This week, I am honored to have as my guest blogger, Paula Bicknell. Paula and I met at the Mount Hermon Conference a few years ago and have been writing buddies ever since. Her thoughts on New Words for the New Year touched me and I want to share them with you. Enjoy!
You can follow Paula at http://psbicknell.com
Far, far away. A few days later, a doctor cut the cancer out of my leg and threw it away. The cancer, not my leg. This was such a relief, since Scott told the boys if the doctor had to cut off my leg, we’d get me a wooden leg and I could take it off and beat the boys with it when they were bad. I really didn’t think this was funny, but Scott thought it was funny. He laughs at his own jokes. I spent a few months on the couch after the surgery and now my leg works just fine, except when I wear heels for too long or walk too much.
“Do you want me to stop writing altogether?” I asked God at family camp. I knew He’d made me a farmer, I wasn’t sure about a writer. Writing had always been my thing. I’d tried to make it a God thing, but this wasn’t working. “I give up,” I told God at camp. We were so busy farming now, I couldn’t see how writing fit into my life anymore. It broke my heart to let my dream go, but I was done. The next morning browsing the camp book store, I picked up Victim of Grace by Robin Jones Gunn. I bought it to take home for my daughter and then consumed the story in one day at camp. Tears flowed and God spoke to me through that book. The next morning I read a message on my iPhone without my reading glasses. I could see that little text just fine, which shocked me. I got out Gunn’s book, which I’d finished the night before awash in tears, and could read it perfectly without my glasses now.
For two years in a row, I wrote the word “FEAR” on the rock I threw away. I think I need to find a bigger rock, because fear comes back. It always comes back. This year I was going to write fear again, but after spending some time praying about it, I realized behind my fear was the bigger dog of unbelief. If I really believed the Bible, the whole truth of the Bible, would fear bark so much in my life? Using his iPhone, Scott decided to film me throwing my unbelief rock away. I wanted to throw it down the creek, but when I wound up to cast it away, the boys ran right in front of me. My focus went arwy and the rock went flying right at Scott.
This year I chose “REJOICE” I love that song line from O Holy Night: A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices. I’ve been walking weary for too long now. Maybe it’s raising rowdy little boys. Or living in this rowdy world. Or not nourishing my soul the right way. I’m not sure why I’m weary. And thank the Lord I’m not as weary as I used to be, but I’m still more weary than I want to be. I don’t want to be weary anymore. I want to rejoice. Why rejoice? Because we have a Savior, Jesus. He came into the world to save us from our sin. “I’m the way the truth and the life,” says Jesus. “No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:6. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” John 1:1. Jesus is the Word. Words matter. What you speak over your life matters. Make 2015 a year of words you can live by.
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Awesome post, Paula! I love this idea of throwing a rock away with one word and keeping one with another. Your story is inspiring! Yes, please keep writing! My word for 2015 is “Surrender.” So many times I try and keep control of all aspects of my life and fall flat on my face. I’m trying to learn to surrender them all to Him (including getting published).
Thanks again for your encouraging post. God bless.
Darlene