Walk In The Rain With Me

A Little Story for You

Sunday, October 12, 2014

This is Day 12 of a 31 Day writing challenge. To read more about my 31 Days series and to catch up on any posts you've missed, be sure to check out my post 31 Days of INSPIRE!

Well, I'm still sick, and I haven't been anywhere since Thursday afternoon.

But it's alright, because I'm an introvert; which means I don't need to be around lots of people to be happy.

If I hadn't been sick, this probably would have been one of the most ideal weekends for me. There was cool and rainy weather, plenty of time for writing or crocheting, and lots of quiet time to myself.

It's the introvert's dream! Or at the very least, it's this introvert's dream.

(Well, minus the whole "feeling-like-the-walking-dead" thing, of course.)

But something else also made this weekend really special for me!

On the 8th (that was Friday), I wrote this post about Corrie ten Boom. Her story has always been very close to my heart, and I was excited to finally have the chance to share about her on my blog.

Well, I went to dance class that evening (I wasn't sick yet) and didn't think much of the post while I was there, but when I came back, I found that there were five comments!

By the end of the evening, I had eight comments on that one blog post.

Not only that, but one lovely 31 Dayer at Dare to be Happy informed me that she was going to link to my post in one of her own! I was so ecstatic when I saw that I was going to get my first blog response, my jaw literally (in a literal sense) dropped.

You can read that lovely post over here, and a huge thank you to her for doing that!

Now, in spite of the fact that I wasn't sick yet, it had still been a rough day. I was feeling a little discouraged about the blog series and about life in general, and I was hoping something would come along to lighten/brighten my day.

Seeing all of those wonderful comments on my blog post was like a little reminder of the fact that God really does care about me. He sees when I'm having a tough time, and He's not just sitting there watching. He cares.

It was just the nudge I needed to keep going.

So today, I want to encourage you to never stop reaching out to people. You never know just how much they need it.

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And for my question of the day- do you have any stories of something like this? If not, what advice would you give to someone who was getting discouraged?

31 Days

Because I'm Sick

Saturday, October 11, 2014

31 Days

Inspirational Characters: Frodo

Friday, October 10, 2014

This is Day 10 of a 31 Day writing challenge. To read more about my 31 Days series and to catch up on any posts you've missed, be sure to check out my post 31 Days of INSPIRE!

We're officially in the double-digits for this writing challenge! It's been such a fun ride already, and we're not even half-way done. I'm beyond excited to see how the rest of the month goes!

Now, I believe I've mentioned before that I have always felt a real connection to books. They are a huge part of my life, and something I don't know I could live without.

And over the many years I've spent ~~reading~~ devouring book, after book, after book, I've come to realize that fictional characters can be just as inspiring as the real ones.

I know it might be hard for any of you non-readers out there, but to me, they actually do come to life in my head.

One of the most memorable characters I've ever had the pleasure of getting to know is, indeed, Frodo Baggins from J. R. R. Tolkien's bestselling trilogy, The Lord of the Rings.

As many of you probably know, Frodo Baggins is a hobbit.

Hobbits are simple people.

They like food, comfort, and a quiet life. They like smoking, drinking, and laughing with friends. They don't like change or anything that disrupts the peace of their everyday lives.

And they certainly don't like adventures.

But for Frodo, the adventure came whether he wanted it or not, and it came in the form of a Ring.

A very powerful, very dangerous Ring. And they must destroy it.

That is the driving force of the story- Frodo must destroy the Ring.

Now, I don't want to give anything away for anyone who hasn't read the books, so I'm not going to say much, but I do want to share this quote of something Frodo said in The Return of the King--

“I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them.”

I think that what makes Frodo such an inspiring character lies partly in the very aspect of his character that enables him to resist the powers of the ring.

Frodo isn't what typically comes to mind when thinking of heroes. When we talk about heroes, I'm sure a lot of us think of muscular guys who go around looking for bad-guys so they can save the world.

But Frodo isn't any of that. He's not super strong. He's not an amazing swordsman or a natural-born leader. He doesn't seem to think he's anything special.

Yet he gives up everything- his home, his comfort, his safety- to do what he must. He continues to bear the Ring no matter how much he suffers because of it.

And he never even asked to be thanked.

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So my question today is, who is your favorite fictional character? What do you think makes them stand you?

31 Days

Because You Matter

Thursday, October 09, 2014

31 Days

Inspirational People: Corrie ten Boom

Wednesday, October 08, 2014

This is Day 8 of a 31 Day writing challenge. To read more about my 31 Days series and to catch up on any posts you've missed, be sure to check out my post 31 Days of INSPIRE!

Out of all the inspirational people who have ever lived, probably the one who inspires and amazes me the most is Corrie ten Boom.

Courtesy of christianity.com

Born on April 15th, 1892, Cornelia "Corrie" ten Boom is best known for being a survivor of the Holocaust and the author of best-selling book, "The Hiding Place."

Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie ten Boom- along with their father, Casper ten Boom- opened their home in Harlem as a shelter to Jews during World War II. Their bravery and dedication to helping the persecuted Jews of Holland eventually cost them their freedom, but saved the lives of all but one of the people in their "hiding place."

Corrie and Betsie both ended up in prison, and later in concentration camps. They endured some of the most horrific circumstances known to man, yet they still remained dedicated to sharing the love of God. They started Bible studies in their barracks, and many women became Christians because of Corrie and Betsie's faith.

Betsie ten Boom died in Ravensbrück concentration camp, but Corrie survived. In December of 1944- ten months after she was first imprisoned- Corrie ten Boom was released. She later learned that it was through a "clerical error", and that she had left only a week before she would have been killed.

After returning to her home in Holland, she went on to open a refuge home not only for the surviving Dutch-Jews, but also those who had worked alongside the Nazis- the very people who had betrayed her family.

Several years later, she wrote the "The Hiding Place," and toured the world telling her story. In one article from Guidepost Magazine, 1972, she says-

It was in a church in Munich that I saw him. [...] It came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. [...] Betsie and I had been arrested for concealing Jews in our home during the Nazi occupation of Holland; this man had been a guard at Ravensbrück concentration camp where we were sent. [...] "You mentioned Ravensbrück in your talk," he was saying. "I was a guard in there. [...] But since that time," he went on, "I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein, ..." his hand came out, ... "will you forgive me?" And I stood there — I whose sins had every day to be forgiven — and could not. Betsie had died in that place — could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking? It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do. For I had to do it — I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. [...] But forgiveness is not an emotion — I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. "Jesus, help me!" I prayed silently. "I can lift my hand, I can do that much. You supply the feeling." And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. "I forgive you, brother!" I cried. "With all my heart!" I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then.

Corrie ten Boom's message of forgiveness is what makes her such an inspiring woman. Even though she witnessed one of the darkest periods of history, she was still able to love.

Because of her example, I know that you don't have to be perfect to forgive others. In fact, it is because we are not perfect that we can forgive the people who have wronged us.

Because of what God has already done for us, we too can love our enemies.

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My question for you is this- who inspires you? What makes their story or character so inspiring?