“I was that far from pitching the whole thing right straight into the fireplace!”
She was that far from tears, too.
My friend was so frustrated after her first book proposal was rejected that she wanted to burn her manuscript and wondered if she really should even be a writer.
And, her passion and determination to make a decision whether to give up or keep writing as she talked to me,
woke up my poetry gene.
I remember those feelings.
Bright leaping flames in the fireplace
A red-yellow study of arson and lace
Beckon me feed it these papers I hold
Truly, I want to, if the truth be told.
The pages engulfed in the frenzied inferno
Would satisfy something so deeply internal
To see them consumed in the hot conflagration
To see them destroyed would soothe agitation.
But what if God asks me to try once again
To review and pursue and pick up my pen
To steel all my shakiness, regroup and pray
It might be for my soul, a much better day.
So, Lord, if I turn my back on the fire
And stare at these pages with fresh new desire
Will you kindle in me your sparks, and renew
The dream you placed in my heart so to do?
Please lead me and guide me—stay by my side
O, Lord, inspire me as you change the tide.
+ + +
My friend and I are both thankful we decided to never, ever give up!
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9 ESV).
“But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” (2 Chronicles 15:7 NKJV)
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry” (Habakkuk 2:3 NKJV)
♥
Have you ever been tempted to give up on a dream of your own?
I’d ♥ for you to leave a comment!
Love,
Sally
About the Norman Rockwell painting photo by Cliff via Flickr CC
Jo Seated on the Old Sofa from “The Most Beloved American Writer”, Woman’s Home Companion, December 1937, oil on canvas, 32 x 25 in.
Rockwell traveled to Louisa May Alcott’s home in Concord, Massachusetts, before beginning illustrations for a serialized biography of her life. Alcott’s book, Little Women, became an immediate classic when it was published in 1868, and was a hit again in 1933 when George Cukor’s film adaptation won an Oscar for Best Screenplay. Its message—that family counts more than wealth, and happiness comes to those who help the less fortunate—was an apt revival subject in Depression-era America.
americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/online/tellingstories/
EVERYONE HAS A STORY 
Give up? I’m not sure I can count that high. Sometimes it seems like an avalanche of despair comes crashing down on you, ripping you along with the tide. I’ve been caught in an undertow at the beach, so I know how exhausting it is to fight the tide. But, after the lifeguard rescued me, he told me a secret. You don’t want to fight the tide, it will just exhaust you. You want to swim across the tide until you come out of the undertow. It’s the same in life. Don’t fight it, swim across it until you come out.
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I did just that once. I’d heard that was what you had to do. On an Australian beach when I was swimming to shore and realised I wan’t making any headway. It was the first time I’d been caught in a rip (we call it a rip). So I began swimming across it. I could see a lifesaver standing at the water’s edge watching me and another girl who was similarly caught. And gradually we made it. Thank God.
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Pastor Simes– you have an entire blog post right there in your wonderful comment! Thanks for that reminder (as if I’d ever, ever, ever, go swimming in that big ole sea again anyway! ☺ Wet toes are the limit . . . well maybe ankles. ) to always swim parallel to the shoreline when caught in a riptide or undertow! We’re so glad you didn’t give up back then. Thanks for stopping by and sharing with us, Bob.
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You manage to find such apt illustrations Sally. I particularly like the Rockwell one and the explanation you gave. And, are those creatures on the rafters large mice? As I just commented to Pastor Simes, I (like you) have had that experience of being caught in a rip. I wrote it into one of my YA novels. But it can certainly be applied to life, can’t it? In fact, that’s what kept my friend Charles (written as Ric, the hero in my recent novel) going when faced with all the hardships of the war. He didn’t fight the difficulties. He trusted God and came through.
Your blog has led to some interesting and helpful ideas Sally – as always.
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Thanks, Zillah! I love the challenge of finding illustrations for the posts, and like you, love Norman Rockwell’s painting of Jo. Great touch having those two fat mice on the rafters! She’s really concentrating not to be running for a broom instead of writing. And about being caught in that rip . . . God is always with us in troubles to guide us out if we ask (or even yell to Him for help) and trust in Him. Thanks so much for commenting on this.
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