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| Marianne Evans |
During
my devotional readings a couple of weeks ago, I was struck by a Gospel passage
from Matthew. The part when Peter walked on water.
Yes.
Peter. Remember, when Peter saw Jesus coming toward the boat, he craved nothing
more than joining Him, than being just like Him. Jesus called to Peter and with
all the faith in the world, Peter began to walk on water! He ‘fixed his eyes’!
He was part of a miracle!
What
happened next, though, speaks to me loud and clear in the midst of my own
anxieties, questions, and uncertainties. After those few, breathtaking steps, Peter
sank. He sank not because he had no faith in Jesus (after all, Peter knew
enough to call out to Him immediately and was thereby saved). Rather, Peter
lost faith in himself. He looked at
his miraculous actions through the lens of humanity and the waves of his own
uncertainty pulled him under.Oh, can I relate! What a portrait of my own struggles of late. As I work on ‘what’s next’ in my life as an author, as a mother, as a daughter, wife and friend to others, I’ve come to a keen awareness of the fact that I have tremendous faith in Christ, and the direction of His call, but I have precious little faith in me. ‘How can I do this?’ ‘How can I finish this?’ ‘How can I see this through?’
I'm coming to realize that we
accomplish ‘miracles’ by remembering: It’s not on our strength but on the strength of Christ that we do what we do, that we minister how we minister.
It’s been said that each moment we’re alive needs to be considered an anointed
moment. That where we are in our lives is where we are meant to be, and God is with us, no matter what. Our writing
gifts aren’t ours. They belong to God. He can and will direct us according to
His will. As long as we honor him as humbly and authentically as we can,
there’s nothing we can’t do.
Like Peter, we can perform miracles. We can move forward with confidence. Change will happen. Evolution is part of living. As the twists and turns and growth spurts occur, I’m trying to always remember that, when it comes to writing, to life, to circumstances I face, I’m capable of miracles--I just need to fix my eyes.
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| The Fairytale |
Amy Monarch is a
tireless volunteer at the Dupont Rescue and Recovery Center, an establishment
for the destitute founded by her mother. There, Amy has kept her identity a
carefully guarded secret. She is actually Princess Amelia Marguerite Louise
DeLaGrande of Remeth. Working at Dupont offers the opportunity to serve in
blessed disguise.
Fresh into a promising career in commercial real estate brokerage, Patrick Sawyer returns to the picturesque isle of Remeth intending to reconnect with his collegiate study abroad friends and figure out ‘what’s next’ in his life. Since his father’s passing, the world he knows leaves him uninspired. He volunteers at Dupont during his visit, and becomes enchanted by Amy.
But Amelia is trapped within a silken web. When she reveals who she is, Patrick pulls back. He’s not interested in royalty—at all—but how can she ever break free? How can she find a way to service and God’s plan for her life? Most of all, how can she reconcile the call she feels toward a remarkable man who may be ‘common,’ yet is ‘uncommon’ when it comes to matters of the heart?
Fresh into a promising career in commercial real estate brokerage, Patrick Sawyer returns to the picturesque isle of Remeth intending to reconnect with his collegiate study abroad friends and figure out ‘what’s next’ in his life. Since his father’s passing, the world he knows leaves him uninspired. He volunteers at Dupont during his visit, and becomes enchanted by Amy.
But Amelia is trapped within a silken web. When she reveals who she is, Patrick pulls back. He’s not interested in royalty—at all—but how can she ever break free? How can she find a way to service and God’s plan for her life? Most of all, how can she reconcile the call she feels toward a remarkable man who may be ‘common,’ yet is ‘uncommon’ when it comes to matters of the heart?
~~~~~
Marianne Evans is an award-winning author of Christian romance and fiction. Her hope is to spread the faith-affirming message of God’s love through the stories He prompts her to create. Readers laude her work as “Riveting,” “Realistic and true to heart,” “Compelling.” Her Christian fiction debut, Devotion, earned the Bookseller’s Best Award as well as the Heart of Excellence Award. Her follow-up novel, Forgiveness, earned Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year honors as did her book Hearts Communion. She is also a two-time recipient of the Selah Award for her books Then & Now and Finding Home. Marianne is a lifelong resident of Michigan and an active member of Romance Writers of America, most notably the Greater Detroit Chapter where she served two terms as President. You can connect with Marianne at www.marianneevans.com.
