UNEARTHLY THINGâ—½ ENCOURAGEMENT
The Cleansing Power of Stain Remover & the Kingdom of God
by Angela Dolbear
I just got back from a week at the Florida Christian Writers Conference, which was amazing. I learned a lot about storytelling, and I met with a literary agent to possibly represent my latest work of fiction, THE MID-CENTURY BREAKFAST CLUB. This could change a lot for me if my book is published and out in the world. I believe it is a good book God gave me —one that will encourage as well as entertain, especially mothers of adult children who pray for them regularly (that’s the premise of the novel).
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I was so nervous about meeting with this agent. My sweat became lethal to the white blouse I was wearing under a red jacket. The nerves' potency caused pink-hued stains around the collar and under the arms of my cute white blouse with black polka dots. My red jacket has been washed many times, and has never bled before. Yikes. I had to rub OxiClean Max Force stain remover into the stains to get them out. It’s like a superhero for my blouses.
On a side note, it’s essential for someone like me, who frequently spills food on herself, to have a powerful stain fighter on hand at all times. I only recently allowed white shirts back into my wardrobe, because I love the contrast with all the other black clothing in my closet. Now I know I have an effective stain fighter for spills and anxiety sweat.
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Back to the conference…my meeting with the agent hung over me like a heavy cloud of anxiety for the first two days of the conference. My anxiousness started to ruin my time there. I was distracted and wanted to leave class to practice my pitch, rather than sticking around to learn something new about writing.
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That’s when I stopped myself. I walked out to the edge of Lake Yale, where the conference was held. I sat by a cross to pray.
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This behavior didn’t seem right. A child of the Most High God doesn’t—or shouldn’t—allow herself to get this worked up about anything—especially something in the world. I started to notice that weighty prickliness of sin.
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I took a deep breath to prepare my mind and soul to go before my Lord.
“Father, what’s wrong with me? I know this isn’t right.”
You haven’t put Me first.
Ouch. The still small voice that spoke to my soul rang with volumes of truth. “Please forgive me. Teach me. I know better than to be like this.”
I’m always with You. Trust in Me.
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Along with His voice, I heard the reminder to recall Bible verses that I stowed away in my mind, as my sharpest weapon, such as John 14:1, where Jesus says,
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and also in Me.”
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I had, yet again (insert heavy sigh), let my heart be troubled. God’s consistent patience, grace, and mercy astound me. I genuinely feel bad for people who don’t believe in God and don’t know Him close enough to ask Him for help. I can’t imagine going through life without Him.
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So, it was time to invoke some self-tough-love. Every time I started to fret over my pitch meeting, I said in my mind (I may have whispered it out loud a time or two): “God is with me. Do not let your heart be troubled.”
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I even went so far as to get strict with my mind so I could sleep, by commanding my brain, “You’re not allowed to think about that anymore.” Instead, I would fill my mind with Psalm 23, which speaks of the Lord as my Shepherd. It’s one of my favorites. The direct, personal statements from God, as well as the serene pastoral imagery, never fail to fill me with peace.
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This little sheep is prone to wander, and is so grateful when the Shepherd attentively pulls her back from self-sabotaging practices.
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The pitch meeting went well. The agent was kind and listened to my pitch. She offered some insightful suggestions and asked me to send her a book proposal, which is encouraging. I’m working on that now, along with my author platform. These are essential items in my profession, which I’m learning more about each day.
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I know God is with me, and I will trust Him and not let my heart be troubled with discouragement (my new adversary). I believe the Creator of the Cosmos will have no trouble leading me through the publishing profession.
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I know He will help. He is so good like that.
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And I’m so grateful to God that He not only removed the stains from one of my favorite blouses, but cleansed the stains from my soul by forgiving my fret-filled behavior and equipping me with tools for victory. Again, He is so good.
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Blessings to you!
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Angela Dolbear is the author of contemporary Christian novels, such as THE GARDEN KEY Series and THE TORMENTOR’S TALE, as well as many short stories. Her latest release, The Mid-Century Breakfast Club, is the fourth book in The Garden Tales series. Her novels are available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook formats. Angela writes real, relatable, and reverent fiction. She loves reading, writing prose, and writing and recording music in her studio in Nashville, TN—listen to her latest album STORMS on your favorite music streaming service. Please drop by and sign up for news, read the latest stories, and hear new original music at http://www.angeladolbear.com/subscribe.htm.