Are You Feeling Invisible?

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Do you ever feel like giving up? Like what you do doesn't matter to anyone, so why should you keep at it?

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Maybe you have a job where you can't seem to get ahead, because nobody seems to notice, much less appreciate, your hard work.

Maybe you're the mother of small children, with days full of diapers and sticky fingers and mountains of laundry. And it seems like everybody else is out there having adventures and doing important things, while you spend your time on the mundane and trivial, and nobody sees. Nobody cares.

Maybe you're a writer, opening yet another rejection letter, wondering if anybody's ever going to want to read these words that you've labored over for hours, months, years.

Life can be hard on those who dream, who try.

Sometimes it seems like nobody sees, nobody cares, and it would be easy to just give up, quit, and go watch TV.

I've certainly been there.

Whether it's writing my novel or writing this blog, I struggle from time to time with the feeling that I'm wasting my time–nobody sees, nobody cares but me, so why should I keep at it? There are easier ways to spend my time!

The past few days, I keep thinking about Hagar–the slave woman in the middle of the Bible story of Abraham and Sarah. Do you know that story? God had spoken to Abraham and promised him that he'd be the father of nations, but his wife Sarah was barren, and they both were old. In her desperation for a child, Sarah gave her slave woman, Hagar, to Abraham to bear a child for her. Hagar gave birth to Abraham's son, but then God performed a miracle and 90-plus-year-old Sarah also conceived. Sarah then became jealous of Hagar and her child, and sent them out into the desert to die.

Sitting there alone in the desert, Hagar knew that she and her child were rejected and abandoned, without friends and without hope. But God saved her and gave her a promise of her own. And she named him El Roi–the God who sees.

The God who sees.

I am clinging to this concept these days. Turning it over and over in my mind. The omnipotent God who created the universe is the God who sees me.

He sees you, too.

I've noticed that each time I reach the point where I feel invisible and unimportant, like what I'm doing is a waste of time and I should just quit, someone will cross my path with a word of encouragement that gives me the energy to keep at it just a little bit longer. I am so grateful for those people.

And I want to be that person for you. I want you to know that what you do matters. Believe that. You bring something unique and important to every task you undertake: you bring yourself, and that matters.

It matters to the God who sees you.

And for that reason, it matters to me, too.

Do you feel discouraged? Does your dream feel far away, or does your daily effort feel wasted and unappreciated? I'd like to hear about it. Maybe we can encourage each other.

Please leave a comment below, or if you'd rather not talk about it publicly, email me. I promise I'll respond.
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Greenville, Texas
I Was Just Thinking . . . 
Legal Blog: Real Estate Law Blog
Twitter: @LauraMcMom
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Do You Have a Comfort Zone? Guest Post (& Giveaway!) by Sharon Srock

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I'm pleased to welcome author Sharon Srock to I Was Just Thinking . . . . Sharon's here to share a reminder of the faithfulness of the God who sees us. Be sure to check at the end of the post to find out how to get a chance for a free copy of Sharon's latest novel.

Do you have a comfort zone? You know, that place you live where…you might not have everything you want…you might not have everything you feel like God promised you…but it’s a “good enough” place to wait, while you wait.

Jacob had a place like that. God had promised the land to Abraham and his family. As the promised moved down the line, Jacob found himself comfortable in the house of his Uncle/father-in-law.

Joseph had a place like that. God gave him dreams as a youth, but I wonder, as time wore on and life seemed to move in a drastically different direction, if he thought he’d misunderstood. I’ll bet life was pretty good being second in charge of Egypt during those seven years of plenty.

Esther had it easy in the palace in the days before Haman’s plot. Mary was a “good Jewish girl” engaged to a “good Jewish guy”… Then, something happened to each of them that changed the course of their lives.

Throughout the waiting, throughout the time of comfort, and the upheavals that came later, God’s plan for these individuals never changed. Our lives are like the seasons on a calendar. Times of rest (winter), times for stretching the parameters (spring), times of growth (summer) and times of bleakness (fall). Each of those seasons is a challenge to thrive and be what God called us to be. Sometimes the path God puts us on may not seem like the path to our destiny. I’m sure Jacob had questions while he worked fourteen years for his wives. Joseph must have wondered about his dreams while he spent years in an Egyptian prison. But God knew. God always knows.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Jeremiah 11:29 (KJV)

I love the last six words of that verse: expected, planned, promised. My life is not a fluke. I am not a mistake. Every step of my childhood has been planned by the Father.

Where are you in this season of your life? Where do you want to be? What are you doing to get there?

Thank you to Sharon for bringing this encouraging message to I Was Just Thinking . . . 

Sharon and her publisher have offered a free introduction to her Women of Valley View series. Just click on the title to download it for yourself. You can buy your own e-book copy of Sharon's newest release, The Women of Valley View: Terri, at any of the following retailers:

Barnes and Noble:  http://tinyurl.com/cud7xb6
Pelican book group:  http://tinyurl.com/cd5zqar

NOTE: I'm excited to offer a free copy of The Women of Valley View: Terri to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment below with your answer to one of Sharon's questions, and be sure to include your email address in your comment. I'll announce the winner during the first week of May!

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Sharon Srock lives with her husband, Larry, and two dogs in rural Oklahoma. She is a mother, grandmother, and Sunday School teacher. Sharon has one and three-quarters jobs and writes in her spare time. Her favorite hobby is traveling with her grandchildren. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and currently serves as treasurer for her local chapter. Sharon’s debut novel, The Women of Valley View: Callie, released in October 2012. The second in the series, The Women of Valley View: Terri, releases in April 2013.

Connect with Sharon at her blog, on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Goodreads.

 

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Greenville, Texas
I Was Just Thinking . . .
Legal Blog: Real Estate Law Blog
Twitter: @LauraMcMom
Email me

Grateful In Spite of Myself

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The week of April 15 was a rough one. Tragedies of various kinds consumed the airwaves and social media sites. Watching these tragedies unfold, I cried more last week than I have in all the weeks combined so far this year.

GriefThe misery I've observed from a distance has made me acutely aware of just how much I have to be grateful for–big things and little ones–and more determined to keep those things at the forefront of my mind. So this morning, I just wanted to share ten things I'm grateful for as I write this post.

  1. Warm slippers and hot green tea on a chilly morning.
  2. Courageous men who run toward the scene of a disaster, seeking to help, without thinking of their own safety.
  3. A husband who believes my dreams matter.
  4. Sunshine and blue skies over the newly green trees outside the window of my home office.
  5. Technology that lets me work from home in my yoga pants and warm slippers.
  6. The privilege of introducing people to books written by authors I know personally.
  7. That my grown children like to come home, and enjoy each other’s company.
  8. New friends who encourage and challenge me.
  9. That the people I love most are safe and healthy.
  10. Second (and third and fourth) chances.

This is what I've been trying to learn in the last year or so: joy is a choice. It's not dependent on circumstances, but on attitude.

Joy is a Choice

By nature and by training, my tendency is to see the things that are “wrong” in any situation. That can be a recipe for despair. I don't want to spend my days in despair. So I've undertaken the discipline of looking for things to be grateful for. In every situation, no matter how unpleasant, it's possible to find something to be thankful for.

I am determined to remember that. I am determined to be grateful.

What about you? Are you struggling with a difficult situation right now? Can you find something to be grateful for, even in the midst of that situation?

When times are hard, we need to encourage one another.

Share something you're grateful for in the comments below.

I'll be thankful to hear from you. 🙂

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Greenville, Texas
I Was Just Thinking . . .
Legal Blog: Real Estate Law Blog
Twitter: @LauraMcMom
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Winning the Olympia

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As I mentioned in an earlier post, Do No Harm (my current novel-in-progress) won the 2013 Olympia, a contest sponsored by Clash of the Titles. As the winner, I received some great feedback from the amazing final-round judges, a gorgeous plaque, and an interview by author and blogger Cynthia L. Simmons. The interview is now live on Cynthia's podcast, so if you're interested, you can listen to it by clicking on the podcast link earlier in this sentence. You can also read the COTT story about my win. There's a link to Cynthia's interview of me in the right sidebar of the COTT story.

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Can I just take this opportunity to thank the judges and coordinators of the Olympia contest? Participating in the process of this contest has been such a blessing to me, and it would not happen without their hard work and generosity.

For my friends who are pre-published writers, I encourage you to enter a few carefully chosen contests. Whether you win or not, the process of learning and complying with the submission rules is a valuable exercise for anyone who wants to get published. And the feedback from the judges is invaluable in improving your craft and your story. Check the COTT website for information about how to enter the next Olympia contest.

Your turn: If you're a writer, have you entered your work in any contests? How do you feel about the experience? And if you're a reader of fiction, what do you look for in the books you choose to read?

 

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Greenville, Texas
I Was Just Thinking . . . 
Legal Blog: Real Estate Law Blog
Twitter: @LauraMcMom
Email me