Monday 7 November 2011

GOD ALWAYS WINS


Allow me to introduce myself. I am a woman who has a lot of life experience behind her (interpretation: I am past the first flush of youth). I do not aspire to grand things. Nothing pleases me more than a walk through a nature reserve on a Summer morning, or a cosy coffee with a friend in a favourite cafe'.

Like many of you, my love of writing showed up early in the journals I would keep, the stories in the school magazine, the positive comments on my English assignments. The next obvious step seemed to be to study English at University. I embarked upon this course and loved every minute of the reading and analyzing and discussing of texts with others. Unfortunately, I fell short of finishing my degree due to family upheaval at the time. Instead, a series of mundane jobs became my lot until, happily, the release of marriage and children. Because, you see, I decided to be a stay-at-home mum. As a young girl, I had often been called a 'little mother', feeding my hapless brother with Farex and dressing up my long-suffering cat in baby clothes. Clearly, it suited something deep within my personality to nurture, cosset and fuss.

As my children grew, I completed my English degree and thought seriously about further study, with the object of obtaining a librarian qualification and becoming an income-earner. A lot of prayer went into this, because my heart wasn't really in it. All I really wanted to do, deep down, was Christian ministry or writing or preferably a combination of both. And indeed, God did seem to be saying very clearly not to pursue a librarianship or any other career. 'Be still at my command' was the gentle word that I kept hearing.

God knew something that I didn't. In the not too distant future, I would need to be there, at home, using all the strength and resources that He would supply to me to supervise, pray for and support my youngest in her long battle with depression, anxiety and alcohol abuse. 'But this can't happen in a Christian home!' someone might be thinking. It can and it did. God can throw a curve ball at us from time to time, but His intentions are always for our ultimate welfare, and through that dark time, my daughter came to faith in Christ and I grew.

My daughter still struggles, but her heart is in the right place and God is polishing her - sanding a rough spot here, highlighting a facet there - until she becomes the beautiful, refined gold that He has in mind for all of His children. I no longer fear trials and troubles, because I know that God always wins. Always.

And the Christian writing ministry? My daughter's journey became the subject of my first book - unpublished yet, but quietly awaiting its time.

21 comments:

  1. Debbie - my faith and ministry is testimony to the unceasing prayer of a faithful parent, and the Lord's commitment to never take this hand off the ones he loves and calls his own. Thank you for sharing something so valuable with us.

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  2. Hi Debbie,
    God always knows, doesn't He? I appreciate your reminder of how we can sense His still, small voice directing us. I'm sure you and your daughter both love how gruelling experiences don't need to be wasted and I'm sure your book will bless and help many others.
    I can really understand where you're coming from in many ways. I've gone through the guilt of not being a 'proper' income earner but feel that homeschooling and writing is God's best for my family.

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  3. PS, I just noticed you live in Adelaide like me. Perhaps we South Aussies ought to think about getting a local chapter together, as I've heard the girls and guys in Victoria are doing.

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  4. Hi Debbie
    Thanks for sharing your walk. My first book is based on a similiar story and the resulting faith challenges. I love the faithfulness and never ending love of God against all odds. I look forward to reading your story on day soon. Jo

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  5. Hi Debbie,
    I loved your post. Praise God for the way He led you through the glad times and also the sad times. He has indeed been your Rock hasn't He? Thanks for sharing your beautiful story with us. I look forward to reading your book one day.

    And yes, Paula - we South Aussies should meet up some time I agree! :)
    Blessings and keep writing,
    Anusha

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  6. PS. I loved your title too Debbie. God always wins. Yes, He does! Thanks for that too.

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  7. It is encouraging to know that God uses everything in our lives. And, no matter what plot twists, turns, upheavals come our way the ending is always certain. Thanks for encouraging us with the reminder to keep our eyes on the hero of our stories.

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  8. Traumatic experiences so often fuel the best writing, whether fiction or non-fiction. Conflict (including internal conflict) is, ironically, good. It's a fairly rough business we're in!

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  9. Thanks so much for sharing your story with us, Debbie. Somehow I sense there is more to come for you than what you are doing now - so hang in there with that book you have written! God bless.

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  10. Thanks for sharing your story Debbie, it was very encouraging.

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  11. Thank you everyone for your encouraging comments. Your story sounds interesting, Dee. I would love to hear more of it one day.
    Paula, we home mums bear a lot of unnecessary guilt, don't we, but at the end of the day we will know the peace of following God's will for us.
    Anusha, thank you for your comments and for sharing part of the journey with me. Yes, it would be great for us South Aussies to get together.
    Thanks Penny and Peter, God does use everything in our lives and it's so true that it is often conflict that produces better writing.
    Jo-Anne, I am hanging in there! Thanks!
    Blessings all.

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  12. Thanks Jennifer for your kind comment. Sorry, Rose, I had an absent-minded moment there when I called you Dee:)

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  13. Thanks for your encouragement Debbie.
    A great reminder for me today.

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  14. Thanks for opening your heart to us, Debbie. This blogspot has been a real inspiration to me personally. We're all on a marvellous journey of discovering just how deep the father's love is to each of us, no matter how difficult or heart-rending our life's path becomes. I love the words to that song, "In His time...He makes everything beautiful in His Time".

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  15. Thanks heaps Narelle. Thanks Rita, I love this blogspot too.

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  16. Thank you for sharing this post here. xx

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  17. Sorry I'm a bit late. Just wanted to say how I appreciate your openness. And yes, through a personal tragedy I have also experienced the fact that God always wins. What a wonderful, faithful God we have! And He will bring your book into the publishing light when the time is right. Look forward to hearing more from you.

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  18. Debbie – don’t worry about calling me Dee. Rose Dee is my actual name BTW – not a pen name so the mix up happens quite often. The disadvantage of having two potential first names I guess.

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  19. Thanks Michelle,and thank you Margaret. What wonderful testimonies we all must have to God's powerful, transforming power in our lives!

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  20. Thanks for sharing Debbie. How blessed we are to belong to a God who turns our messes into ministries!
    Dotti :)

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  21. Debbie, thanks for sharing your encouraging story with us :)

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