by
Andrea Renee Cox
A
couple weeks ago, I read a beautiful story from an author I’ve never read
before. Lisa Wingate’s The Prayer Box captured the essence
of a lifelong faith in one character (Iola Anne Poole) and the seedling of hope
in another (Tandi Jo Reese). There were times I wanted to wring Tandi’s neck
for the choices she was making. But other times I wanted to wrap her in a hug
and tell her everything would turn out right in the end. And I’m pretty sure I
would love hanging out with the Seashell Shop gals! All in all, Lisa crafted a
charming story that seemed timeless and real. I didn’t want to set the book
down to proofread another, and now that I've finished both of those books, I’m already enjoying the next Wingate book on my
list (which happens to be The Story Keeper; I’m sure a review of it will be appearing on Writing to Inspire soon).
In The
Prayer Box, Tandi Jo Reese learns a thing or two about faith and family
when she becomes responsible for cleaning out the large Victorian house of her
recently deceased landlady, Iola Anne Poole. One day, while cleaning, Tandi
discovers a closet full of mysterious boxes, but it’s what’s inside the boxes
that holds the power to change her life … if she chooses to grab on to the
opportunity. But her past has a stranglehold on her and threatens to keep her
chained to the pages of the history she’d rather thrust aside. What will this
struggling young mother decide to do: step toward an unknown future with a God
she doesn’t understand or remain dependent on the bad habits she learned from
her undependable mother?
One
of my favorite lines in this book came in chapter seventeen. “The trouble with
drowning in the mess of your own life is that you’re not in any shape to save
anyone else.” It reminds me of the verse in the Bible that says (I’m
paraphrasing) to take care of the plank in your own eye before attempting to
remove the dust from your neighbor’s (Matthew 7:3-5).
Have
you ever looked in the mirror and seen your mistakes staring back at you? I
have. It’s not easy to admit when you’re wrong. Nor is it always simple to
correct your mistakes. The way I approach this challenge is: Once I realize
what my mistake is, I take it to God.
While on my knees, I pour out my heart at
the foot of the cross. I admit my mistake, ask for forgiveness, and ask God to
help me learn how to make better choices (or whatever it takes to fix the
mistake or avoid it next time it tries to crop up).
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| Courtesy of FrameAngel and freedigitalphotos.net |
Do I
hear back every time? Not always right away. And not always in the way I
expect. But God is faithful to answer my prayers when I come to Him with a humble
heart.
With
God’s forgiveness washing me clean and a new determination to improve my
character and fix the area(s) of my life that were messy with sin, I then thank
God for His blessings and for helping me during the weak moments in which I
make mistakes. From there, it’s about maintenance, the continuous work to
improve my character (with God’s help and guidance, which sometimes comes in
phases) and to upkeep my relationship with God.
Being
part of God’s family means learning from your mistakes and trying your best
every day. It means working at gaining characteristics that will be useful and
pleasing to God in the work He has planned for you to accomplish. And then, of
course, doing the work He sends you to do.
That’s
my daily goal. What’s yours?
Readers, how has faith whispered into your
life? How do you proactively seek it out? What book(s) have you read lately
that got you thinking deeper about your spiritual life?
Coming Soon:
March 9 - Praying for Your Future Husband
March 16 - Be My Guest: Elizabeth Maddrey
Thanks for stopping by today! I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comment section below. And don’t forget to drop by next Monday for my latest article.
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