 |
| Dawn Kinzer |
Sometimes we fail to reach our goals because no matter how
hard we try, roadblocks keep standing in our way. We may wonder why God isn’t
clearing the trail for us to reach our destination. After all, we’ve prayed. We’ve worked hard.
We believe that God placed those desires in us—he gave us the gifts that seemed
to lead us down a certain path. Why aren’t things working out the way we want
them to? It’s not only frustrating, it’s painful.
But a roadblock isn’t an excuse for giving up on the
journey.
My husband, Sonny, is a linear thinker—that’s just how he’s
made. His normal thought process is that to go from Point A to Point D, you
must first go through B and C, in that order. But he’s learning that you can
still reach D by taking a route that curves around, goes under, or goes above.
There may be several ways to reach the same place. But if we get fixated on
only one, we may find ourselves stuck in front of a roadblock or possibly
turning around, feeling defeated.
I belong to the Northwest Christian Writers Association. At
each monthly meeting, opportunities are given for writers to share news about
their projects. Some talk about books or articles being accepted for
publication, and we celebrate with them. But others talk about the rejections
they’ve received. Only we don’t call them rejections; we use the term “redirections.” We celebrate those too! Why? Because they
were brave enough to submit their work to publishers, and through rejections,
they can possibly learn what to do better next time. They may also decide to
try something different in pursuit of their publishing goals.
There’s another type of roadblock—one that’s familiar to
most of us. It may be different where you live, but every summer, we have to
deal with a lot of road construction. It seems no matter which direction we
take, we’re forced to pay attention to signs telling us to stop, drive slowly,
or take a detour. It’s easy to grow weary of the hassle. So, I try to focus on
the end result of having nicer roads, which will help make travel—and my
life—more pleasant.
Like dealing with road construction, the journey to
fulfilling our dreams may be bumpy, and it may take us a long time to get
there. But we need to avoid giving up. If roadblocks stand in our way, let’s
either find a way to move them—or redirect and be willing to take a detour.
Arriving will be worth it!
What roadblocks are standing in the way of you fulfilling your dreams? If you
were to redirect and take a different approach, what steps would you need to
take?
In
1904, Hope Andrews, an aspiring fashion designer, struggles with leaving New
York City. But with no job, her parents leaving the country, and an abusive
ex-fiancé refusing to accept their broken engagement, Hope doesn’t have much
choice but to give in to her parents’ wishes that she move far away and live
with her cousin indefinitely.
Talented
Benjamin Greene can’t deny his passion for painting, but guilt over a painful
incident in his past keeps him from sharing his gift. Instead, he devotes much
of his days to helping his younger sibling rebuild a farm inherited from a
great-uncle. Only his brother is aware that Ben spends his spare time in a
studio on their property.
In the
small rural town of Riverton, Wisconsin, Hope and Ben can’t help but be thrown
together. But as feelings for each other deepen, tension thickens over how
talent should be used. Their mutual passion for art brings them together, but
will it also drive them apart?
Dawn Kinzer is a
freelance editor, and her own work has been has been published in the Christian Fiction Online Magazine, Backyard Friends, The One Year Life Verse Devotional, A Joyful Heart: Experiencing the Light of His Love, and featured
numerous times on the radio ministry, The
Heartbeat of the Home. She co-hosts and
writes for Seriously Write. Her personal blog, The Garden of Dreams, focuses on
encouraging women to find purpose and pursue their dreams in the different
seasons of their lives. Sarah’s Smile, Book 1 in the historical romance series The Daughters of Riverton was
released in October 2016. Hope’s Design, Book 2, will be available November 11, 2016.
A mother and grandmother, Dawn lives with her husband in the
beautiful Pacific Northwest. Favorite things include dark chocolate, strong
coffee, the mountains, family time, and Masterpiece
Theatre.
You can connect and learn more about Dawn and her work by
visiting these online sites: Author Website, Dawn’s Blog, Goodreads, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
