Seems like it was only four or five years ago when all the world appeared to be in a frenzy about the impending unknowns of the Y2K. All of our lives we'd placed a 19 in front of our years when posting dates, and suddenly, we had to change and get used to placing a 20 there instead. It changed everything from the way we did business to the way we functioned on a day to day basis. It took us out of our comfort zone, but in the end, everything worked out okay and most of our concerns were proven to be unfounded. Change is imminent, and sooner or later we have to accept it . . . even if we don't readily embrace it.
The year 2014 proved to be a very active one for me. The changes it brought sparked emotions from one end of the spectrum to the other. Not only did it bring me immense joy, but it also brought great fear and deep heartbreak. The fear came when an attempted robbery was made on me as I arrived at work in July. Fear nearly paralyzed me that day. It was still relatively dark outside, and I was all alone (except for the perpetrator), so the only one I could rely on was Jesus. Having only recently moved to the area, I'd only been on the job for six months. On every job I've ever had, I'm known for my ability to overcome challenges it presents. But having someone walk up behind me with a gun and threaten to use it if I didn't give up my purse was more than enough to make me leave. I put in my 2-weeks notice the very next day. I still triumphed in my opinion. Maybe not professionally, but definitely personally. After all, I lived to tell the story. I was still around to put in the two-week notice only because God preserved my life. He allowed me to remain calm in a chaotic situation and enabled me to think quickly that day and outsmart my aggressor. Not only did I escaped with my life, but also my purse. The perp succeeded in taking nothing from me.
The heartbreak came with the the passing of my mother. It's still a hard reality to accept. I honestly can't recall a time in my life when I grieved so heavily. I already knew the pain of losing a loved one that was dear and near to my heart. In 1995, I buried my first husband; a man I loved and adored with all that was within me. But it felt as though the departure of Mama pierced an entirely different area of my heart. For a solid month, I think I cried every single day. Often times the tears would break suddenly and without warning. I no longer had an outside job with assignments to keep me busy and my mind on other things. Being a full time writer again seemed to make the healing process even worse. I was at home alone for much of the day, and writing wasn't a big enough distraction to keep my mind occupied.
The year 2014 proved to be a very active one for me. The changes it brought sparked emotions from one end of the spectrum to the other. Not only did it bring me immense joy, but it also brought great fear and deep heartbreak. The fear came when an attempted robbery was made on me as I arrived at work in July. Fear nearly paralyzed me that day. It was still relatively dark outside, and I was all alone (except for the perpetrator), so the only one I could rely on was Jesus. Having only recently moved to the area, I'd only been on the job for six months. On every job I've ever had, I'm known for my ability to overcome challenges it presents. But having someone walk up behind me with a gun and threaten to use it if I didn't give up my purse was more than enough to make me leave. I put in my 2-weeks notice the very next day. I still triumphed in my opinion. Maybe not professionally, but definitely personally. After all, I lived to tell the story. I was still around to put in the two-week notice only because God preserved my life. He allowed me to remain calm in a chaotic situation and enabled me to think quickly that day and outsmart my aggressor. Not only did I escaped with my life, but also my purse. The perp succeeded in taking nothing from me.
The heartbreak came with the the passing of my mother. It's still a hard reality to accept. I honestly can't recall a time in my life when I grieved so heavily. I already knew the pain of losing a loved one that was dear and near to my heart. In 1995, I buried my first husband; a man I loved and adored with all that was within me. But it felt as though the departure of Mama pierced an entirely different area of my heart. For a solid month, I think I cried every single day. Often times the tears would break suddenly and without warning. I no longer had an outside job with assignments to keep me busy and my mind on other things. Being a full time writer again seemed to make the healing process even worse. I was at home alone for much of the day, and writing wasn't a big enough distraction to keep my mind occupied.
Mama was a trooper 'til the very end. God didn't permit her to suffer long at all which was a tremendous blessing. From the time of the doctor's devastating diagnosis until God took her home was a matter of about two months. And she was basically able to fully carry out her life as normal until the last two weeks. Mama never once complained. She never once seemed the least bit concerned of what was to come. Mine is a very close-knit family. I had a tight bond with my mother. I spent nine days of those last two weeks of Mama's life living in the house with her and my dad and helping to give her the 'round-the-clock care that she'd come to need. She was having trouble getting around at that point, but she was fully in her right mind, had a healthy appetite, and was always in good spirits. We had many talks and shared in many laughs during that time. In the aftermath it seems like the knowledge that I'd been there for her when she needed me most would have brought me a great sense of joy and peace. Instead, it seemed to do the opposite. All those fresh precious memories of my mother would overshadow me, and the constant realization that I'd never see her again on this side of life was consuming me with grief. I felt the onset of depression; some days not even being able to get out of bed. One while, it felt as though I might grieve forever, but with a little time and a lot of prayer came God's divine comfort. I still miss her terribly and at times I still grieve. The truth is, I probably always will. But it's no longer the overwhelming sadness that I originally experienced. I'm not drowning in tears now, and I can actually talk about her without completely falling apart. Today I'm able to rejoice in knowing that she's completely healed and in the presence of the Lord.
Sometimes when things happen that we label as "bad," we tend to forget all of the great and marvelous things God has done for us. One heart-wrenching moment can erase every celebrated moment if we allow it. And that was a mistake that I came very close to making. But in 2014, the Lord did some awesome things for me in spite of Mama's transition. In March, I married one the most wonderful men I've ever known. A man who loves the Lord with all of his heart. A man who loves me as Christ loves the church. A man who exceeds everything that I've ever asked for or dreamed of. Meeting him in 2013 was a blind blessing. I didn't plan it, I wasn't looking for it, and in fact, I didn't even want it. The crossing of our paths was completely orchestrated by God. There is no other explanation. After having to endure the utter heartbreak of burying my first husband and the sheer embarrassment of the details that led to the divorcing of my second; marriage wasn't something that appealed to me anymore. My heart never hardened toward marriage, and I still fully believed in true love. However, neither of them were of any interest to me at the time. I was single and completely happy at that status. I didn't feel incomplete or lonely. I was an independent woman, living comfortably in my own home, working as Director of a respected preschool, providing well for myself, and loving every minute of it. But God had other plans for my life...and I'm so glad He did. My husband, Michael, is the absolute greatest gift that I never prayed for, and if God had done nothing else for me this year, allowing me to become Mrs. Michael Holmes would have been more than enough. But the Lord had more in store.
For instance, there is the matter of my 20th published work. If writing and publishing books is indeed the equivalence of giving birth to children, I surpassed my due date many times with The Path From Pain to Purpose. I became "legally separated" from my ex-husband in 2010, and although I began writing the book in 2011, the Lord made it abundantly clear to me that I was going to have to walk through the spiritual storm that my life was going through at that time before I'd be able to complete the book in the manner in which He was inspiring. In my stupidity, I tried over and over again to force the premature completion of it in spite of what God told me, but His will would not be overruled by mine. That entire process (the dissolution of the marriage) was probably the biggest personal trial I've ever had to come up against. Between the lies that were told, the betrayals that were discovered, and the just plain disgusting details of it all; I found myself being broken, remolded, then broken and remolded all over again. It was a rough transformation process, but on the other side of it, God made me so much strong, wiser, better . . . and HAPPIER! It took more than three years, but this year, the book finally birthed electronically in the month of September and in print in the month of December. Not only that, but God gave me a bonus blessing when He allowed me to also publish a 21st work when I released an electronic version of my very first novella on Christmas Day entitled Three Wyze Men.
To end the year, God favored me with a new job. The end of my former employment (even with the fear and danger that surrounded it) was something that God allowed. The timing of it proved that God was (and always is) in control. During the downtime that followed the ending of that employment, the Lord allowed me to fulfill the things that He had assigned me to do in my writing ministry--those things that full time corporate obligations on a mentally stressful and demanding job just weren't allowing me to complete. It also allowed me to be totally available for my mother's needs. But once those assignments were complete, God opened a great door for me to return to corporate America. On December 14th, I spoke the name of the company for which I wanted to work and I spoke the title of the executive position that I wanted to hold. I hadn't applied for it nor did I know that position was even available at that moment, but on December 15th I applied for an online job posting that I found as I was browsing the Internet. The position that needed filling carried the exact same title that I'd spoken the day before. But I because it was a posting that didn't include the company's name, I was totally unaware at the time that it was also with the exact same company whose name I'd spoken a day earlier. I discovered that the following day when I received a call for a preliminary interview. Within five days I'd been hired for the position pending the outcome of a criminal background check...and I certainly had no worries about that. Because of the nature of this particular job, I'll also be allowed the time and the mental calm that I need to be able to get necessary writing assignments done too. I will begin working shortly after the New Year. To God be all the glory!
So yes...God has done great and mighty things for me this year and I'm GLAD. Yet, as much of a milestone as 2014 has been, He has rested the words in my spirit that 2015 will be my year of double-portion. As Michael and I fellowshipped with my dad at his church in Valdosta this past Sunday (Michael was the keynote speaker), my father got up near the end of the service and said that God had told him that 2015 was going to be the best year for his (my father's) ministry. I turned to look at my husband as I sat beside him in the platform because I'd just told him a few days earlier that the Lord had rested the words "double portion" in my spirit as it pertained to the year 2015. I'd never told my father that, so when he said what he said, it was confirmation! But I don't believe it's a word only for me regarding my life or a word only for my dad regarding his ministry. I believe it's a word for all of God's people! Not those who just speak the name of Christ, but those who LIVE the lives of Christians. Those who are walking in the will and the ways of the Lord. Those who don't mind being ridiculed for the sake of the gospel. Those who aren't trying to fit in with the world, but instead are determined NOT to conform but be TRANSFORMED. Those who are walking in divine purpose. I decree and declare it right now. As God has spoken it to me, so shall it also be to you: 2015 is our year of DOUBLE-PORTION!
So yes...God has done great and mighty things for me this year and I'm GLAD. Yet, as much of a milestone as 2014 has been, He has rested the words in my spirit that 2015 will be my year of double-portion. As Michael and I fellowshipped with my dad at his church in Valdosta this past Sunday (Michael was the keynote speaker), my father got up near the end of the service and said that God had told him that 2015 was going to be the best year for his (my father's) ministry. I turned to look at my husband as I sat beside him in the platform because I'd just told him a few days earlier that the Lord had rested the words "double portion" in my spirit as it pertained to the year 2015. I'd never told my father that, so when he said what he said, it was confirmation! But I don't believe it's a word only for me regarding my life or a word only for my dad regarding his ministry. I believe it's a word for all of God's people! Not those who just speak the name of Christ, but those who LIVE the lives of Christians. Those who are walking in the will and the ways of the Lord. Those who don't mind being ridiculed for the sake of the gospel. Those who aren't trying to fit in with the world, but instead are determined NOT to conform but be TRANSFORMED. Those who are walking in divine purpose. I decree and declare it right now. As God has spoken it to me, so shall it also be to you: 2015 is our year of DOUBLE-PORTION!
