I’ve been hearing various comments lately about my lack of blogging. To tell you the truth, so you hear it from me (i.e. the horse)….I’ve been in hibernation. Last fall when I was diagnosed with a complex heart condition I also heard various words from my Cardiologist such as “rest” … “not much physical activity” … “lots of sitting” etc. As you could imagine this was quite troubling to me (to say the least) and so I began to try to look at the bigger picture. Obviously God knew this was all happening. He knew that we had just left a busy congregation where there was lots of work to do and all those words above were not in that vocabulary. And so I continued to ponder and think and pray about what could be the reason behind all this and (as Mary Winslow so clearly says to ask) if there was something I could do to be useful in His kingdom during this period of being laid aside. Sure I had numerous Dr. appointments and 1 hour of rehab 5-6 days a week but was there more? I made this a matter of prayer and one Sunday felt that I had received an answer – hence the reason for hibernation.
The Lord answered this request in a way beyond what I could have imagined….a devotional book for women. No not me writing it but to take the precious, valuable writings of well-known godly women in past generations and bring their writings back to life. It seemed like a daunting undertaking but one that I felt confident the Lord would help me with. For the next 6 months I read and researched and studied, bathing each day of writing with prayer and at times even weeping, as the Lord also laid open as well as fed my own soul. There were many times as I was typing that I wondered who would be touched by a particular day’s devotion…who would be fed….who would see the pride in their heart….who would be led to be more thankful….who would be comforted in grief and pain…whose heart would be drawn more to their Master and Savior...who would be led to the foot of the cross for the first time. I could think of no better way to spend months of sickness than the way I had to spend it daily in the company of godly women many who had travelled paths of trials and afflictions before me.
And so with the wonderful support of my children and husband the book is compiled and sent off to the editor. There are 12 women’s writings in the book including (Mary Winslow, Ruth Bryan, Susannah Spurgeon, Frances Havergal, Anne Dutton…and the rest are a surprise). A few more weeks have been spent designing the cover so that the publisher (Reformation Heritage Books) can start promoting it. Once I receive the copy back from the editors I will be typesetting and doing final corrections and Lord willing, it should be ready in the fall.
Besides all this I just came home from a scheduled visit at my Cardiologist and she was so pleased with the progress I am making (even though I have tiny steps backward at times). I need to continue my strict regimen of rehab but I had been going for a Dr. visit every week to two weeks and then it was pushed to 3-4 weeks apart and now I do not have to go for 2 months…the Lord’s ways are beyond what we can imagine. Thanksgiving, wonder, amazement, humility…these are the words that come to mind as I see the Lord slowly bringing back health…health that I haven’t had for several years. Last week for the first time in 6 months I was able to get groceries for our family…I never thought I would be thankful to be able to do something as monotonous as getting groceries. Let us thank Him together!!
I also want to leave an encouraging note to those who have long term trials and afflictions. The Lord can use you during these times. Seek and pray for ways to be used in His kingdom. It is often during times of our brokenness that we can be the best instruments in His hand for it is at these times that we can only get through each day by totally leaning on the Lord for strength and the Lord loves total dependence on Him.
P.S. Here is a sneak peak of what the devotional will look like.
