"Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man."

Psalm 66:5 (ESV)

𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨

𝘖𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘠𝘰𝘶

The story of your life begins before you are born, the first and last lines written on the pages of God’s plan before you start to breathe. Every day has its place in His plan. Every person has their purpose in His story. Every beginning is part of the path to His ending.

But bound as you are by the confines of time, you only see a tiny portion of what He is doing. You’re learning the lines as you live them, never knowing what to expect will happen on the next page. You can’t choose the setting, select the cast, or control the plot. All you can do is trust that the Author knows what lies ahead and loves you enough to prepare you for whatever will unfold.

Seasons come and go, each one preparing you for the next, though you may not realize that at the time. If you keep your eyes open and your heart ready to receive, you will find tucked into each season all kinds of pieces that prepare the qualities you will need in time to come. God is growing good things in you, and while you can choose to resist, the story will flow so much better if you choose to surrender and let Him develop the kind of character He knows you will need. He desires for you to become the one He planned you to be, and He alone knows all that is needed to bring you there.

You may not notice when the change begins, so small and slow it will be. But it is there. It is happening every day, unfolding moment by moment. And when you are no longer who you once were, you realize the joy of holding on to the hope of who you can become. With God guiding you, there is no limit to the growth that can take place in your heart and soul. Right now the struggle is real, but it’s drawing you ever closer to the beautiful ending, the happily ever after you long for and live toward.

So through it all, you hold on to what remains the same no matter what. The settings in your story will change as you move from one place to the next. The cast of characters will shift, different people moving in and out of your life as you go through various seasons. The plot will take unexpected turns, bending around paths you might never have imagined. But the Author will always be there, turning the pages with an unseen hand.

As chapters change, you learn to accept the gift of life for what it is, taking account of time and years, the limits of this life, and making the most of every minute. Though you may wish to turn the clock back and step into the past or open the curtain and peek into the future, bound as you are by the confines of time, you can do neither.

And so you learn to live in the present, surrendering your story to the greatest Author of all.

𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 & 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩

I got published again! (You know, I need to start thinking of other ways to say that. Does anyone have ideas?) It was a joy to have one of my stories, "Light the Dark in Me," included in Light Through His Love, the first-ever anthology from Books for Bibles Press. One thing I love about this press is that the proceeds from their books go toward purchasing Bibles. So if you would like to read a collection of family-friendly stories while supporting a good cause, you might want to check this book out. (Also, as a fun side note, my story is set during the Easter season, so the timing is perfect!)

While we're on the topic of publishing, I wanted to mention that one of my blog readers, Jacqueline, asked to interview me about my publishing company a little while back. If you would be interested in learning more about the heart behind Flame of Faith Publishing, then please be sure to check out that post on her blog: "Fanning the Flame: An Interview with the Founder of Flame of Faith Publishing." Thanks again for having me, Jacqueline!

You might be wondering how things are going with Flame of Faith Publishing and our current anthology. Well, my team and I have decided to extend the submission deadline for Carry the Flame: Reflections Honoring the Life and Legacy of Charlie Kirk due to not receiving quite as many submissions as we would like. So if you've been on the fence about submitting, you now have some more time to prepare your submissions. You can find our official announcement here: "Important Submissions Update (+ an Opportunity for You to Participate)."​

𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 (𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴)

Jerry Bridges

– "Slow Down Time" (Jeremy Camp) — This has been a theme song for me lately, capturing so many of the thoughts and feelings spinning in my mind as I depart my teen years and dance into the next season of life, excited to dive into all kinds of new things. It's a great reminder to trust God's guidance and rest in the peace that comes only from Him.

ⓡⓔⓐⓓⓔⓡ ⓠⓤⓔⓢⓣⓘⓞⓝ

What does making the best use of time mean to you? This may or may not be a topic I'm considering writing about in upcoming months, and I'd love to gather your thoughts.