descendant
of covered-wagon farm families. If we don’t do it, it won’t get done. If we
don’t work until we drop, we may die on the prairie. This is my ancestral
heritage, watched and observed and absorbed.
Therefore, I throw everything I’ve got at this task of
writing and marketing. I read all the marketing blogs and apply them. I build
my platform. I learn all the savvy skills. I tweak my website. I’m highly
Google-able. I also hone the craft. I tell a good story. I produce professional
material. I write 5-star review novels. I labor over my work. I do all of this
is a noisy, saturated market, just like you do.
But it all boils down to this: “Unless the LORD builds the
house, they labor in vain who build it...It is vain for you to rise up early,
to retire late, to eat the fruit of painful labors; for He gives to His
beloved, even in his sleep” (Psalm 127:1a, 2).
Doors open. We don’t know how. Doors close. We don’t know
why.
Our writing careers are in God’s hands. If we’ve done all we
can do, can we leave it with Him? Can we believe that the book He saw into
publication—answering prayers and opening doors in miraculous ways—will be read
by those HE has chosen?
Can we? That is faith.
We’re learning to trust God in new ways, sending our books
out into this filled-to-the-brim market with millions of other books. We often
feel invisible. But if we serve God faithfully, no matter what fruit we see on
earth, we will receive the reward of having written in obedience and faith,
persevering when it was difficult, pressing on when the Lord led us to do so.
The Lord will fulfill His purpose in us. He will. Our part
is to use His gifting in the most excellent way. To represent Him truly. To
write of Him faithfully. To do all we are able. To pray. And to trust Him.
It’s in His hands. We cannot lose sight of the bigger
picture.
“God’s ultimate purpose in redemptive history is to create a
people to dwell in his presence, glorifying him through numerous varied
activities and enjoying him forever. The story begins with God in eternal
glory, and it ends with God and his people in eternal glory. At the center
stands the cross, where God revealed his glory through his Son.” (ESV Study
Bible, The ‘Bookends’ of Biblical Theology)
Love
takes action: The Creator God establishes the cosmos and shapes a man. Adam
rises from the dust. Envious, the powerful angel Lucifer despises him.
Oblivious to the threat, Adam is captivated by his strong, intuitive wife Eve.
In the Garden of Eden, they enjoy abundant food, gorgeous vistas, and
intriguing challenges, including their budding love and passion. They have it
all!
But
Lucifer’s deceptive brilliance tricks them into disobeying God. They eat the
one forbidden fruit. Their innocence is shattered. Their unity with one another
and with God is destroyed. Death will follow. Lucifer’s jealousy threatens
mankind’s tenuous beginning. But God is merciful. What astonishing promise does
He make? How will Adam and Eve survive—broken, shattered, and separated from God?
Melinda Viergever Inman
was raised in a storytelling family. There her roots were sunk. During years of
relocation, tragedy struck. Wounded and heartbroken, Melinda forsook her roots
and ran from herself and from God. A journey of trial and heartache brought her
home again. A prodigal now returned, she writes with passion, illustrating
God's love for wounded people as He makes beauty from ashes. Fallen is her second novel; Refuge, the sequel, is her first.
Melinda shepherds women in prison ministry and writes inspirational material at
http://melindainman.com/blog/. With her family she is involved with Mission
India/RIMI, rescuing orphans and providing theological and job training for
impoverished students.
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