Good advice

I’ve just finished reading a novel, something I rarely do. While incredibly well written, I found it hard to read but even harder to put down.

Written from the perspective of two people who loved God passionately, it delves into their painful pasts. Throughout the years of their lives, they both hid abuse of every description and it goes without saying that their personalities, their relationships and even their individual occupations were sculpted by their hidden pain. After a series of attempts to by-pass their pasts in favour of what they hoped would be a better future, they reached out for help. I’m not going to say anymore except that the ending is nothing like I’d imagined. You’ll have to read it for yourself to find out (Almost Heaven by Chris Fabry).

It’s a given that every person in this world went, will go or is currently going through some sort of pain and that’s what I found so difficult about this book. In short, it hit the “nail on the head” in describing decades of my life. How I thank God that I was able to receive help; I just wish I’d known how to do that decades earlier. Enough said except that those regrets have been replaced by gratitude, freedom and rejoicing.

Here are my recommendations for the coming days; First, come daily to the Lord in prayer, asking for His direction; next, spend time with others who love Him and let your conversation honour Him; finally, don’t hesitate to ask for help when you come up against a “bump” in any part of your life.

Here’s a great prayer to begin with: “Do not rejoice over me, my enemy. When I fall I will arise. When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.” (Micah 7:8)

Hallelujah!