By Stacy Lee Flury
Hard to believe that half the year is already gone. So much has transpired in my life since last June. You see, the book I was working on for five years was finally written and in the editing stages. We were excited about a new grandchild and I was inspired and encouraged by new things lined up for the future.
Then my life changed.
By the end of that summer, my husband and I had to declare bankruptcy on the business and house. We had to pack up sixty years of generational memories and items within a month and move them into a rental apartment that accepted two dogs and two cats. Very hard to do.
Moving day included a blistering snow storm as well as a 26 foot truck hitting one of our cars and ripped the front completely off. By the time settlement came for the sale of the house and what little we received from it, I was left stressed and wanting to give up on everything – including my book.
My heart to write was crushed. I had no energy, will, or passion to continue. I was in fact, covered in boxes from the move, animals in high anxiety, and dealing with a daughter who struggled with PTSD, anxiety, depression and very pregnant. I don’t know who cried more in those difficult and tulmultuous days.
Thinking our nightmare was over, we were informed that we were going to be sued by our mortgage company and the title over a payout sheet that was incorrect by the mortgage company. Mind you, we had already settled and been left with basically nothing from the sale/bankruptcy of the house. My job was far and we had one between three people. Then we had an infestation of ants and crickets in the new house, a broken tooth with no dental insurance, an so much more. My first thought was, “How is God going to use all of this mess in my life?” Funny thing is, He does use it. Every. Single. Bit.
For me, God was using every emotion that I wrote about in my book. Fear. Worry. Sadness, Vulnerability. You see, I wrote a devotional book called, “Turning the Tide of Emotional Turbulence: Devotions for Parents with Teens in Crisis.” Never did I realize that those same emotions that I traveled through as a parent would be highlighted once again in my life.
Sometimes we want to give up, but the Lord really wants us to give in. When I finally did, the bugs went moving along, our kitties and doggies were calmer, I did less crying and more praying. We were blessed with a donated car and my book to be published was paid for with not one penny out of my pocket. On top of that, we just may get some of our money back from the mortgage company.
Today, my chapters are more fine-tuned to what God wanted me to say and He is opening doors for me personally. Am I still going through trials? Yes. My granddaughter had an accident that caused her to stay in the hospital overnight from a slight brain bleed and my son-in-law was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor two days later. So if you are in a place in which you want to throw in the towel with your career, life’s ambitions, faith in God or writing a book like myself, throw yourself on your knees instead and ask God to take over. He is not finished with Your story. He could be just adding another chapter to it. So consider today, to not give up, but to give in.
2 Chronicles 15:7 (NIV) – “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work (faith-paraphrased) will be rewarded.”
Bio: Stacy Lee Flury endured painful realities of parenting a troubled teen daughter through years of turmoil. In “Turing the Tide of Emotional Turbulence: Devotions for Parents of Teens in Crisis,” Stacy recounts how her abiding faith in God gave her victory over the swirl of negative emotions that raged in her heart. She blogs at Anchor of Promise, providing outreach to families battling upheaval in their homes. Redeeming years of personal loss and struggle, she uses her trials and lessons to encourage others in similar situations to find hope and healing. She lives with her husband of 35 years, is mother to two daughters, and is a new grandmother. Visit Stacy Lee Flury at http://www.AnchorofPromise.com.
Where Hope Blooms 