Busting open the Treasure Chest

by Jo Wanmer

Like a chest bulging with treasures, it hid just below the surface of my life for years. I knew it was there and I wanted to share its contents, but how could that happen?

Within the chest were dark stories of betrayal, evil and devastation. But shining amongst the filth were bright gems of hope, victory and love. I wanted to share the jewels, cast them out to the world, but their brightness and glorious shimmer needed the contrast of darkness to be displayed. Occasionally I’d pull out a diamond or two and share their beauty and hope. The dirt was still attached to them, but it wasn’t too offensive if I arranged the story carefully.

How could I open the treasure chest wide? Share all the treasure with the world? I decided to write a book. Easy? No! After several abysmal attempts, the idea was pushed below the surface and rested beside the treasure chest.

But in the fullness of time, according to God’s purposes, they both burst forth. ‘Though the Bud be Bruised’, a work of fiction, has opened the treasure chest to the whole world! Somehow the fiction dulled the identifying marks of the dark antagonists, while the deep colours of hidden sin act as a backdrop to enhance the wonder of the treasure.

The chest is wide open! Everything is exposed in plain view; the struggle beside the victory; the fight between good and evil. The arguments with God and fists being shaken at the heavens enable the reader to see a bright glimmer of the Father’s love, the soft rainbow colours of grace and the flashing brilliance of the miraculous. The deeper you dig into this chest, the greater the treasure. And yet the question remains as a golden thread woven through the pages. ‘Though the bud be bruised will there be, can there possibly be, a flower?’

This is our life, the story of a mother and father who were inadequate and unable to deal with the shocking consequences of the abuse of their precious daughter. Through this valley, they tried hard to hold onto a faith in God. But how can God let such a thing happen? Is God even just? Does He care? This book answers these questions in a fast moving, compelling story.

As a first time author, I have found it traumatic to open this time of our lives to the world. It has left me and my family feeling very vulnerable, and yet excited and strangely free. What the enemy designed to destroy us has been used for good for many years, and now it is out in the public arena to bring hope and healing, challenge and restoration to thousands.

Now my task is to spread this treasure far and wide. So many of our books are flicked open and then left on the corner of a dusty table, their treasures of hope and love unread. Or worse still, although they try, they don’t have enough stature to open the doors to bookshops or enough clout to convince a stranger of their value.

Yet already I’ve had a message on Facebook that said, ‘I would so love to have that relationship with God.’ That’s exciting. The Lord is taking the enemy’s land! And so, with determination, I will continue to spread the treasures of God’s amazing love and carry this story to the ends of the earth.

JO WANMER loves living in Queensland, Australia, with Steve, her husband for over forty years.

She really enjoyed writing ‘Though the Bud be Bruised’ and has begun work on another novel. Her passion is to bring the love, healing and hope of Jesus to men and women who have walked through life’s valleys. There is always light at the end of the tunnel.

As well as writing, Jo is an associate pastor, speaker and preacher. She is a very proud grandmother of eight wonderful children.

You can find her on www.facebook.com/pages/Jo-Wanmer/225587647532812

Or follow her blog at www.jo-wanmer.blogspot.com