Selling Out

It’s a seller’s market out there! When my daughter and her husband learned that his medical training would continue in North Carolina this spring, they immediately began looking for housing. A new listing would appear and before they could contact their agent, the property was under contract. With barely enough time to close before their lease was up, their offer was accepted at above asking price. The seller made a nice profit in the year since she purchased the home, simply because the current market was in her favor. We can only hope the same is true when they’re ready to sell. There are simply no guarantees.

Just the opposite was true when I began taking my writing seriously. The more I explored the possibilities, the more options presented themselves and I began feeling seriously overwhelmed. Where was I supposed to start? Who should I contact? The steps between me and publication seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance. It became such a confusion of thought and purpose that the first time I sat with an editor at a local writers conference to present my idea, I ended up sobbing and asking for direction instead. She was young and I think a tearful middle aged woman sort of scared her, but to her credit, she offered me only encouragement.

What I didn’t know was that God’s plan was already in motion. He was guiding me down all the right roads. Step by step, His Global Positioning System, the Holy Spirit, continues to prompt me. Even when I make a wrong turn, I am rerouted around obstacles toward opportunities.

“O Lord, you alone are my hope. I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood. Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb you have cared for me.

No wonder I am always praising you! My life is an example to many, because you have been my strength and protection. That is why I can never stop praising you; I declare your glory all day long.”

Psalms 71:5-8 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.71.5-8.NLT

After the long weekend we spent packing up to sell our house at the coast, I expected to crash, the effects of the chemotherapy finally taking its toll. I did sleep soundly that first night back at home and woke with a song in my head, one stanza stuck on repeat.

“Letting go of every single dream

I lay each one down at Your feet”

Trust In You ~Lauren Daigle

https://youtu.be/n_aVFVveJNs

As I opened my email to read my daily devotional from Max Lucado, I learned about aging pianist and composer, Ludwig Von Beethoven, who continued to play a broken harpsichord in spite of its being badly out of tune. Moved to tears, he played melodies firmly embedded in his memory. “He was deaf. Beethoven was hearing the sound the instrument should make, not the one it did make.”

Lucado then draws the parallel.

“The Master patiently tunes until He hears the sound He longs to hear.” ~Max Lucado

https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.maxlucado.com/media/2021/03.22.21.mp3?mc_cid=33a4e77f86&mc_eid=534416b8af

God has been… God is patiently working in my heart and life, leading me step by step toward His purpose. What that is in it’s entirety is yet to be seen. I’m learning to focus on my Savior’s face and leave my footing to His care.

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

Psalms 119:105 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.119.105.NLT

“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.”

Psalms 23:3 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.23.3.NLT

I’m learning to hold all things a little more loosely so when He chooses to move me, I am packed and ready to go. He’s teaching me that letting go of one thing to pick up another is easier when I trust Him completely.

“Truth is, You know what tomorrow brings

There’s not a day ahead You have not seen

So in all things be my life and breath

I want what You want, Lord, and nothing less

You are my strength and comfort

You are my steady hand

You are my firm foundation

The rock on which I stand

Your ways are always higher

Your plans are always good

There’s not a place where I’ll go

You’ve not already stood”

(Trust In You ~Lauren Daigle)

Coincidence? Not by any stretch of the imagination! This is just a glimpse- one moment in my life where God chose to speak to me, reminding me that He is working all things together for good, (Romans 8:28) but it is not an isolated incident. I am writing and leaving the publication to Him. I’ve invested in the website for a minimum of ten years in an effort to hold myself accountable. What He chooses to do with the words He gives me is entirely up to Him. I am content to walk with Him.

“He drew me closer to His side

I sought His will to know

And in that will I now abide

Wherever He leads I’ll go”

(Wherever You Lead I’ll Go ~BB McKinney)