Your Choice: Anxiety or Peace by Zoe M. McCarthy

Zoe M. McCarthy

Have you ever felt guilty after reading Philippians 4:6-7?

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

You’ve prayed, petitioned, and thanked God and then still feel rattled. You wonder if you’re not sincere enough. And you may wonder why 1 Peter 5:7 seems like it wasn’t meant for you.

⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

You’ve burdened Jesus with your anxieties, but still feel restless.

For me, I’ve learned one major reason anxiety remains. Before I share my revelation, let’s review what Jesus has told us about His peace.

³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. ~John 16:33

Truth: Jesus possesses the peace we need. When we’re in Him, we can have His peace.

²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. ~John 14:27

Truth: Jesus gives us divine peace.

I picture Jesus extending to me the special peace found in Him alone, the peace that transcends all understanding. I have a choice. I can receive Jesus’ peace that He holds out to me, or I can ignore it and wonder why I’m still anxious.

Jesus’ peace is right in front of me; I simply must receive it. But I can’t receive Jesus’ peace if I’m determined to obsess over my problem. When I do that, my mind and body have no room for peace, and I’m certainly not actively receiving Jesus’ peace. My problems blot out Jesus standing right in front of me offering His peace. It’s my fault that I’m ignoring Him and His heavenly peace.

When my mind churns like the arms of a drowning person, I remind myself that no one else is responsible for that activity except me. This usually happens when a thorny problem wakes me at night. Now, when this happens, I have a routine. Your routine may be different. But I’m convinced, it’s all about receiving the peace Jesus so freely gives.

• I get comfortable,
• take a few cleansing breaths,
• recite slowly the twenty-third psalm, picturing my Shepherd,
• say from my soul, “Jesus, I receive Your peace. I receive Your all-surpassing peace,” and then
• take His peace into my heart and mind. 

Sometimes, I immediately feel Jesus’ peace in my chest. My arms and legs become heavy and still. My mind calms. Other times, when I allow my thoughts to return to the problem, I may say “Jesus, I receive your peace,” a few hundred times, because too many repetitions are said by rote. But as I focus more and more on receiving and taking in Jesus’ peace, His peace manifests and my whole body and mind are at peace.

Let me testify here. Once I receive Jesus’ peace, it’s awesome. Jesus’ peace guards my heart and mind. Sometimes I tingle with it, and sometimes I’m dead still. And I always fall asleep.

In the morning, my spikey problem seems much smaller.

How could you picture Jesus giving you His peace, and then receive it?

About the Author

A full-time writer and speaker, Zoe M. McCarthy, author of The Invisible Woman in a Red Dress, Gift of the Magpie, and Calculated Risk, writes contemporary Christian romances involving tenderness and humor. Believing opposites distract, Zoe creates heroes and heroines who learn to embrace their differences. When she’s not writing, Zoe enjoys her five grandchildren, teaching Bible studies, leading workshops on writing, knitting and crocheting shawls for a prayer shawl ministry, gardening, and canoeing. She lives with her husband in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Zoe blogs regularly at www.zoemmccarthy.com.


Cooking Up Kisses (Five Sweetly Scrumptious Novellas)


LOVE ON A DARE BY MARY MANNERS
Alana Mulvaney’s life is in a holding pattern. Consumed by day-to-day operations of the family business, Alana has no time for fun or romance. But a little fun and a whole lot of romance is just what Alana’s sisters have in mind when they learn childhood friend Donovan O’Reilly has returned to town.

HUMMINGBIRD KISSES BY DELIA LATHAM
Toni Littlebird believes that when she meets the man God created for her, she’ll know—and she’ll love him in that very moment.
But then Dax Hendrick roars into Hummingbird Hollow on a noisy, crippled Harley, stinking up the air and chasing away her beloved hummingbirds. One look into the intruder’s eyes and her heart sinks. He’s “The One.” She’d been right about knowing, but wrong about something far more important: She will never love this man!

HEARTS ON THE HARBOR BY ROBIN BAYNE
Cara Peyton is content with her life, her trendy Baltimore bookshop is perfect for her. But when her ex turns up to remodel the store, asking for a second chance, she’s torn and unsure about risking her heart again. Can he convince her to trust him, and God, before the job is finished?

HIS VALENTINE PROMISE BY DORA HIERS
Another Valentine’s Day and Quinn Randolph prefers to spend it with her sweet rescue lab. Who needs men and their broken promises? Especially Pierce Karson’s! Years ago, his desertion shattered her. Now he’s trying to steal the property she targeted to expand her florist shop! Pierce only wants to belong…and for Quinn to choose him. His Valentine Promise…

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN IN A RED DRESS BY ZOE M. MCCARTHY
Candace Parks lives a passionless life in Richmond. The computer programmer returns to the empty family home in the Blue Ridge Mountains solely to evaluate her job, faith, and boyfriend. Her high school crush, Trigg Alderman, who barely remembers her, visits his Gram next door. Sorting her life out? How about nothing of the sort!É

Anxiety Prevention: Bind the Slave Driver by Zoe M. McCarthy

A few Sundays ago, I was frustrated. What I wanted to do was accept my husband’s offer to take one of our wonderful afternoon drives in the mountains. But I said I couldn’t.

Zoe M. McCarthy

Earlier this year, I’d learned my lesson about my Sabbath. I now reserve it for worship, rest, spending time with God, and loving on others. But I’m still figuring out what that looks like. That Sunday, I had planned to prepare something to send to my grandchildren, do my devotional I hadn’t done that morning, and read the Bible Scriptures and commentary for the evening Bible study. We wouldn’t have time before Bible study to enjoy God’s creation on a drive. No. I’d hole up in my room and complete those tasks.

My husband, the man who does most of the housework so I can hole up in my office and work five and a half days a week, accepted my plan, but I sensed his disappointment.

Then realization hit me. In my office five days a week from 5:30 AM to 6:00 PM, I read devotions, pray my lengthy prayer list, listen to God, develop the Bible study I teach (reading the Bible and commentaries), prepare my Sunday school lesson, and then work on my writing and platform tasks.

Did I, the slave driver, expect me to hole up in my office on Sunday because what I was doing was related to the Bible? Did God expect that of me?

And that loving on others, I wasn’t doing much of that on my husband during the week or Sunday.

So, after Sunday school and worship that Sunday, I told John, “Let’s go for that drive.” Traveling through fields, pastures, hills, valleys, mountains, and stopping for a moose munch ice cream cone at a small country store blessed us. We thanked God for the beauty of His earth.

I relished time with my husband, and the drive rested me.

At the evening Bible study, someone always reads the lesson’s scripture aloud. I enjoyed the lesson without the unnecessary pre-work I usually did. And I still put together something for my grandchildren.

We can avoid much anxiety if we tell the slave driver in us to take a rest at least one day of the week.

About the Author

A full-time writer and speaker, Zoe M. McCarthy, author of Gift of the Magpie and Calculated Risk, writes contemporary Christian romances involving tenderness and humor. Believing that opposites distract, Zoe creates heroes and heroines who learn to embrace their differences. When she’s not writing, Zoe enjoys her five grandchildren, teaching Bible studies, leading workshops on writing, knitting and crocheting shawls for a prayer shawl ministry, gardening, and canoeing. She lives with her husband in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Zoe blogs regularly at www.zoemmccarthy.com.

Gift of the Magpie

Gift of the Magpie by Zoe M. McCarthy

Amanda Larrowe’s lack of trust sabotages her relationships. The English teacher and award-winning author of middle-grade adventure books for boys has shut off communication with friends and family to meet her January 2 book deadline. Now, in the deepest snow accumulation Richmond, Virginia has experienced in years, Camden Lancaster moves in across the street. After ten years, her heart still smarts from the humiliating aftermath of their perfect high school Valentine’s Day date. He may have transformed into a handsome, amiable man, but his likeability doesn’t instill trust in Amanda’s heart. When Cam doesn’t recognize her on their first two encounters, she thinks it’s safe to be his fair-weather neighbor. Boy, is she wrong.

Purchase link for Gift of the Magpie: https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Magpie-Zoe-M-McCarthy-ebook/dp/B073M8X4YZ/

Is Your Life Like a One-Ingredient Cake? by Zoe M. McCarthy

Zoe M. McCarthy

Do you feel like flour or baking powder—sifted?
Do you taste like vanilla or cocoa–bitter?
Do you act like pure sugar—sickly sweet?
Do you come across like oil—too slick?
Do you bear up like salt—preserved?
Do you feel like udder milk—squeezed?
Do you feel like an egg—born yesterday?

When my sister gives her testimony, she brings a story basket with all the above ingredients. She quotes Romans 8:28. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Then based on Randy Alcorn’s article “There Is No Pointless Suffering,” she says:

“Almost everything that goes into a cake tastes terrible. But a delicious metamorphosis takes place when these ingredients are skillfully measured and mixed then baked at the perfect temperature. The final product is good!

“Our trials and apparent tragedies taste bitter to us. However, no translation of Romans 8:28 says ‘each thing by itself is good,’ but ‘all things work together for good,’ and not on their own, but under God’s sovereign hand. Every experience God gives us is the perfect preparation for the future only He can see.”

Then my sister relates how God orchestrated her life from abuse to the other side where God gave her a new name. From victim to survivor.

Ultimately, the big question for my sister was Jesus’ question to the invalid of 38 years that He approached beside the pool at Bethesda, “Do you want to get well?” (NIV) Or, “Wilt thou be made whole?” (KJV)

Was my sister’s journey under God’s orchestration easy? No.

At three and a half, she was abused. She felt abandoned, she screamed inside, and she “exploded.” Then she felt God say, “You’ll always have a Father in heaven.”

Undergoing the abuse by a different perpetrator much of her young life, she stuffed the memories. In her twenties, she slogged through a period of depression.

Later, she began to realize the life she had lived was not the life she had believed it to be. “Denial. Self-brainwashing.”

She was in therapy for ten years. The betrayal of her perpetrator was the hardest to deal with. “One minute I’d want to explode and shatter every piece of glass to communicate what I felt, and the next I’d want to implode until there was not one cell left of me.”

God never let go of her, even when she didn’t like Him, obeyed Him only because He was more powerful than she was, and struggled to study the Bible when she didn’t want to because it brought horrifying flashbacks. God stayed with her. He spoke to her in dreams and once appeared in a powerful show of light when she was awake.

Besides the abuse, my sister had three miscarriages, and her youngest daughter is a special-needs child. In spite of her trials, she has enjoyed much success in her life, before and after therapy. She has also served in a long-term children’s ministry and ministered to other women.

My sister ends her testimony, relating her ability to forgive and making these statements:

“God didn’t just make the best of a bad situation. Rather, he intended all along to use evil for ultimate good.”

“God has a plan, the ability to carry it out, and the loving kindness to do it not only for His glory but our good.”

If you are feeling like a one-ingredient cake, listen to Jesus’ question to you. “Do you want to get well?” If yes, let Him make you whole.

Is Your Life Like a One-Ingredient Cake? Click to Tweet.

About the Author

Zoe M. McCarthy believes the little-known fact that opposites distract. Thus, she spins Christian contemporary romances entangling extreme opposites. Her tagline is: Distraction to Attraction, Magnetic Romances Between Opposites. Her first novel is Calculated Risk. She has two more contemporary romances and a nonfiction book to help writers ready their manuscripts coming out soon. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She enjoys leading workshops on the craft of writing; speaking about her faith; planning fun events for her 5 grandchildren; and exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she lives with her husband, John.
Learn more about Zoe M. McCarthy at her website: http://zoemmccarthy.com

Calculated Risk

What happens when an analytical numbers man meets a mercurial marketing Rep? Romance is a calculated risk…

Jilted by the latest of her father’s choices of “real men,” Cisney Baldwin rashly accepts an invitation to spend Thanksgiving weekend with a sympathetic colleague and his family. Nick LeCrone is a man too much her opposite to interest her and too mild-mannered to make her overbearing father’s “list.” Now, Cisney fears Nick wants to take advantage of her vulnerable state over the holiday. Boy, is she wrong.

Nick wants little to do with Cisney. She drives him crazy with all her sticky notes and quirks. He extended an invitation because he felt sorry for her. Now he’s stuck, and to make matters worse, his family thinks she’s his perfect match. He’ll do what he can to keep his distance, but there’s just one problem—he’s starting to believe Cisney’s magnetism is stronger than he can resist.

Purchase links for Calculated Risk: http://zoemmccarthy.com/books

Oh Lord, I Need Your Grace Today by Zoe M. McCarthy

Zoe M. McCarthy

If I’d only known those words: “Oh Lord, I need your grace today.” But I didn’t know the Lord.

At the time, I wished I hadn’t known what had been said about me behind closed doors in the company of three people. One person, I’ll call Power, disparaged my abilities to Lesser Power. The third, Peer, came to me and told me what had been said.

I carried a bowling ball around in my stomach for the rest of the day. I had no one to run to for comfort. My rock, my husband, was out of town on business, a rare occurrence back then.

That evening, I struggled to hide my misery around my sons. I suddenly understood how people with depression felt. I was in a deep, deep hole, and there was no way to climb the slippery walls out. I knew people dealt with this awful feeling 365 days a year. How did they survive?

I went through a gamut of thoughts and feelings during the sleepless night:

• How cruel Power and Lesser Power were to gossip about me.
• Was I really that incompetent? 
• How unkind it was for Peer to warn me about the hurtful words said. If I didn’t know them, I’d not be suffering.
• Why did this happen on the one day and night John was away?

For a while, I was nervous around Power and knocked heads over business issues with Lesser Power. They were not my favorite people.

With hindsight, I can see how God was orchestrating amazing things in my spirit.

First, I became a Christian. God showed me how to give grace to those who had belittled my worth.

After Power moved on to another job, her son died. At the funeral, with genuine sorrow in my heart, I was able to hug her and tell her I was praying for her.

When Lesser Power was in the process of quitting smoking, I sent her a card with a whale bursting from ocean waters. She came to me with tears in her eyes, thanking me for my encouragement. After she stayed home to be with her husband, who had a rare terminal disease, and then suffered a terminal disease herself, I prayed daily for her and sent her letters and cards.

And as far as my competence? I became a manager, and when I retired, the director whom my area supported entreated me to come back as a consultant.

That’s not the end of the story.

Years later, I was blindsided by an email with disturbing news. The Sender asked me to be involved, but in The Sender’s way, not the Lord’s. This time, I dropped to my knees. Only God’s comfort kept me going for months. He helped me to keep responding to The Sender in love and forgiveness until God answered my prayers and orchestrated a good outcome.

Over the years, I had learned powerful lessons. When I heard the critical words during John’s absence, I needed to learn to seek God, not my husband. A human rock might not always be beside me like God is. And he may not give the best advice. I also learned that ongoing forgiveness gives me peace.

How have you had to depend on God’s grace?

A story of God’s grace during adversity. Click to tweet.

<<>>

About the Author

Zoe M. McCarthy believes the little known fact that opposites distract. Thus, she spins Christian contemporary romances entangling extreme opposites. Her tagline is: Distraction to Attraction, Magnetic Romances Between Opposites. Christian Fiction Online Magazine published two of her short stories. Zoe self-published two books of contemporary Christian short stories. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She enjoys leading workshops on the craft of writing; speaking about her faith; planning fun events for her 5 grandchildren; and exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she lives with her husband, John. 

Learn more about Zoe M. McCarthy at her website: http://zoemmccarthy.com

Calculated Risk

What happens when an analytical numbers man meets a mercurial marketing Rep? Romance is a calculated risk…

Jilted by the latest of her father’s choices of “real men,” Cisney Baldwin rashly accepts an invitation to spend Thanksgiving weekend with a sympathetic colleague and his family. Nick LeCrone is a man too much her opposite to interest her and too mild-mannered to make her overbearing father’s “list.” Now, Cisney fears Nick wants to take advantage of her vulnerable state over the holiday. Boy, is she wrong.

Nick wants little to do with Cisney. She drives him crazy with all her sticky notes and quirks. He extended an invitation because he felt sorry for her. Now he’s stuck, and to make matters worse, his family thinks she’s his perfect match. He’ll do what he can to keep his distance, but there’s just one problem—he’s starting to believe Cisney’s magnetism is stronger than he can resist.

Purchase links for Calculated Risk: http://zoemmccarthy.com/books

*Image by Baruska

What To Do When the Storm Inside You Is Worse Than the Adversity by Zoe M. McCarthy

Zoe M. McCarthy

Someone discredits something I believe. One roadblock after another stops my progress. A circumstance beyond my control undermines my effectiveness.

Boy, aren’t these stimuli for sleepless nights and anxious days? Days consumed with defensive mental scenarios and infinite replays of unfairness?

Allowing such difficulties to consume hours of our peace turns us into blurry-eyed, seething creatures. We might as well be zombies for our inability to listen to or help others.

This imprisoned state becomes the real adversity.

Shields

Here are the shields I use against attacks on my inner solace. Try one or all of them the next time your reactions to circumstances attempt to abduct you.

Shield 1. I firmly say: “I will not receive that.” Then I move on to something else.

Shield 2. I remind myself: Be anxious in nothing, prayerful in everything, thankful in anything, and then the peace. (From (Philippians 4:6)

I pray, “Lord, You know all these hurtful things, and You command me not to be afraid or anxious. I want to be in your will. So here, I give my hurt and frustration to You. And I ask for Your peace. Thank you, Lord, for freeing me from the storm.”

Then I move on to something else.

Shield 3. I take this test based on Philippians 4:8. If the answer is no to one, I need to change my thoughts.

• Are my thoughts true? Maybe
• Noble? No. They turn me against someone else.
• Right? No. Jesus is against evil thoughts. Matthew 9:4; Mark 7:21
• Pure? Well, pure trouble, but not godly. Acts 8:22-23
• Lovely? They’re turning me into a prune.
• Admirable? I’m not obeying my Lord.

So I fill my mind with such thoughts as: Jesus is faithful. What a wonderful husband I have. I’m thankful the pipes didn’t freeze, the sun came up, and I have food on my table. God is wise and can do all things. Then I move on to something else.

Shield 4. I recall this scripture: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13 NKJV) Wow. This says I can remove anxious, worrisome, and unhelpful thoughts from my mind through Christ. I ask myself: Do I believe this scripture?

I confirm I do believe the promise. And I move on to something else.

Sometimes it takes moving from one shield to another and raising my shields several times. But God has always been faithful. I’m able to move on to something else.

What are your weapons or shields that free you from the adversity of inner storms?

About the Author

Zoe M. McCarthy believes the little known fact that opposites distract. Thus, she spins Christian contemporary romances entangling extreme opposites. Her tagline is: Distraction to Attraction, Magnetic Romances Between Opposites. Now retired actuaries, Zoe and her husband evaluated the financial risks for insurance companies. Nick, in Zoe’s debut novel, Calculated Risk, is an actuary. Christian Fiction Online Magazine published two of her short stories. Zoe self-published two books of contemporary Christian short stories. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She enjoys leading workshops at JoyWriters on the craft of writing; speaking about her faith; planning fun events for her 5 grandchildren; and exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she lives with her husband, John.

Learn more about Zoe M. McCarthy at her website: http://zoemmccarthy.com.

Calculated Risk

Calculated Risk
by Zoe M. McCarthy

What happens when an analytical numbers man meets a mercurial marketing Rep? Romance is a calculated risk…

Jilted by the latest of her father’s choices of “real men,” Cisney Baldwin rashly accepts an invitation to spend Thanksgiving weekend with a sympathetic colleague and his family. Nick LeCrone is a man too much her opposite to interest her and too mild-mannered to make her overbearing father’s “list.” Now, Cisney fears Nick wants to take advantage of her vulnerable state over the holiday. Boy, is she wrong.

Nick wants little to do with Cisney. She drives him crazy with all her sticky notes and quirks. He extended an invitation because he felt sorry for her. Now he’s stuck, and to make matters worse, his family thinks she’s his perfect match. He’ll do what he can to keep his distance, but there’s just one problem—he’s starting to believe Cisney’s magnetism is stronger than he can resist.

Purchase links for Calculated Risk: http://zoemmccarthy.com/books

The Place, The Peace... ~Tanya Hanson

I thank God for all of you as I say good-bye today, to the wonderful authors of this blog and our faithful commenters. After lots of prayers and family needs...this is my last post as a regular contributor. Sob. But you can bet your boots I'll be back as a guest some day soon!  It's been good, Lord, to be here.

Do you have one place on earth where you go to find the peace that passes all understanding? Where you don’t just see, you feel the Creator’s hand touch your face? Where the pain of life ebbs a bit, where the joy escalates to the clouds?

For me, it’s Lake Tahoe, situated between California and Nevada in a mile-high mountain basin. The second deepest lake in the U.S. (1,645 feet), Tahoe holds enough water to cover the entire state of California with 14 inches of water. And the water is so pristine you can see a white dinner plate 75 feet below the surface. Measurement started in 1968. Then, the 10-inch plate, called a Secchi disk, could be seen down 102 feet. Throughout the 22 measurements taken each year, visibility ranges from 57 feet to a record 107.

Why am I mentioning this? Because a graph showing those  

spikes and lows reminds me of the hills and valleys of my life. The times, those hilltops, when my faith blazes like a shining white disk so close in front of me I touch no pain or doubt. Then come the downslides of uncertainty and frustration. The cloudiness. Tests of patience. Times of questions and of tears. Fears.

Like the milfoil, a water weed invading Tahoe, worry sometimes worms its way inside my head. The weed chokes off oxygen to the lake’s fish, like doubt tries to suffocate my trust. Boats arriving at the lake need to be inspected for horrible invaders like the Quagga mussel. Just like I need to trust God to scrape away my burdens and keep me from harm.

The grace and goodness of God slide into my life easily when I visit valleys in Tahoe with such names as Hope. Heavenly. Christmas. I so understand why Mark Twain claimed the air in Tahoe is the same air that angels breathe.

Some of you know that my husband battled for his life in 2008. (He is now cured, praise God.) In Tahoe, after remission, in the dark nights, he and I could finally talk about things we just couldn't, during the cancer. Like the white blanket of snow outside, the gratitude to the Great Physician seeped into us.

But I confess, so did guilt. Others I love didn't make it. Or won’t.

Into the corners of my heart, Tahoe has sent me the truths of loss and healing, of love and death. Of doubt and trust. I see the surge of God’s care in the waves of Emerald Bay. I might not get it, but no matter. God gets it just fine, and He’ll let me know.  So I’ll keep a picture in my mind of Mt. Tallac, rising above Lake Tahoe until I get back there again.

A native Californian, Tanya Hanson lives with her firefighter husband on the central coast where they enjoy traveling, good health, and two little grandsons. An award-winning author of both inspirational and secular western romance, she is reinventing herself with Middle Grade stories w/a Anya Novikov. She’ll be featuring the history and lore of the local Chumash tribe. Watch for “Anya’s” Black Dog, White Dog, in  2015.

Also honoring California’s exciting history is Claiming His Heart, her first historical inspirational western set in the gold mining country of Holcomb Valley, now available.

www.tanyahanson.com

www.petticoatsandpistols.com

http://prairierosepublications.blogspot.com

http://sweetheartsofthewest.blogspot.com

Caught between a noose and a cave-in, Tulsa Sanderson must prove his brother’s innocence...even if it means marrying a gold miner’s daughter he just met. He needs every nugget and flake he can pull from her worn-out claim, but he sure doesn’t need a wife. Save his brother and he’ll be back on the Texas cattle trails. God, and trusting Him, are things of the past. 

Charlotte Amalie lost her heart, her virtue, and her money to the last mysterious outsider in the valley. Faith? That’s wavered, too, after too many family tragedies. But she has no choice but to wed the handsome Tull. He bears terrible family secrets that need to be kept behind closed doors. Although she’s eager to leave the valley to find a new life for herself and medical treatments for her wounded brother, her unwanted marriage douses her plans, yet stirs up hope and love for Tull...and begins to fortify her weakened faith.

Can the two of them find a future--and faith--together even with their haunted pasts? 

Amazon Buy link:

http://tinyurl.com/n4mxbgo

The "Write" Heart by Heidi Chiavaroli

Heidi Chiavaroli

Okay, so I’ve been at this writing thing for a long time. Ever since I wrote my first manuscript, I’d Cross the Desert for Milk at the age of nine, I knew I wanted to write. Now, three finished manuscripts and a few good doses of life later, I’m still pursuing publication. No agent, no contract. Only a handful of contest finals to show for my labor.

Recently, I went through a small wrestling match with myself and the Lord. I knew the stories I had a passion for writing weren’t considered “easy sells,” if there is such a thing. I am drawn to write about hard, sometimes unpleasant situations in hopes that God’s grace and beauty will shine even brighter amidst the darkness. Yet after I finished my last manuscript, I stopped and pondered where this writing thing was going. Was I wasting my time? A voice in my head told me I should try something else. Maybe a shorter novel, maybe a sweet romance—after all, who doesn’t like a sweet romance?

As I wrestled with these things and almost gave in to the temptation to force something from my pen that wasn’t on my heart, the Lord encouraged me. No, I didn’t land an agent or a publishing contract but like Jacob, I did walk away from the wrestling match with a great blessing. God gave me peace, and a vision of sorts. A vision of a paperback book with my name on the cover—my baby, finally. Only it wasn’t my baby. It wasn’t an honest story from the depths of my heart. It was a fake.

I wanted no part of it.

And with that vision, I realized that publication can only take me so far. Without a story from my innermost being, I’d rather leave it altogether. Even now as I write this, a part of me is saying, “Are you sure, Heidi? Do you really mean that? You might just get what you ask for.” And my answer is yes, I mean it. God didn’t give me my passions and what little writing talent I have for nothing less than His glorious purpose, His big, all-encompassing gospel. How can I compromise my heart or the mission He’s put into it?

So rest assured, if you ever see a book cover with my name on it, know that it not only came from my pen, it came from my heart. It is an extension of myself that I refused to give away easily. Isn’t that what this whole writing journey is about?

Dora here. What about you? Did this post spark a similar chord in your heart? Have you wrestled with God over some aspect of your writing?

I'm so thrilled that Heidi will be back here on a regular basis. Starting Thursday, July 17, she will be a regular contributor every month. 

Welcome, Heidi! :) 

   

Heidi Chiavaroli writes History Woven in Grace. She is a wife, mother, disciple, and grace-clinger. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and has semi-finaled in the Genesis contest and My Book Therapy’s Frasier contest.

It’s All On Me, Right?

Writers’ conferences can be expensive. Hey everyone, Annette here. This week many of our dear SW reader-writers are attending American Christian Fiction Writers’ annual conference. (www.acfw.com) You’ve got appointments set up, opportunities all around you. You’ve prayed and planned, brainstormed and penned, organized and traveled, sacrificed and invested. Now, you’re here! You want to “get your money’s worth” and take advantage of every possibility before you—make the right connections, exude the right impression, say the right words. Seize the day. 

After all, it’s all on you.

Right?

For years, you’ve had books burning inside you, waiting to come out. You’ve got a thriving imagination full of characters, plot gems, twists, ideas swirling in creative juices. You love words and the rhythm of good prose. You love reading. 

Question: who gave you talent? 

Remember that stirring in your heart at some point, that urge to write? What was the catalyst? There was a time you knew you were supposed to somehow begin to put words down. You studied the craft of writing, connected with others on a similar journey. You paired strong characters with intriguing plots and offered your chapters for critique. 

Question: who called you to write? 

Somewhere during your life, you’ve had to find time to write. Late hours, early hours, leftover hours after a busy day. You prioritized and sacrificed and carved out productive minutes. 

Question: who created and manages time and seasons?

While you’re there at the writers’ conference, remember God gave you the talent, God called you to write for His glory, and God is sovereign. We can’t “make something happen” just by sheer will. If we try to sidestep what God is doing, we may find ourselves unprepared and failing. But if we wait for the correct time—God’s timing—and rest in Him, consider the benefits:

Peace—we no longer have to manufacture something. We have God’s assurance. He who called you will also make a way. 

Rest—the burden to open doors is not on us. God is our Father who opens doors for us. We don’t have to strive. When it’s time, the right door will open. And by then, God will have prepared us.

Joy—we’ve demanded a lot of ourselves, even the impossible. But when we hand our burden to the Lord, He gives us joy in its place. 

Freedom—sure, we continue the writerly disciplines of learning and growing in the craft. We remain good stewards of the gift and calling. But once we release the burden, we’re free to create and grow, because we no longer have to strive. We’re free to do our part—seek God first and let Him take care of the rest. 

When you sit down with editors and agents, know they’re people just like you. They’re professionals, just like you. But keep this truth in mind: they do not dictate your future in writing. They may become a tool in God’s hand, but God is the one who determines where your writing goes from here. Leave that with Him.

Aren't you glad it's not all on you?



Photo credits:

"Stairs" image by Adam Hickmott / freedigitalphotos.net 
"Door handle" image courtesy of Nattavut / freedigitalphotos.net
"Job interview" (meeting) photo courtesy of Ambro / freedigitalphotos.net

Virtues of March: Peace

Virtues of March: Peace
Author's Character Series

Net's Notation Tuesdays

Our family just got a new dog. He’s two years old, a mini-dachshund mix who is timid about strange noises and other dogs. I’ve got a new command for him since his arrival with our family: Peace. I want him to know he’s safe in my arms. I calm my own heart rate, (dogs pick up on people anxiety) and I stroke his back and say, “Peace.” And when he settles, I say, “Good peace.”

Okay, so it’s a little unconventional, but it’s something I want him to learn—he can have peace. He can relax and know he’s safe.

How about you? When God whispers peace into your life, do you receive it? You’re waiting to hear back from an editor. You’ve done the hard work and pushed past the procrastination (fear of failure, doubts, fear of success) and handed in your manuscript (or query or proposal). Now you wait. Do you wait peacefully?

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

Hear Jesus speak peace to us. He commands peace toward our circumstances (like when He calmed the storm and sent fear scrambling for the sake of His disciples). But He speaks it over us. When Jesus speaks peace, He imparts it to us in a powerful exchange, anxiety for rest. He is the Prince of Peace. But, as with salvation, we have a choice whether or not to receive it.

In this verse Jesus shows we have a choice even as to whether we “let” our hearts be troubled.

That challenges me. How about you?

Funny how timely this is. I’ve just sent in a requested full. Now I wait. Lord, help me choose peace. Grace me to hear the Prince of Peace whispering peace into my life. And speak peace to the storm of doubts which may come. I receive Your gift of peace.

Being at rest in His care (like our family’s new pet) is a sign that we have chosen peace. And that’s one thing He looks for in His authors. It’s a sign of a character like His.