What to Do When You Feel Like You're Living "In a Sun-Scorched Land" {book giveaway}
Today I'm sharing this wild story with the world. It's funny, it's frightening, it's dramatic, and it's miraculous. It's for anyone and everyone.
But if you're struggling with circumstances that just aren't changing; with prayers that seem to be going unanswered; with a soul that's parched and cracking, I wrote this book especially for you.
Because there IS hope. In the craziness. In the pain. In the drama. In the mundane.
I know... You look around, and it seems everyone else has found their magic oasis. Things are clicking into place: their prayers are answered, their families are flourishing, they’re healthy, they have enough money.
And you’ve asked God more than once when it will finally be your turn… when you'll find your way out of this sun-scorched land.
I’ve been there. My years in the country of Haiti were hot, yes, but it was my specific set of circumstances that created my desert. Or so I thought.
My husband and I watched child after child get adopted. All but the precious three that lived in our Haiti home. For some reason their papers fell through the cracks every time. For nine entire years.
I watched other missionaries and expats travel back to the States for seasons of refreshment. But not us. After all, our three children couldn’t go with us. For eight years.
I saw others living manageable lives. Not me, though.
My circumstances didn’t change. I was bitter… let down. By the government. By family. By friends.
I didn't see "any good." I was dwelling “in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land” (Jeremiah 17:6b). I suffered there, until God revealed the why to me:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength…” (Jeremiah 17:5b).
I was placing my trust in myself and my own solutions. I was a “shrub in the desert” (v.6a), allowing myself to be blown about by the scorching winds of my problems, instead of rooting myself in the Lord.
And how much comfort I missed. Until the Lord opened my eyes.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord… He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes…” (Jeremiah 17:7a, 8a).
The heat might not end. The sun may still beat down.
But in the Lord, there is refreshment, hope, and peace.
Friend, your point of view is limited. Your situation could change in an instant; that’s how powerful our God is. Don’t doubt it for a moment.
But while you’re waiting, while everything seems hopelessly, impossibly the same, put your trust in the Lord.
Step out of the desert mindset. Dig deep into God’s Word, root yourself in Him, and experience his stream of blessing.
Cry out to Him right now. He is close to the broken-hearted and gives strength to the weary!
I'd love to share with you the ways Jesus renewed my soul, revealed His power, and turned darkness to light through my memoir, In a Sun-Scorched Land: A memoir of adoption, faith, and the moving of Haiti's mountains.
I pray He'll do the same for you.
Want to win one of the 3 books I'm giving away here?
Enter to win by sharing this post and then letting me know you shared it via the comments below!
Or grab a copy for yourself or a friend who needs encouragement right now here!
(Drawing will take place at 8:00 a.m. EST on Thursday, September 17. Winners will be notified via email.)
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