A few weeks ago, we were hit with one of those series of events where it felt like everything you’d worked for came to a crashing halt. We were hit on every front from health issues to financial fallout. All I wanted to do was fix it. I spent hours trying to figure out a plan that would get us past the clouds suddenly obscuring our life. Guess what, I couldn’t fix it.
But God could.
The thing is, He didn’t do it right away and He didn’t fix every problem.
God is not our own magical Fix it Felix.
As I journeyed through this dark valley, I was reminded that God is always with us. It’s a fact I’ve known for years but I think I’d begun taking it for granted. You see, I have a tendency to get myself into situations where I become overwhelmed. I put too much emphasis on my ghostwriting work, which leads me to accept too many jobs, which leads to burnout, which leads me to not wanting to work at all. Yet I still panic when I’m not working and then repeat the cycle by accepting multiple jobs.
It’s called balance, and I’m a teeter-totter that has never figured out how to get it all measured out so that I don’t keep banging into the ground.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered THE SECRET TO HAPPINESS by Suzanne Woods Fisher, a contemporary Christian romance about a woman who finds herself out of work and struggling to find even a sliver of happiness.
![The Secret to Happiness (Cape Cod Creamery Book #2) by [Suzanne Woods Fisher]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51NvxtaowPL.jpg)
The more I read, the more I connected with Callie. It’s not that I don’t have happiness. I do, but some of the other stuff that Callie experienced felt like it had been taken right from the pages of my life. I love when God reaches me through books. Sometimes it’s through my own, and other times books like this come to me at the perfect time for a God nudge that says, “See. I’m here. It’s going to be okay. You don’t need to know the minute details of what I’m doing. Trust that I’m here.”
Anyone else ever had God reach you through a book? What did He reveal to you?
Tabitha Bouldin has a bachelor's degree in creative writing/English from Southern New Hampshire University. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and has been writing since 2015. When she's not homeschooling her kids, you'll find her curled up with a book. Tabitha's genre of choice is Contemporary Christian Romance which she describes as: Adventure with heart.
I went through a valley the past few months as well. One of the things that always helps is the reminder that I’m not alone. Interestingly, it seems as though I usually write a book that speaks to just what I need right before I need it. Praising the God Who knows the end from the beginning and works all things for our good. Praying for you this morning. ❤️
I like books that don’t fit my life! It gets me out of my head and lets me see how things could be. There are many books I’ve read that help me to look at things differently.
I totally get how God reached out to you through this book. Many years ago, a character in one of Lauraine Snelling’s books underwent an elective surgery that changed her life (a procedure I had never heard of). After much prayer and consultation with my doctor, I did the same thing, and it changed my life in an amazing way. (When I meet Lauraine in Heaven someday, I will thank her.) During another time of deep distress, a character in a CCR book dealt with her challenges in a way that encouraged me, along with the scripture verses the author included. No question, fiction can change a reader’s life!
God is always talking to me through books! Everything from “I am here even when you don’t realize it” to “be kind to My children”. When I do my devotions in the morning, it usually hits on what I need to hear. It is absolutely amazing!
I love Suzanne Woods Fisher. I have read several of her books, but not this one.
I’ve had that happen before. I love how God is able to reach us no matter where we are.
That’s one of the things I love about books. They reveal so much that we might never see otherwise.
I love this! Lauraine’s books have been an inspiration for me through the years too.
God sure knows how to get our attention.
I’m sorry to hear you’ve had such a hard time lately, it’s so great you felt the closeness of God through the book. I totally get it because I’ve often felt the same – finding a particular book at a particular time that had just the message that I needed and God wanted me to hear. I can remember reading one of Evangeline Kelly’s books at a time when I was feeling completely overwhelmed and one of the characters quoted Philippians 4:13 and it was so exactly what I needed to hear it made me cry.
Oh yes, many times. I find that the Lord shows me other’s have gone through the rough time I am going through too. He also shows me that He is right there by my side. He is holding me or carrying me as I go through the rough times. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
not through books