Overwhelmed

It feels like my family is racing in a spacecraft through a meteor shower. Sharp turns, near misses and spectacular explosions play out moment by moment, leaving us breathless. And overwhelmed.

But God is at work.

A lot of people seem to be going through a lot of difficult circumstances right now. But even when things don't make sense to my natural mind, I must choose to believe that God is at work in those circumstances.

Situations might scream, "It's all over!" But God says, "Surely as I have thought and planned, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand." (Isaiah 14:24b)

Situations may shout, "It's too late!" But God says, "I work all things for the good of those who love Me and are called according to my purpose." (Romans 8:28 - my paraphrase.)

Situations might make us cry out, "I cannot do this!" But God says, "Fear not; there is nothing to fear for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and harden you to difficulties; yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My victorious right hand of rightness and justice." (Isaiah 41:10)

I want to pray for you this week. Yes, my family is going through it. But I want to sow seeds by helping others in need, and the most powerful way I can think of is through prayer.

What are you walking through? Leave me a comment and tell me about your situation; then know I will be lifting you up in prayer all week long.

Going...Going...Gray!

This is the third and final post in a short series on why I chose to go gray. Read the first and second posts, if you haven't already.

I always said I'd never do it. Hair color was fake, and I like keeping it real. I don't wear tons of make-up. Don't paint my nails. And doggone it, I was not going to color my hair.

Then came the gray. Tons of it--entirely too much of it--at far too young an age. And I felt like a hag. At 34. So I did what I had to do. I changed my mind and, with my sister guiding me on the phone for moral support, I poured a bottle of Loreal over my head for the first time.

For fourteen years, I covered. But eventually the gray outnumbered and overcame my ability to keep up with it. Just eight days after coloring, a silver tinge stubbornly appeared at my part. Frantic to keep the evidence concealed, I began coloring my hair every 3 weeks. Then every 2-1/2 weeks.

And then I realized it just wasn't worth it any longer. Covering the premature gray hair I inherited from both sides of my family began to feel like a prison sentence. An expensive, stinky, messy cover up.

So, last August I made the bold decision to stop coloring my hair. For many months I endured tell-tale roots, and then on March 31st, unable to tolerate the half-and-half look any longer, I chopped it all off.

Let me just say that going short and gray was a real shocker for me. Initially, I gasped every time I passed a mirror. Thankfully my hair has grown a bit.

And now, I look like this:

Like it or loathe it, it's the real me.

One of the best things about going gray has been the support and compliments from my family and friends. (My husband thinks I'm hot.)

But it hasn't been easy. I live in Florida, where gray hair abounds. Sometimes I feel like I'm just another gray haired woman in a sea of silver heads.

I've also discovered I'm far more vain than I ever realized. Letting go of my light reddish brown hair has been hard. Being mistaken for someone's grandma, even harder. Yes, I realize that I'm a grandma, but I'm a young grandma, and I was never thus accused before. Can you say adjustment?

My favorite part about going gray has been learning to accept myself as I am. It's a work in progress, as it is for all women in a youth crazed, beauty driven culture. But I've received many whispered comments expressing admiration. Apparently a lot of women have taken courage from my decision, and if I've helped even one of them realize that gray can be beautiful, then I suppose that's progress. For all of us.

Who Said a Dream is Easy?

A lot of people give up on their dreams because they're not prepared for the reality of the hard work involved. The truth is, if we hope to attain our dream, we have to work hard and run after it. This week, lace up your sneakers, find a gigantic hill and run a mile straight up in the summer heat. You'll wind up breathless, sweaty, exhausted, sore, and maybe even a little cranky.

Pursuing your dream will make you feel the same way.

I can't tell you the number of people I've encountered who, when they discover I'm a writer, tell me they have a book inside them, too. When I ask them what they're doing to pursue their dream of writing a book, I'm usually met with a shrug. They fail to understand that dreams don't come to fruition without fierce effort.

Whether we want to write, dance, figure-skate, start our own business, or start a diet, we all have to work hard, and work our way up. We all have to pay our dues.

If you've ever watched American Idol, you've probably cringed when someone stands before the judges and mutilates a song. That person has a dream, but they lack the talent or the discipline (or both) to take it to the next level.

Yet we're all thrilled when someone's voice gives us goosebumps. What we should realize is that usually many years of training, practice and hard work have made that person's voice a thing of beauty.

It's the same with our dreams. Pursuing our dream requires hard work, perseverance and:

• Focus - In a culture that values multi-tasking, single-minded focus enables us to keep making progress when others veer off the path.

• Goals - Establishing realistic yet challenging goals from the beginning keeps us motivated and helps us to see our progress and adjust our course if necessary.

• Diligence - Unfortunately, the world is filled with slackers. Applying ourselves with steady, careful effort yields excellence--a trait that makes us stand out.

• Time - There are no short cuts to a dream; every dream takes time to come to fruition. If we are wise, we will use this time to learn, study, and practice, practice, practice.

• Passion - The foundation of every dream is passion. Do you love what you're doing? Pursuing your dream should excite and energize you.

• Prayer - The most important component to every dream is soaking it with our prayers every step of the way. When we submit our dreams to God, He equips us, opens doors, and gives us grace when the going gets tough.

A dream is only a wish until we do something about it. Yes, dreams are free, but we always have to do our part. How about you? What hard goal are you working toward?

The Call

I firmly believe that every one of us has a God given destiny--a calling to fulfill God's plans and purposes for our lives.

For six years God has compelled me to pursue His calling on my life to communicate, and you'll have to trust me when I tell you it wasn't my idea. I've watched in sheer astonishment as He has opened one writing door after another, even though I'm the least qualified writer on the planet.

Have you ever dreamed a dream so big it seemed ridiculous? I think God gives us ridiculous dreams so that we'll cling to Him like a knit skirt fresh out of the dryer. When we finally succeed, (and there will be plenty of fumbles) we'll know it's the result of His gift at work in us, not because we're all that. Which leads me to The Call.

Details

Over the past year, I've worked on a nonfiction book for women. I've met with a few publishers, editors and agents at writers conferences and gotten a couple of nibbles, but nothing was happening, unless you count head banging.

Until recently.

Though I had nearly given up hope, at the beginning of the year I decided to send out my book proposal one last time to one last agent. If nothing happened, I'd shelve it and pray about my next step.

Then, in the middle of my blog and Twitter break, I heard back from the agent. He was interested (!) and wondered if I had tested the book material on actual women. It hadn't even occurred to me, but I liked his suggestion, made a few phone calls, and to my surprise and delight, a focus group of women quickly formed. We met together for three weeks (to read the first three chapters--normally included in a nonfiction book proposal); a second group of women who couldn't attend the group meetings read the chapters individually. I compiled a survey, threatened every woman with bodily harm if they dared to flatter me or withhold truth, and procured promises of honest feedback.

The test group turned out to be outrageously fun! It superseded all my expectations. The suggestions and ideas I received from the women helped me to adjust and tweak the book, which made it much stronger. I'm so grateful for all their help!

And then, I sent it all back to the agent: the updated proposal and survey results. That same day he e-mailed me back with a contract. *Squeal* We chatted on the phone the next afternoon, since I had lots of questions, which he patiently answered.

So, it's official! I have a literary agent, Les Stobbe. And while there are no promises in today's publishing market, I couldn't be more thrilled that I answered the call.

How about you? Are you pursuing your calling? Do you have a ridiculous dream?