See, I Told You So

This is what encouragement looks like.

I said I was going to publish a guest blog today. But I'm going to postpone that until next week. I feel like offering some encouragement of my own today.

Here is a direct quote from yesterday's post: "So today, I vent! Tomorrow, I'm sure I'll be able to let you know how good God is, and what he has done to encourage me and keep me going. He always does."

I knew it, I knew it! Whenever I'm lagging like that, God always gives me just what I need to keep going one more time.

Last night, I received back my scoresheets and comments from the Genesis contest judges. Two were lukewarm and so-so. One, however, gave me a great score and was very enthusiastic about my work. In every category, her comments were positive. She ended with a comment, "Thanks for keeping the pages turning." She also signed her name, so I can tell that she's a successful, multi-published author in my genre.

As I said yesterday, I haven't had much enthusiasm over my work in awhile--not like I used to get. I don't have to be published or win contests, but every now and then, I need some indication that my writing is working. That someone finds it interesting and gets excited about it. As usual, God knew exactly what I needed to help me take one more step. That's what it's all about. One foot in front of the other. One step at a time.

A verse in the Bible says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." I can't remember where I heard this--probably in a sermon at church. But someone compared this "lamp" to a flashlight. When it's really dark and you use a flashlight, it only lights up a little spot right in front of your feet. It does not light up the entire area for half a mile. You can't see to the end of the road. But you can see where to plant your foot next. One step at a time.

And that's what God always does for me.