Please welcome this weeks guest Fay Lamb for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey?
God Is Always in the Details … and the Herbs of Life
God is always in the details. I believe that’s what God, through Paul, is telling us when it is declared in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” God proved the depth of that scripture by the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. So, even when the unthinkable has happened to us, when we face something that makes this verse hard to comprehend, we know that He has proven beyond measure that He is in the details, and He will work things to our good.
While, I haven’t faced some of the unthinkable hardships I know others have faced, I have recently, more often than not, felt overrun in my writing journey. On occasion, I have imagined myself wading through neck-high weeds that are keeping me from following the path to the harvest where I will glean a few words of my novel in progress. Sometimes, the only time I find to write is late in the evening or early morning, and I’m so exhausted I can’t think.
We’ve all faced times in our lives when the to-do list sits untouched because one disaster after the other inflicts our lives. Me? A house flood, an elderly family member needing attention, appliances malfunction, the grandkids needing a babysitter, businesses are being audited, and my husband needs a secretary, bookkeeper, and housekeeper. I no sooner clean up one problem before another one develops, and I have asked, “God, what are You thinking? I’m not this strong. I can’t take one more step let alone write one more word. Please pull out the weeds in this path, and let me glean from the harvest.”
Well, not only is God in every detail, He’s also faithful to answer when we call. When I wrote about all of the above recently, a dear friend said, “Another interesting chapter in your life. Just call it research.” Her answer was the answer to my questioning prayer.
I took another look at the weeds in my path. Suddenly they didn’t resemble prickly stalks or ugly growth. Instead, I saw an entire valley of herbs.
Herbs spice up our life. They provide more variety to what we taste. Their aroma fills us with hunger. They provide variety for our palate.
The herbs in my path became precious to me. From a flooded house, I learned (after the fact) how hilarious our reactions to an instantaneous emergency can be. Fodder for a scene in a novel? You bet. From my elderly family member, I learned that difficult folks can provide the makings of an interesting character. From my grandchildren, I am reminded that writers always need their imaginations tweaked. From my duties as a housekeeper, secretary, and a bookkeeper, I am reminded that writing isn’t a 24/7 career. There are flesh and blood members of my family who need me much more than my make-believe family.
God is clearly in the details of my life, especially when I feel stretched beyond my limits because God definitely knows that unless I experience life seasoned with the good and the bad, I will not be able to share a realistic story of pain and triumph, or laughter and tears, and when I am delayed getting to the harvest of words, the delay has allowed my harvest to ripen and the words to be full.
Short Bio:
Fay Lamb’s emotionally charged stories remind the reader that God is always in the details. Fay has recently contracted with Write Integrity Press for three series. Stalking Willow and Better than Revenge, the first two novels in the Amazing Grace romantic suspense series is currently available for purchase, as are Charisse and Libby, the first two releases in her The Ties That Bind contemporary romance series. Serenity is the third series contracted, and Storms in Serenity is slated for release summer 2014.
Fay is a past-secretary for American Christian Fiction Writers. She served for four years as the moderator for ACFW’s critique group, Scribes. For her volunteer efforts for ACFW, she received the Service Members Award in 2010. She was also a semi-finalist that year in the ACFW Genesis Contest. Fay was influential in the creation of the Central Florida ACFW Chapter known as Sonshine Scribes. She is a past-president and will serve as secretary in 2014.
Fay and her husband, Marc, reside in Titusville, Florida, where multi-generations of their families have lived. The legacy continues with their two married sons and six grandchildren.
Links for the book:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Libby-Ties-that-Series-Volume/dp/1938092627/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398305050&sr=8-1&keywords=Libby+by+Fay+Lamb
Links for Fay:
http://www.faylamb.com (Fay’s website and blog: On the Ledge)
http://www.facebook.com/fay.lamb (personal FB page)
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorFay (Fay’s fan page)
http://www.facebook.com/TacticalEd (Fay is the Tactical Editor, sharing self-editing tips)
http://www.twitter.com/FayLamb (Fay’s Twitter address)
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1482814.Fay_Lamb
Oh, the story of my life, Fay! You hit the nail squarely on the head, and I NEEDED to read this today. God IS certainly in all the details. Thanks!