Stand and Walk

Ever make a mistaek?

I've made plenty. But after receiving forgiveness, it's time to stand and walk.

God didn't create us to be groveling dirt-eaters. We were created to walk with God. It's all about Him.

When we see His hand reaching out to us, it's not for our glory, but His. He's trying to help us. If we'll accept His help, we'll be more effective in what He's called us to do. If we help each other through His strength, everyone is blessed.

I'm rewriting one of my stories in preparation for a writing seminar in a couple of weeks. It's not a Christian writing seminar, but I expect God to be there. I hope to learn a lot. But I also will be wearing my inner armor in anticipation of "helpful" criticism that might strike a nerve. I'm a big girl. I can take it.

Maturity is something that develops over time. Practicing self-discipline also helps. This applies to maturing as a writer too. All writers start "young" and have their own development speed. I want to have seasoned writing skills before my physical age gets too high.

Just because I strive for maturity, doesn't mean there's no immaturity in me trying to bubble up to the surface. I fight back the Three Stooges inclination in me. I stiffen my arms instead of shadow boxing as an "Ol' Meanie" walks away from me. "Oh, yeah?" "Yeah."

I have to walk away from temptation and walk toward the goal God has placed before me. When I arise from bended knee, I must stand and walk.

Judging

Judging people is wrong. Right?

But we judge people all the time. We tell others that this person is helpful or friendly and that one is a sneaky little thing.

When I read books, I judge them according to how I feel when I read them. I notice if the book makes me laugh, cry, or pound the arm of the chair while shouting, "No! No! Don't go with him. He'll just get you into trouble!" Okay, I don't actually shout. But I feel like it sometimes.

We have to judge the situations we get into, or are about to get into, as to whether we are safe in that situation. We have to judge people who give advice before making the decision to take their advice. Are they trustworthy? Are they only trying to sell something?

We judge others all the time, but do we judge ourselves enough?

If a woman has a poor opinion of herself, it may be because she has not listened to the right voices around her. If she listens to the voice that says she'll never amount to anything, she won't. She might have a poor opinion of herself and overcompensate, causing others to see her with a "too high" opinion of herself.

How do we judge ourselves with a good attitude?

I look in the mirror of the Bible. When I read it, I can see myself according to how God sees me. He sees my potential. He sees the truth of how I live - better than any advisor on earth.

I can ask God to make up for my weaknesses with His strength. I can ask God to help my foolishness with His wisdom. It seems odd to go to The Almighty God for something as little as me. But the funny thing is, He wants to help me. He cares for the little people too.

God wants us to use good judgement - His wisdom - every day. He wants us to judge ourselves correctly, not too harshly. He also wants us to use His wisdom when we think about judging others.

The fear of God (the great respect for God and the deep desire to obey Him promptly and completely) is the beginning of wisdom.

Rewrites

To me, writing is fun. I've been enjoying my training for a few years: reading "how to" books, reading novels, writing, listening for God's guidance.

There is so much to learn. I have to get all of the various pieces working together to create a cohesive whole. I work on point of view, narrator's voice, logical reactions from the characters, setting details, plot flow, weaving the subplot, taking out extraneous details, etc. There's a lot to do.

When I focus on one part of the book, I must go back to previous chapters and make sure the story leading up to that part makes sense. Will the reader expect this to happen? Will the reader be disappointed by the character's action, attitude or speech? Should the reader be disappointed at this moment in the book - because they're involved in the character's emotions?

Sometimes my first draft will leave out something important. Something that is necessary for the reader to understand before moving on to the next chapter. Normally, I go over each chapter several times before others read it. Occasionally, it takes a critique partner's eyes to catch something I overlooked.

I wish I could write a book by myself, but I can't. I must listen to God for His input. I want a critique partner to catch mistakes and omissions. When a publishing house wants to produce my book, an editor will make changes to my words again.

The first draft isn't as good as it could be. That's why God invented rewrites.

I can easily relate this to my spiritual life. God created me to be special. A unique individual. But I sometimes make mistakes. That's why He sent Jesus. I need complete forgiveness from a Perfect God. An Almighty God. And He forgives completely.

When I delete a wrong sentence or word, I don't have a record of how many times I've made that same mistake all through the story. It's ridiculous to think someone would keep track of how many times the delete key has been struck per story.

God has no record of how many times He has forgiven me. He has a great memory, but Love keeps no record of wrongs.

When I rewrite part of a chapter, my my story gets stronger. When God helps me rewrite my life mistakes, the memory of the mistakes is still there, reminding me what I've done. If I'll learn the lesson, I don't have to keep making the same mistake. Eventually, the memory of the mistake fades into the background, no longer recognizable.

My actions, attitudes, and speech aren't as good as they could be right now, but God forgives - and allows rewrites.

Falling in love

I love the feeling of falling in love.

I love reading the sweet parts in Christian romance novels. Sometimes, I giggle at the characters' reactions when they realize they've fallen in love and there's nothing they can do about it. So they might as well stop fighting it. Just accept it and enjoy it.

When the whole "head over heels" feeling hits, it's sigh time. That's so fun to write. Butterflies. Dizzy spells. Rubbery legs. Stammering speech. That incredibly wonderful awful feeling.

The good part is: I've experienced it in my life. But I know how if feels to lose that momentary feeling too. Some say that feeling is just a chemical reaction. The feeling doesn't last forever, but the romance can if you work at it.

You have to work at anything you want to keep in your life. If you want to keep your teeth, keep them brushed and flossed. If you want a pretty garden, keep it watered, fertilized, and weeded. If you want romance in your life, keep your mate in suspense about how you're going to show your love next.

I've fallen in love with my husband many times. This December, my husband and I will celebrate the 25th anniversary of our first date. To God be the glory - I think He's the one that set us up.

If you're continually working on keeping love in your life, that feeling will come back.