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| Jody Day |
I don’t
usually go to a dark place, in fact, I’ve been accused of being annoyingly
happy all the time. But not lately. Turning 60 in January, and then losing my
mother in February threw me into a Twilight Zone kind of upheaval.
A kind of
panic and fear has tried to overtake me. My thought process runs through the
mud: People my age are dying…who knows how long I have...I’ve not accomplished
anything... there’s not enough time to do all the things I want to do...my
husband, my kids, my grandkids...on and on, until I feel like curling up in the
fetal position and checking out from the world.
Just like
Scott in Wedding Express, fear clouds
my thinking, confuses my perspective, and affects my decisions. My prayers seem
to hit a concrete ceiling, and my heavenly Father seems distant. Scott’s Pastor
Jack, the traveling preacher that serves at the diner church in the story,
confronts Scott with his fears.
I balled my hand into a fist. “I can’t do this
right now.‛ Please leave me alone.
“Why not? Haven’t you figured out through all this
how quickly life passes by? Your uncle seems to understand that. He reached out
in faith for love and he knows as well as anyone that we don’t know what
tomorrow brings. The older we get, the word ‘now’ becomes very important.”
“That’s just it, where’s my faith? I can’t even
pray anymore.” I bumped the table with my fist.
Pastor Jack reached across the table and squeezed
my arm. “I’d say faith’s something you have to practice. I think you’re being
tested in areas where you trusted in yourself. Youth and strength made you feel
invincible. It was easy to trust then. But when life happens with death and
sickness, faith must grow to a whole new level. Remember the Father said, ‘I will
never leave you or forsake you.’‛
Pastor Jack
and Scott discuss the scripture where Jesus says, “I will never leave you or
forsake you.”
“Actually, God said that in several references.
Deuteronomy and Hebrews. What Jesus actually said was “I am with you
always. Present tense.”
I filled my lungs and slowly exhaled. Present
tense.
“He’s with you now. So you can live now, love now,
and trust Him for the future.”
Who knew that
I’d be ministered to by something I was led to write two years ago? I may not feel
it right now, but I need to practice my faith and know that I am not alone,
that Jesus will never leave me. He’s got me in the palm of his hand, and just
like Scott, I’ll get through this.
About Wedding
Express
Book 2 in the
Washout Express Series: Scott West is about to marry the woman of his dreams,
but when delayed grief and a life-or-death event jeopardizes their
relationship, Scott is forced to ask himself what kind of man he really is. Can
he own up to the truth and risk losing the love of his life? And if he does
come clean, will it be enough for Bailey? Discover the power of hope,
forgiveness, and love in Wedding Express.
About the
Author
Jody Bailey
Day writes inspirational fiction from her West Texas home. Writing, thirteen
grandchildren, and a full time job at her local library keep her busy, along
with her interest in crochet. She is President of her writers group, Critique
Cafe, and is involved in Toastmasters. She is represented by Hartline Literary
Agency.
Great, inspirational post! Jesus is I Am. He is always all that we need, no matter what we are going through. Different times we need different things, but He is all we need. Going through a change in our life and needed to be reminded of this. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSally, thanks for the encouraging thoughts! Praying for your change in life. Glad you stopped by.
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