Once after hearing a fabulous God story from her friend, a woman replied, “You know, I’ve never faced the situation you just described. But when I hear your story of how God worked, it gives me such hope.”
Stories are powerful. And I have a personal God story I’d love to share with you.
Nail-biting Search
If you’ve poked around here for long, you’ve heard rumors that I’m writing a book. No one warns you of how many details you’ll have to juggle when you birth a book. Before you begin, you blissfully think authors write a few thousand words, and {poof} a book magically appears. That’s kind of what I hoped anyway. But there is so much more to the process. Editors, cover art, and subtitles, oh my!
My search for a professional Christian editor stretched over six long months. (Long months are far worse than short ones, you know.)
I begged friends and business contacts for referrals.
I sought advice from my publishing mentor.
I trolled the internet and random agencies, contacting anyone who showed the slightest potential.
Along the way, I crossed paths with wonderful people, like the editor I met at a business workshop. It took her a couple months to reply to my initial email because she was out of the country. “No big deal,” I thought. “At least she’s home now.” But when she finally replied, she spelled my name wrong. Oh, the irony.
Some of the editors I found were obvious “no’s.” Some were vague unease. All were closed doors.
In late April the last name on my list taunted me. I gulped as I sent an inquisitive email to a woman in Alaska. “Maybe she’s the one?” I wondered. She was kind but expecting to birth twins any day and unable to accept new projects. I felt my hope balloon screech across the room as it deflated.
But God had dropped her “character” into my story for another purpose.
Specific Answer to Prayer
At the end of her email, this dear woman offered to post my need in her online professional Christian editors group. I almost cried in relief as I answered, “Um, yes please.” My one worry was that no one would contact me, and I wouldn’t know where else to search for help.
I needn’t have spent an ounce of energy on that ridiculous fear. Earlier that week, a grace friend had texted me she was praying for my editor hunt, specifically asking God to provide my editor by the end of the week.
I wrote the Alaska lady on Monday. On Friday my inbox was bombarded with not one or two, but fifteen quality editors bidding on my book, one of which turned out to be the perfect fit God intended all along. Talk about “exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think”!
I can’t stop smiling as I deliver the book to my editor this week. What a real-life example of abundant love and grace from Poppa, smack dab in the middle of my own adventure story. Yay God!
What’s Your Story?
Which of your God stories breathlessly waits to be shared?
Your stories are powerful. They spread hope and grace. Not only do they showcase God’s power, they encourage hearts – yours and the listeners’ – with the truth that God is still at work in this very moment too.
