It didn't come wrapped with a bow, but it was a gift nevertheless. A few months earlier I had to let go of a dream and trust that the Lord knew better about timing that I ever will.
When I finished writing my book in April, my dream was to see it published by the Christmas season. Being a new author, I was naive about the workings of the publishing industry.
As October melted into November, reality began to sink in. My book would not be published until after the Christmas season. I was devastated. I was angry. Before long, I prayed, asking God to take away my anger and replace it with trust and acceptance. I knew that my God of the impossible could have made this happen for me. I knew that He had gifted us with a really big miracle before. This was one of the stories I would write about in my book. I also knew that answers to prayer don't always happen on our timetable.
I was about to discover an answer to my prayer and I would be receiving two gifts! It was revealed by "that one sentence." The first gift came with yesterday's mail. As I carefully opened my letter from Social Security, some startling reminders immediately popped off the page. They were reminders about earning limitations according to my age.
Right now we were in a place where this supplement was necessary. Heavily investing in my Sparkling Hope business and my upcoming book, we were counting our dollars very carefully. When I saw the earning limitations for someone aged 65 or 66, my heart skipped a beat. Then I realized I hadn't earned a penny.....yet.
I still needed to figure out about my future book earnings so I began rereading my letter from social security. The very first sentence read, "If you are at full retirement age (now age 66) or older for all of 2019, you may keep all of your benefits no matter how much you earn." I beat the age restriction! Thinking back to my publishing delay, I then saw the wisdom. With my book coming out in 2019, I would not be penalized for my earnings. Whew! There was my first gift.
The second gift came with the realization that I had trusted God for this delay. As soon as I completely let go and trusted in God's timing, even though I did not comprehend it, I began to relax and live in a peaceful state of mind. No more anger or anxiety! As I reread my letter, I realized the wisdom in trusting God for this delay.
Two gifts were delivered to me yesterday: the gift of earnings and the reward of faith. How sweet!
For more sweet delights, visit my website at www.sparklinghope.net and visit my Media page for updates on the release of my upcoming book, "The Song of My Hope."