As is easily noticed, I haven't written for a few years. I did manage to post a while ago that I got caught up in worldly things. I was obsessed with finding a new home and was consumed in the hunt. Looking at ads, driving by and taking home tours. Years went by and we finally landed in what might just be our forever home.
During the house hunting years both prior to and after, I was working on writing a book and getting it published. There were many things that were being dealt with during that process and what a process it was. Write, rewrite, edit, have others read the manuscript, edit again, find a place to publish and make sure all involved in the story were on board with sharing some of the most difficult years of our lives.
The book is about the story of us, a blended family. We were a family in conflict. A conflict that lasted for decades. A conflict that impacted family and friends. A conflict that included, jail, hospitals, the internet, rumors, court and on and on. It is a story about how all we had to hang on to was God.
The desire to share our story was placed in my heart by God. I believe He wanted this to be shared not to instruct but to encourage. With Him, we can endure more than we think possible and we did.
I often wondered where God was in our mess. I wondered what I might have done that He would allow us to struggle to the level we did. I wanted to run away, over and over again. But by His grace we stuck it out and still are a family today. It is impossible to take what we experienced and put it into a sentence or two but it was all consuming and horrible.
When we have something like what we dealt with in our lives happen it is horrible and it might haunt us forever. It might cause us to question more things than we should or even need to question. It is a bad thing and it will forever be a bad thing.
That being said, God worked in my heart and mind and showed me that it didn't have to be that way. He gave me a new perspective. True if we have bad things happen, they are indeed bad things BUT if we use them for good, then maybe, maybe they can become something other than a bad thing. Where did that come from? I believe from God Himself. He then took me to the Old Testament, the very first book. The book of Genesis.
He led me to the story of Joseph found in Genesis starting in chapter 37 through chapter 50. Joseph was the youngest among his brothers and he had dreams, very big dreams. His dreams placed him over his older brothers which made them angry causing them to plot against him. This led them to eventually sell Joseph into slavery which took him to Egypt. Joseph found himself in slavery in a foreign land and eventually in prison for something he did not do. Time passed and God used every experience Joseph had to land Joseph a job being the number one man under Pharaoh. God gave Joseph great wisdom which saved all of Egypt during a time of incredible famine. In fact all the countries around them were starving including Josephs' home. He eventually saved them as well.
The story takes readers to a point where the brothers who sold him are in his presence and some of that encounter are found in Genesis chapter 50 verses 19 and 20.
"But Joseph replied, "Don't be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people."
I am no Joseph and I am not in a position to save lives but my overview is that something came along in my life to do me harm and I believe that God can, has and will continue to use our hardship for good that it might encourage families, parents and step parents to never give up on each other.
These are the reasons the book has been written, nothing more, nothing less. Our family hopes that others might find hope, courage and a willingness to keep on going even when it seems it will never work out. With God it can, for God is good no matter what is going on around us. Our circumstances don't change God. He is good, caring, loving and involved no matter how tough it gets. I cannot understand how anyone can get through anything tough without Him. I couldn't have. We couldn't have.
So, that is what I have been up to and where I have been. This endeavor has taken years and it is complete. The book is available at Amazon. Barnes and Noble on line and so on. I hope one day it makes it onto the shelf in bookstores but that is all up to God. If it encourages one family to stick it our, it was worth it.