Seeking the God who Proves to be Good

Read the following excerpt from the book I co-wrote with Robin Jones Gunn (pictured below goofing off with me) called Praying for Your Future Husband: Preparing Your Heart for His, and see if you know anyone like this:

“All it took was that one kiss after the archery lesson, and I readily agreed to be Steven’s girlfriend. We spent a lot of time together. We hiked in the hills behind our houses. We swung on the swings at the park. At night I would sneak out of my house to go to his. He would sneak out too, and we would sit on the grass in the warm summer night and watch the moon. And we always kissed.

When Steven wanted to go further than kissing, it only made sense. That’s how things worked, right? I thought about the movies I had watched. The characters in them fell in love just like me, and then they slept together. Deep down I knew it wasn’t right, but I didn’t want to lose him. I didn’t want him to find another girlfriend. I was sure if I gave Steven everything he wanted, we would stay together forever. Since I was so sure that I loved him and he loved me, I willingly gave myself to him.

But before the summer was over, Steven gave me some awful news. ‘My family is moving away.’”

Lamentations 3:25-29 in The Message says, “God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It’s a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God. It’s a good thing when you’re young to stick it out through the hard times. When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions: Wait for hope to appear. Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face. The ‘worst’ is never the worst.”

If you know a young woman who is pursuing a Steven in her life, take the time to write out Lamentations 3:25-29 for her. Take her out for coffee, give her the verse, and pray with her. Make her feel cherished and loved, not only by you, but by the One who created her.

I was the woman in Lamentations who diligently sought, but I sought the wrong thing. I was seeking after was a worldly, impatient love. I wasn’t seeking the never-ending, no-strings-attached love from my heavenly Father. But God proved to be good to me even though I didn’t deserve it. And He is continuing to prove Himself good to me every day.

Encourage the young woman to pursue the only One who continually proves Himself good. Let her know that He can turn those who are diligently seeking what is wrong (as I once was) into young women who diligently seek His good and perfect will.

Back Then . . .

Some times in writing, my first attempt is to take the easy way out. I was trying to do this with the book I’m currently writing, Blue Like Playdoh. This book shares much of my life journey, and I tried to tell it in sweet, devotional thoughts. My editor didn’t go for that. He wanted me to journey back. To revisit my questions and my fears. To be THERE, without the benefit of 20/20 vision.

It was crazy. I took myself back to the days when I had three little kids and no writing credentials. I didn’t spend much time with God, and I had no idea of where my life would be headed. There were more questions than answers, more worries than fulfilled dreams.

“There” (about fifteen years back) has been hanging around with me, and in my Bible Study I came across a great quote by Beth Moore, “Sometimes we don’t know why we’re on a certain road with God until miles have made their way to the soles of our feet.” Beth More, Stepping Up Workbook, p. 13.

Where is God taking you today? What road are you on? Eighteen years from now you might have a clue, but for now you too may have more questions than answers, more worries than fulfilled dreams. But keep walking God’s way. Keep moving your feet forward. Take one more step closer to Him today. There’s a purpose to the road, and a Savior who’s walking with you.

Don't Give Up Waiting for "That Guy" . . . Because He's Waiting for "That Girl"

Young women, do you wonder if the guy of your dreams is out there? Do you think that even if you find him there are too many bad choices that he'll look away, walk away?

In God's Word we read, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need" Matthew 6:33 (NLT).

As you wait, seek God. Give your heart to Him, and He will help prepare it for your future husband!

I talk about how God brought me the man of my dreams as a single mom of a son in my book Praying for Your Future Husband. You can find out more about it here.

God has a good plan for you, too! Remember that!

Don't give up. Trust that the right guy will come in the right time. Trust that God is already preparing his heart for yours.

Below is a song that my oldest son wrote as he waited for his future bride. Less than one year later he was engaged to her! Now, almost four years later they're married with a son and another baby on the way.

Right now pray and ask God to help you be "that girl" for a wonderful guy some day.


That Girl
written by Cory Goyer, April 2009

That girl
I don't know her hair color
I don't know her smile
I don't know her laugh
I don't know the color of her eyes
Or her favorite song
I don't know her passions
I don't know the thing she hates
I don't know her face
I don't know where she likes to hide
Or the twinkle in her eye
I don't know if I know her
But I know she is that girl

I would give my life for that girl
I would give up everything for that girl
I would die for that girl
I would live for that girl
I would love that girl
I would care for that girl
I would take care of that girl
All for that girl

I know she is beautiful
I know she is smart
I know she is wonderful
I know she is funny
I know she is amazing
I know she is mine
I know she is that girl

She may not know it yet
For I surely don't
She may mat not love me yet
But I know she will
Because I know I will love her
With all that I have
She may not even know me yet
But she will know me more than anyone

She may have a past
Wrong things
Regrets
Sorrows
But I will not see these things
I will wipe away her sorrows
I will not remember her wrong doings
I will not regret
Because if everything
She has ever done
Will lead her to me
Then I thank her past

So God I pray
I pray for that girl
I pray you let me wait

Me & My Invisible Guy & Years of Waiting

Welcome to 2013!

I have news. That pretty book cover you see above? That's my brand new YA novel and it releases in just a few weeks. I don't have actual copies yet but the release date is getting closer and closer!! (February 5th!)

And yes, that's a different name on the cover, but it's still mine:-)

But this post isn't really about sharing my book with you, it's about waiting.

I first sketched out the idea for this novel - title and everything - back in 2006. The original book was written in 2007 and in the fall of 2008, I met my "future" editor at a conference. She liked the story idea and asked to see it.

In 2009, she asked to see the whole manuscript.
Later that year, she suggested some revisions.
In 2010, she asked to see the full manuscript again. More revisions.
In 2011, they were happy enough to take it to committee and then purchased the book.
Through 2011 & 2012, there were even more revisions. So. Many.
And now, FINALLY, the book is coming.

A SEVEN year journey with this one novel. That's a really long time, and I often didn't think I'd ever see this book published. I love this story. I'm thrilled that I will finally get to share it with others. And even though the 'waiting' is now over with this journey, I'm still waiting in other areas of my life.

Right now, you might be waiting on lots of things. and we can often think that once those things become reality we will be able to relax and focus on God and school, etc...

But it's a lie.

We will always be waiting on something. Waiting on college letters. Waiting on a guy to marry. Waiting on a job. Waiting on a move. Waiting on a baby. It just never stops.

The key is to really focus on your relationship with Christ and search for Him in the midst of the waiting and wondering. It's not always easy. But it's a skill we have to learn. Why? Well, if you aren't continually waiting on and looking to God for His will, then it's easy to get impatient and go running off in a wrong direction. And that definitely isn't worth it!!! God's plan for us is ALWAYS better than our own.

So here's to new books, new years and a God who is ever faithful!

What are you waiting on? Let's pray for each other!

Sarah

Sarah Anne Sumpolec - www.sarahannesumpolec.com

Me & My Invisible Guy - find out more here!

Waiting for the Next Big Thing

So Valentine's Day is over. (For some that may be a relief - my daughter told me that her teacher called it "Single Awareness Day")

What's next?

St. Patrick's Day - never been much for that holiday. Easter is around the corner. That's fun. Chocolate eggs and Easter egg hunts and celebrating how merciful the Lord is to us all. Spring is also around the corner (at least I really hope it is!)

I've been in a waiting mode for quite some time. I've had years of practice with waiting. Waiting is never easy. But waiting also never goes away. I've learned something about waiting - there is a difference between "just waiting" (picture yourself standing at a busy intersection waiting for that little green man to start blinking and tell you that it's time to cross the road) and "waiting on God".

Just Waiting

When we are "just waiting", we are looking for something to change - the "next, big thing". We are kind of just holding on until then. Back in college, I was convinced that no one would ever fall in love with me. One of my best friends, who I had a probably not so secret crush on, seemed only interested in dating my friends. True confession: I never had a boyfriend. Not once. But since I've been deliriously and happily married for nearly 16 years, I can assure you that I don't have one single regret about that. In fact, I'm pretty happy that it worked out that way! But here's the scenario:

in high school, you wait to graduate

in college, you wait to graduate

you wait to find someone

you wait to get married

you wait to find a job

you wait to have kids

(then once you have kids, there's all sorts of new waiting that starts to happen!)

Waiting on God

Instead of waiting "for the next big thing", I've been trying to practice waiting on God. How is that different? When we wait on God - we are looking for Him - not the next big thing. We are sharing with Him all of those dreams and hopes, but allowing Him to hold them for us while we focus on what he has put in front of us. I don't know what the next horizon holds. I don't know what it will look like. But I know that He is good, and He is the One that holds the future. So I talk with Him about my hopes and dreams, but my daily focus is on what He has put in front of me. We really only need be concerned about today. What are we supposed to accomplish for Him today?

If we're "just waiting" - we can miss what we are supposed to be doing today. We can miss out on the ways God is preparing us for what's on that horizon. Which means, of course, that it could just end up making us have to wait even longer because we're not ready for what God has planned.

I definitely don't want to miss out on what God has planned. So I'm going to wait on Him by dreaming with Him and being faithful with what He has put in front of me today. What has He put in front of you?

Sarah Anne Sumpolec is still trying to figure out what God wants her to be when she grows up. In the meantime, she writes YA novels, speaks to teens and college students, writes screenplays and is a Youth Theater director. She thoroughly enjoys being a wife and mom and you can find out more about her and her books at her website: a naked faith

Oh, the Waiting You'll Do

When I graduated high school, I was given a copy of Dr. Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go. I never read it. I put it on the shelf with all the other Dr. Seuss books I'd loved as a child, and went on with my life. Until a couple weeks ago when my daughter asked if we could read it.

I'm sure at least most of you are familiar with the concept of Oh, The Places You'll Go. Basically the guy is off to great places.

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go."

I was really enjoying the book, even getting a little teary in places that I felt particularly relate to me. And then I hit this part:

You can get so confused that you'll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place. The Waiting Place...

Then he goes on to talk about what all people are waiting for. (A train to go, a Yes or No, Friday night, Another Chance.) And then it says:

Everyone is just waiting.

NO! That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape all that waiting and staying. You'll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you'll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you're that kind of guy!

With all due respect to Dr. Seuss, I totally disagree.

Now, sometimes people choose to wait for things that they really shouldn't. Like for a toxic relationship to magically turn healthy. Or to get their ducks all in a row before they pursue that thing they feel God calling them to do. (If I've learned anything since becoming a mom, it's that ducks are on the constant move and should not be waited upon.)

Here's three things I'd like to say about waiting:

Waiting is not useless.

Does it feel useless at times? Absolutely. I started pursuing publication when I graduated high school at age 17. I had the great fortune of being able to write full time from the when I was 21 to when I had my daughter at age 24. As rejection after rejection came in, you think it felt like I was using my time wisely? No! I had no guarantee that I'd someday be published. All I knew was that it felt like God had called me to this, and that I had to try. During that season of waiting, I learned not only about the business of writing, but also about God's faithfulness and who in my life I could count on to support me.

Choosing not to wait can be cutting yourself off from God's plans.

The Bible is full of stories of people who were promised something big, and then waited a looooong time before it came to pass. Abraham was promised a son. Joseph dreamt of his brothers bowing to him. David was told he'd be king. Did God grant these things instantaneously? No. And for some real motivation to sit tight and wait on God for something He's promised, refresh yourself on Abraham's story and what happens with Hagar.

Waiting is not always a choice we make

Sometimes we're granted the choice to wait or not wait, but that's not always the case. Sometimes the waiting just happens, and there's no deciding "it's not for you." Like waiting to see if chemo is going to work. Or if you're going to get into the school of your dreams. Or if your friend is going to decide to forgive you one of these days.

So while you do have brains in your head and feet in your shoes, don't think that guarantees you a "Get out of The Waiting Place for free" pass. Because sometimes, even if the waiting is being done by choice, not waiting is only going to cost you.

Stephanie Morrill is a twenty-something living in Overland Park, Kansas with her husband and daughter. Her only talents are reading, writing, and drinking coffee, so career options were somewhat limited. Fortunately, she discovered a passion for young adult novels a few years ago and has been writing them ever since. Stephanie is the author of The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series and is currently working on other young adult projects. To check out her blog and read samples of her books, check out www.StephanieMorrillBooks.com.

While We're Waiting

Life is full of times to wait. Wait. Wait. While I'm waiting, I usually feel like I have to get busy doing something--anything--instead of just waiting.

When you're in high school, there are so many things to wait on:

Grades.
A college decision.
Your SAT score.
Maybe a prom date.
A bad family situation to get better.
Maybe a scholarship offer.
To find out if you made the team.
To make one good friend.

My daughter sent this song to me the other day. It's helping me wait.



Does anybody need prayer while you're waiting?

Love,
Julie