#ThursdayThoughts: Special Guest Post by Lynne Gentry!

Good Morning Friends,

It is my pleasure to bring you this special guest post by Lynne Gentry & Litfuse Publicity Group....

Enjoy!

“The Story Within the Story”

Writing the words “The End” to an epic series is always tough for an author. We wonder, Will this conclusion satisfy readers? Reader concerns aside, for me, wrapping up this tale was especially bittersweet. I felt like I’d been on a long, hard personal journey of exploration and growth. The trip had challenged me at every hair-raising turn. I was exhausted.
For you see, my story is the story within this story.

Dr. Lisbeth Hastings’ determination to change the past had its roots in my own regrets. I’d been struggling with the desire to go back twenty years and make a couple of different decisions. Knowing that I couldn’t, I wondered why God would ask such an imperfect person to write a story about his perfect, unfailing love. The assignment was almost more than I could bear. I lifted prayers of deliverance from this task. All I heard in response was: WRITE.

So I did.

Word by word, Lisbeth’s story began to unfold. With each line I felt the burden I’d carried for so long lighten. But it wasn’t until I wrote the last page of this young doctor’s tale that I realized how changing anything in my past would be like pulling a thread in the tapestry of my own life. Removing even a single decision (my children, for example) would make me into a totally different person.

Like Lisbeth, I decided each of my decisions was a different colored thread. Woven together, they created shadows and light, added dimension and depth to the whole picture of who I am. I took a good, long look at myself and decided the consequences of my decisions had shaped me into a generous, loving, and kind person. I’m braver than I think, tenacious, and for the first time in years, very happy. I was surprised to discover that I liked who I’d become. I’m comfortable with who I am--an imperfect person who loves God and knows, without a doubt, that God loves me, even when I fail. Grasping this concept was so liberating.

I don’t believe I’m the first Christian to struggle with this truth. The early church was full of people just like us. Even my hero, Cyprianus Thascius, struggled with perfection and his intense desire to hold others to the high standard he had set.

We are so tempted to believe God loves only those who are perfect; that once we have everything together, THEN God can love us.

But the story within the story of Christ’s journey to this earth is this: We can never be good enough on our own – and we don’t have to.

Now that’s a happy ending I can live with.

“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.” –Psalm 40:1-3

Lynne Gentry has written for numerous publications and is a professional acting coach, theater director and playwright with several full-length musicals and a Chicago children’s theater curriculum to her credit. She likes to write stories that launch modern women into ancient adventures, such as The Carthage Chronicles series (Healer of Carthage, Return to Exile and Valley of Decision).

Gentry is also an inspirational speaker and dramatic performer who loves spending time with her family and medical therapy dog.

To keep up with Lynne Gentry, visit www.lynnegentry.com, become a fan on Facebook (Author-Lynne-Gentry) or follow her on Twitter (@Lynne_Gentry) and Pinterest (lynnegentry7).


Valley of Decision is available at Amazon in Print and on Kindle!

Hope you enjoyed today's Thursday Thoughts!

Have a Blessed and Prosperous day.
PamT