…one step back. And sometimes in life and in our books, it’s one step forward and two steps back.
In life, this looks like my entire family coming down with the flu (yes, you read that right—the regular, run-of-the-mill, wretched FLU!), from the disabled senior to the four-month-old baby. We all suffered with fevers, sneezes, stomachaches and coughing, and poor Emily got the worst case of all of us. Her tummy is still hurting her even after several days. She’s usually (mostly) a happy baby, but she’s been absolutely miserable. (The nifty ladybug on her forehead is a sticker that shows if she has a fever!)
In my books, when it comes to moving backward rather than forward, it’s generally called the Black Moment, when it appears my hero and heroine are unable to make the leap into happily ever after. It’s more than just something a conversation can solve. It’s a brick wall between them that neither knows how to break down. Sometimes it’s physical (an avalanche in Their Unbreakable Bond) to shocking developments and plans gone awry (A Reason to Stay, out now).
Black Moments, both in our real lives and in books, remind us God is in control of our lives. Often, when things are going well, we forget to offer gratitude for His work in our lives. I’m asking myself why does it take me going two steps backward to turn my heart back to God?
I’m praying that today you’ll take a moment to offer the Lord gratitude for your life wherever you find yourself. And if I can pray for you, please let me know!
~~Love Courageously~~ Publisher's Weekly Bestselling, award-winning author of 30 novels, Deb Kastner enjoys writing contemporary inspirational western stories set in small communities. She feels especially blessed to be able to include faith as a natural and genuine part of her characters' lives. Deb lives in beautiful Colorado with her husband and a pack of miscreant mutts. She is blessed with three adult daughters and two grandchildren. Her favorite hobby is spoiling her grandchildren, but she also enjoys reading, watching movies, listening to music (The Texas Tenors are her fav), singing in the church choir, and exploring the Rocky Mountains on horseback.
I am definitely in a black moment in many areas in my life right now, especially on the financial front and unsure of His plans for my life.
Thank you for the reminder that God is in control and I have nothing to fear.
I give thanks to Him who is good. His love endures forever no matter what this life may bring.
Praying your household recovers quickly.
Praying you and your whole family are well soon!
I thank God every day for what’s He’s done for me, and for always holding my hand. This grief journey has been marked with deep pain, not only because of Mom’s passing, but family dynamics changing. Though I expected a lot of it, it’s totally different when it really does happen and you are proven right. I’d much rather have been proven wrong. However, I know God can and has used even this, as my faith and trust in Him is deeper and stronger through this than ever before. Instead of this tearing me away, it’s made me crawl into His lap and depend on Him more. I also thank Him for that every day, as I know, as the song says, “That I can’t even walk without You holding my hand.”
I think everyone has have some kind of black moments the last few years with covid and not so black moments first my grandma supassed away suddenly on March 24 2020 she was 90 but it was suddenly cause she fell and got brain bleeds and only her children and there spouses and her husband could go to the funeral since it was at the very beginning of covid and where I live everything was in lock down. Then my sister in law found out she is prenant then my mom found out she is pregnant with baby number 13. Then my brother had to go down to California for a major surgery and him and my mom and dad were down there for 5 weeks and no body could go see him then my other sister in law found out she was pregnant after she had four miscarriages then my sister in law had my first niece named violet then my mom had my baby sister in October then my sister got engaged in November and got married in January 2021 but only could have 30 people at her wedding because of all the covid restrictions then In may 2021 my nephew was born and in October my sister had her first baby and November my sister in law had her second baby girl.also my mom was homeschooling 6 of the kids since schools where closed and she had a new baby so it was to hard to get the kids on zoom when she had a new baby.know my siblings are in regular school so my mom is glad about that my mom had to homeschool the first year of covid. I was in a black moment for a while after my grandma passed away cause I was really close to her and she lived in our neighborhood so would go down there most days and build a puzzle with her or help her out.
My family has been sick for the last 5 weeks so we r ready to be better someone would get better then the next would come down with a fever or bad cold.my family is finally almost al better hopefully no one else gets sick .
welcome today. prayers for you all that the flu goes away. I love that little ladybug on your girls forehead. I think we all have those black moments.
Hi, God is in control , and the Black moments will go away. I take the black moments one day at a time. Praying for you all.
Hi Sophie. I’m praying right now that you’ll discover God’s path for you and that your financial future will look bright. His love endures forever!
Thanks, Andrea! We’re going day by day right now, but hopefully we’ll all be back to health soon.
I’m so sorry for the loss of your mother. Grief touches each of us differently, and I’m praying that God will wrap you in the mantle of his love. Family dynamics can be the worst, and I’ll be praying you can work through them. I love your picture of crawling into His lap to seek comfort. Truly lovely.
My heart aches for you. You’ve been through so much. COVID has been a real trial for so many people. Your twelve sibling! Wow, congratulations! We have a new baby in the house and my 11 year old grandson is homeschooled (it’s a public school at home because he doesn’t do well at a regular school) so I know how crazy it can get. I greatly admire your mother!! I’m sorry to hear your family is sick. Am praying for you now.
I wish we’d had those nifty fever stickers when my kids were young! It shows just what her temperature is. We didn’t even have digital thermometers. I had to hold a thermometer under my baby’s armpit. I guess it’s better than in my mom’s day, LOL.
Amen, Alicia. Clinging to God through it all! One day at a time is a great way to handle black moments.
That baby is such a cutie with her little sticker! Praying that she and all of you are feeling better soon.
Black moments definitely come, seemingly when you feel least able to deal with it all in my experience. It’s good to have the reminder to lean in to God at these times. We have also been unwell as a family with what feels like the 500th stomach bug this year (my baby picks up everything at daycare, then shares it round) – I was complaining to my mum about how hard it was making things and how was I going to sort it all out – she listened to me, then just said ‘you’re not in control of all this you know’. And she was so right – I think when we’re going through a black time it’s easy to get so caught up we forget to look to God.
Prayers for you all going through hard times.
Just came back to say I had Psalm 31 in my Bible study plan today, very meaningful when thinking about what you’ve been discussing today
Hi Ruthie. I am totally the person who tries to figure it all out myself before I remember to acknowledge God in everything. Great reminder!
Know what you mean. The past 6 or more weeks had dental issues. One tooth! had it out and then dry socket which needed treating twice (between treatments got gastro/stomach flu). the jaw is still sore due to needing to clean out the socket. The good part was the migraine pain was much better but I think its cos the dental pain was even higher than the head pain. it slowed reading and other things. But I see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I hope Emily will start to feel much better now.
I’m actually, finally, doing very well!! The residual stuff I’m still processing. I just thank God every day that He’s been holding my hand, and when I need to cry, I climb on His lap and do so. I thank Him for that, too, that I know He loves me that much, and can handle all of this. I know He’s got it, and that’s what’s gotten me this far. Thanks to God, some family, and friends, He’ll continue to get me through.
Yes, we all have those moments.
Deb, I pray your family is feeling better soon. I have a few praises to share. My Dad is back living in his own apartment. He was admitted to the hospital on Memorial Day night with pneumonia. At one time, I was getting calls from the hospital about what to do if he codes. He was on oxygen at 50L. He recovered and was sent to a nursing home. The nursing home said that he had severe dementia. He could never be alone again. He learned to walk again with a cane. He is living at home alone. He is not driving, taking care of his finances or setting up his medication. He is doing well.
My second praise is we finally have insulation and siding on our house. (okay, the porch will be finished tomorrow.). Our house was built in the 1800’s. There was no insulation in the walls. It looks so nice. We are so thrilled that we could finally afford to do it.
My prayer request is my Mom is under Hospice care. She is having hallucinations. They have cut her pain medication so it is not what is causing the hallucinations. They nurses feel that her dreams are so vivid that she believes what she is dreaming is actually taking place. I am disabled as well as have issues with low immunity. I do not make it up to see her very often. The nursing home currently has two cases of Covid. I have been told that I need to stay away. We talk many times a day on the phone.
Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
I always take it one day at time so that the black days don’t overwhelm me. There’s been so many of them these last few years so that’s the only way to get through it.
Prayers for you and your family to get better soon.
cute baby
My whole country (Chile) is going through a black moment, inflation, disbanded youth, bullying, rampant increase in crime and armed robberies even in neighborhoods that have always been quiet… I know that God is in control but I am worried.
Dental problems are the worst! I’ve experienced dry socket and it’s no fun. Hope you’re feeling much better.
Praying for everything going on in your life, Debra. That’s a lot! May God wrap you in his mantle of peace.
That’s so frightening, Lilly. In prayer for you, your family and friends and the country at large.