April Showers of Blessing—Part III
Joy truly does come after a season of disappointments and weeping…of emotional and/or physical pain. Glimpses of joy, a great event can be seen during times of trial. I alluded to one in the fall of 2016. Trials come before blessing, before our “promised land” or as some ministers, including my pastor put it, your “sweet spot.” #amwriting #GodsTimingForYourLife #AprilShowersofBlessing Click to Tweet
The one thing that happened in the fall of 2016 that blessed me was my return to prophetic ministry. I’d received an email out of the blue from church that literally said, “You are receiving this email because you have either served on prophetic ministry team at ECC, or you’ve been asked to serve.” And I thought, “Um, no, and no.”
It was because my pastor had seen the application for the Bible school that turned me down. It was a bright light in an otherwise dark fall season. But it gave me hope that things would change. It was a joyous evening for me, the first time in ten years I’d ministered in that way. A very meaningful evening and I’ll never forget it. I’ve been privileged to serve again in that way earlier this year at church.
Last year, during my first bout of the flu, I received a message from my agent to call him. I dragged myself out of bed on February 1st, 2017 to talk with him. That’s when he told me Meghan’s Choice would be published. Inside, I’m dancing and shouting. Outside, I muster up enough energy to almost sound excited, then hauled myself back to bed. But my life changed with that news.
I had something to look forward to. Something I knew would happen later that year. Hope was reborn. I’d pretty much given up that my book would ever be published.
Just after Christmas 2016, I bought a DNA test. You heard a lot about that last year, but it was something God was also doing in my life during the time of testing and pain. I had the flu twice, and a cough that seemed to never quit after a month or so.
But before the flu, my bottom left molars began causing severe pain, sometimes for an hour in the evening after supper. When I was on soft foods, the pain was less or nonexistent, but at times, it was almost excruciating. The day after Easter in 2017, I got my first adult tooth extraction. But the pain didn’t end.
During that whole spring and summer, God did some wonderful things. He allowed me to connect with my biological relatives. You can read all about that in last year’s “We Interrupt This Series” posts, and others.
You never know what God is going to do. Be ready for sudden and quick change to bring you hope, encouragement, and faith for the future—even during a difficult time. #DueSeason #amwriting #GodsTimingForYourLife #AprilShowersofBlessing Click to Tweet
Donna L.H. Smith 