DEVOTION: God, the Author ~ by Shirley Corder

Jeremiah 29:11—13: I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will answer you. You will seek me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart.


“All stories should have a beginning, a middle and an end,” the speaker at our local writers’ group reminded us. I resisted the temptation to roll my eyes.

Way back in school days, my English teacher told the class this every time she set us an essay. Years later, I did a writing course by correspondence, and one of the first tutorials enlarged on the same principle. “Start with an opening paragraph that will catch your reader’s interest.” (You need a beginning.)

“Make sure that your story moves forward.” (There’s the middle). “After the main theme is complete, write a clear dénouement." (In other words, end well.)

Some writers I know spend hours mapping out their story before they start. They plan the beginning, the middle and the end. They choose their characters and think of how they will develop during the story. Most important, they know how the story will end. Only once they have it all planned out are they ready to begin to write.

Others are like me—are what they call “Seat of the Pants” (SOTP) writers. They may have an idea of the story’s general theme. They choose their characters, decide where to start, then off they go.

Which way is best? For the planners, theirs is the only safe way. For the SOTP writers, they prefer to let the story evolve and allow the characters to lead the way, provided they remain within the scope of the storyline. In most cases, these writers cannot work any other way.

During times of uncertainty, I find encouragement from the words of Jeremiah 29:11. I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.
The Lord knew me at the point of my conception. (He was at the beginning). He has been with me through my childhood, my rebellious teens, and my years as a wife and mother. He helps me as I write, and encourages me when times get tough. (He has been with me throughout the middle of my life’s story.) Most important, He knows where my story is headed, how and when the story will end.

So God is a planner. When things happen in my life that I didn’t expect, they don’t take Him by surprise. He knows what He wants of my life, and He will help me to reach that goal. I only need to stay close to Him.

At the same time, God has given me a free will. He allows me to develop my own ideas, make my own decisions, as long as they stay within His basic plan. When I realise I have gone off track, the words of Romans 8:28 reassure me. In all things God works for good with those who love him. God is there to steer me back in the right direction. He will work out events as they unfold.

What a wonderful combination—a God who has planned my life, but also allows me the freedom to be “me”. How good to know that the Writer of my life not only knows the beginning and the middle, He knows the end. He will not allow my life’s story to “fizzle out”. He will bring it to a satisfactory conclusion—according to His plan.

OVER TO YOU: Is there a part of your story where you cannot see the way forward? Never fear. Your author already knows the way. He planned it way back when you were still in your mother's womb. If you knew He was reading this blog, what comment would you like to leave for Him? Write it now!

SHIRLEY CORDER lives on the coast in South Africa with her husband, Rob. Her book, Strength Renewed: Meditations for your Journey through Breast Cancer contains 90 meditations based on her time in the cancer valley, where God taught her much about following His plan for her life.

Please visit Shirley through ShirleyCorder.com, where she encourages writers, or at  RiseAndSoar.com, where she encourages those in the cancer valley. You can also meet with her on Twitter or FaceBook.  

Lessons Learned

Even when you are doing what you believe God wants you to do, things do not always go to plan. Recently our pastor asked if I would do a short item or talk on Mother’s Day. My husband and I decided to adapt something our daughter had used in a previous church on Mother’s Day. We decided, instead of making it a monologue to rewrite it and do it as a skit for two. We added a bit of humour in some lines. We had rehearsed it and were feeling good about the item, right up till the day before Mother’s Day.

On that Saturday I woke up with my head clogged with the heaviest head cold. I could hardly stop sneezing and my head was so heavy I could barely think straight, while my eyes were so puffed up from the cold they were like two tiny slits in my face.  It was obvious I was in no condition to be doing anything. I was equally as determined not to let our pastor down and that it would go ahead as planned.  That day I did a few things. First I texted those I knew who could be trusted to pray for me and asked for prayer. Secondly I dosed myself up with cold medications and vitamin c. Lastly I contacted the music leader for that day and suggested it might be better  if possible to get someone else to help leading the singing as I didn’t have enough voice to sing.

Saturday passed as a miserable day with me coughing, sneezing and going through copious tissues. I was thankful it was footy season and at least I had something I was interested in to watch, though I could barely see the screen through my slits of eyes. But I could hear what was happening on the field. And I could see enough to cut out the thank you for loving me cards decorated with pink hearts which went with the talk.

These were for the kids at church to give ether to their mums or to someone else in church who loved them, like a children’s leader, a friend or another relative.

Sunday dawned. I was far from right, feeling weak and headachy but at least the cold had abated to manageable proportions and I had a voice. I’d taken a gluten free fruit cake out of the freezer the night before but forgot to pick up the sliced cake that morning. My husband dashed back inside from the garage and picked it up. We were all set.

It was only as we pulled up at church he remembered that when he’d picked up the cake he had put the script down. No problem as I had one. ‘We can share,' I said. But the cards were with the script. He dashed home while I went it to church and hoped he'd he be back by the time we were due to do our presentation. As I stood in the congregation during the songs, my mind was praying for speed and safety on the roads for my husband. Then I heard a siren. My heart almost stopped in fear. I couldn’t stand it any longer and went out to the car park to see if he was coming. A few moments later our car wheeled in the car park. Relief flooded through me.

We had about five minutes in which to calm ourselves and trust that God would provide.  The talk went well. People laughed in the right places. When my husband gave me a card as a person who loved him, I kissed him resulting in whistles and cheers. The kids happily took their card to give to someone who loved them. After church I was exhausted and so we didn’t hang around to talk to people but left quickly for home, just glad it all appeared to go well.

That week we had to go to Sydney as my husband was going to hospital for an eye op. As he waited to go in be operated on, I sat with him, holding his hand.

‘Are you two newlyweds,’ a nurse asked, making me laugh. She got a shock when I told her how many years we’ve been married.

‘I think it’s sweet to see a couple who still love each other  and show it after all that time,’ the other nurse added. I left smiling. 

That night felt weird sleeping in a motel room on my own while my husband was in hospital. Unused to being part, neither of us slept that well. The next day with him looking like Pirate Pete we headed for home. Home was over three hours away.  It’s the first time I’ve driven that long since I had my back operated on a few years back, so we had to make a couple of stops just to ease the pressure and pain.  With relief I pulled the car into our own garage and opened the door to the house to find the answer machine flashing its blue light and beeping at us.

The message on the answering machine was from our pastor, thanking us for the Mother’s Day talk. He had no ideas of the little dramas that had gone on prior to the event. His message told us how “appropriate and helpful it was for people to hear that message.” But what really tickled me was the way he also commented on how good it is for people to see the loving relationship of a couple who been married so long. That encouragement meant a lot to both of us. I almost hated having to delete that comment from the machine.

So what did I learn from the whole experience?

1.       That when we attempt to do something for God, things may not always go smoothly.

2.       That even when things don’t go according to our plan and everything seems to be turning out a mess, God can overrule. He can still use it and us. He can turn it to good and use it for His glory.

3.       That the world is watching what we do and how we behave. People notice when a couple has a genuine loving relationship.

4.       That encouragement is a vital facet of life and can make such a difference to a person.

 

Dale writes fiction, poetry and children’s fiction, and has written bible studies and Sunday school lessons. More information about Dale can be found at www.daleharcombe.com or on her Write and Read with Dale blog http://www.livejournal.com/users/orangedale/