Thursday, April 10, 2014

I is for Independence by Mishael Austin Witty

Welcome to Unwritten's part of the worldwide A-Z Blog Challenge!! Every day in April (except Sundays), we'll have a new post related to the letters of the alphabet from A-Z. Our theme here on Unwritten is "I Will Survive". I hope these stories will inspire and uplift you. Comments are VERY appreciated!



I is for Independence
by
Mishael Austin Witty

When I signed up for this blog tour, knowing I would have to write about the letter “I,” I thought of writing about something much different – Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It’s something I’ve lived with and dealt with for a while (and it’s something I’ve, for the most part, been successful in overcoming). …

But Mysti sent out the reminder email this morning, and I thought about my post—the topic, the writing… and something seemed “off.” It just wasn’t quite right. I wasn’t writing the “right” thing. How did I know? I was having a talk with God about it (I usually start off my mornings in conversation with Him—not that I actually hear His audible voice; His voice sounds very much like my own, when I hear it at all). I know it’s Him talking to me because I can feel it… and usually that involves a strange tingling at the crown of my head. And, of course, I know how crazy that sounds. You don’t have to believe me. For now, it’s enough that I believe it because I’m the one who’s writing this, right?

So… I was thinking about my topic, knowing it wasn’t quite right, and I asked God, “What SHOULD I write about, then?” For some reason, the word “independence” jumped out at me. I think it’s mainly because it’s something He’s been trying to teach me for the past several years. He doesn’t want me to be independent. He wants me to be totally, completely dependent on Him. He’s God; I’m not. I know how countercultural this sounds, and it absolutely is. But I hope you’ll bear with me to the end of this post (it won’t last much longer, I promise!).

What is independence? It’s (obviously) the opposite of dependence, which is the “state of needing something or someone else for support, help, etc.,” according to Merriam-Webster. As a Christian, I have to be willing to completely give up my right to do things my own way. If Jesus is going to be my Lord, as well as my Savior, then I have to be willing to let Him do it. I have to depend on Him for everything—not just for “fire insurance,” but I have to depend on Him to help me through everything that happens to me in life. He is faithful, and He will help me, but I have to be willing to accept that help.


It’s not an easy thing to accept help from someone, especially if you’ve always been the one to lend help to others whenever it was needed. But a funny thing happened to me after the birth of my second daughter. I had trouble healing after my C-section (both my girls were C-section babies), and the doctor didn’t release me to go back to work until after my FMLA protection was up. So, my company decided that they didn’t really need my position after all. I had two little girls and no job (not to mention all the pain I was STILL going through at the time). My husband still had his job, but we had to figure out how to make it on one income (after the disability/unemployment ran out, because I was never able to find another regular job – at least not one that would pay us enough to put two children in daycare fulltime). Talk about needing help!

Looking back now, though, I see how God was there, ready to help us, even in the midst of all that trouble. He has consistently provided me with ways to make money online through writing and editing, so that I can help support our family and still be home with my girls (now three and five), so I don’t miss out on a thing in their lives. I can go to every school party, every field trip, and every special mother-daughter day and not have to worry about my boss getting mad at me for taking the time off. I AM my boss now. Well… I guess God’s really my boss. He’s the one I have to answer to in the end.

I won’t lie. We don’t have a lot of money, but God never promised that. He promised that He’d give us just enough for each day, and so far He has. And I’ve learned to depend on Him every day for what my family and I need. He tells us in His word to ask, and He is more than willing to provide it, if we only believe: “You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it." (Matthew 21:22, NLT)

I’m learning to be more dependent on Him all the time, and He’s showing Himself to me, more and more, as the faithful, loving God He is. It’s not the way I would have planned it, but it’s the best way because it’s His way, and I’m okay with that.

****

Mishael Austin Witty is a professional editor and the internationally bestselling author of SHADOWS OF THINGS TO COME, a Christian thriller/suspense novel, and BELIEVE IN ME, a sweet contemporary romance/women’s fiction novella. In addition to these books, she has newly released a zombie fairy tale, CAMPANULA, which marks a departure from the usual for her, but it was great fun to write, and she already has plans for another.
She has, to date, published two short stories with Helping Hands Press: PROTECTING ZOE and THE SAN FRANCISCO WEDDING PLANNER, VOLUME 1: THE INITIAL CONSULTATION (a story that was written with the series’ five other authors.
She lives in Louisville, KY (where most of the action of CAMPANULA takes place), with her husband, two cats, and two daughters. Connect with her online in the following places:

Links to her books:
THE SAN FRANCISCO WEDDING PLANNER, VOL. 1: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IAXK2X4
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4 comments:

  1. Leona~AuthorApril 10, 2014 at 9:36 AM

    Hi Mishael, I enjoyed your post.It seems like most people who overcome life's obstacle course do so with faith that God will bring them through it.And others might spend so much time asking 'why me' instead of asking for help to accept what is. You have a wonderful positive outlook that must show up in your writing too.

    Best wishes, and lots of luck in your work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mishael Austin WittyApril 11, 2014 at 6:12 AM

      Thanks so much, Leona, for stopping by and commenting. Glad you enjoyed the post! :-)

      Delete
  2. NurseArtistApril 10, 2014 at 11:15 AM

    It seems we have a lot in common these days. After working as a registered nurse for over 20 years, I took a change in position that was an increase in pay and responsibility in another facility, only to find out 5 months later that the facility is struggling financially and the only way to help that situation for them was to eliminate my position. I took it pretty well at first, thinking I shouldn't have any problem finding another job, or returning to the job I had left before this one. Unfortunately, none of that has happened. Every time I apply for a job, I get turned down. I was offered a couple of jobs, but were beyond my physical capabilities. I have a degenerative disc disease in my back and a hip that needs to be replaced, so can't stand for more than 10 minutes without severe pain. Your story seems to have turned out pretty well, at least your attitude is great. Good luck to you in your writing career. I need to get my three novels completed and get back into my writing and art passions, only this time for money as well as pleasure. Maybe I can have a career doing what I love too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mishael Austin WittyApril 11, 2014 at 6:19 AM

      Hi, NurseArtist. Sorry to hear that the same sort of thing happened to you. It seems to be happening to a lot of people recently. I thought I'd have no trouble getting a job either when I lost mine... After all, I have a college degree (Master's, actually) and years of experience in the field... Turns out I was wrong!

      But, as I said, God knew what He was doing, even if I didn't. Here's hoping (and praying) that you find what you need. But yes, I would definitely take this "time off" to finish your novels. It could pay off for you, in the end!

      Delete

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