Monday, October 12, 2020

When God Says "No"


By Amy R. Anguish

 

We all have plans. After all, from the time we can talk, we’re asked questions like “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and “Where do you see yourself in ten years?”

It’s ingrained in us.

And we think our plans are good, right? Otherwise, we’d change them.

But what do we do when God decides our plans aren’t what He wants for us?

Let’s all be honest here. If our plans were fulfilled, we’d all be best-selling authors, right? And while some of the beautiful writers here have achieved that, most of us are still working on it.

If all the plans my husband and I made had come true, I’d possibly still be living in Austin, Texas. Or at least have moved to Tennessee more than three years ago.

And I’d have a child about to be a teenager (I’m rather glad that plan didn’t pan out right now. My five-going-on-sixteen-year-old has enough sass for the here and now).

Instead, after only a few years in the Austin area, my husband lost his job. And instead of getting pregnant at twenty-five, I had to wait more than six years to be able to see those two lines on the pregnancy test.

I could be bitter about that. I could dwell on it and wish my life away, wanting the original plan instead of what I got.

But that’s a waste of time and energy. It won’t change anything. And it would take away the blessings I received because of going through all that.

Like the amazing friends we made in Tyler, Texas the six years we lived there. Like the closeness we gained in our marriage while we went through fertility treatments. Like the wonderful children we have now and the friends we have due to their children being the same age. And like the appreciation we have for my husband finally having the job he always wanted.


It’s not always easy to see the good that can come from what we consider a bad situation, but it’s there. And provides us with tons of good story fodder, too. Maybe that’s why in my new book, Saving Grace, my character Michelle has to deal with her plans not going exactly as she planned them. As she goes through the story, she has to realize that sometimes the plans we make for ourselves aren’t the best for our lives, and God has a better idea.

For a chance to win a copy of my book, leave a comment below. I’d love to hear of stories in your life when your plans didn’t work out exactly like you planned, but maybe had an even better result because of it.


Saving Grace...

What if saving Grace doesn’t mean what she thinks it does?

 

Michelle Wilson’s one goal in life was to become a top journalist at the local paper back in her hometown of Cedar Springs, AR. But on the way to bringing that dream to reality, a life-changing wreck interrupts Michelle’s plans and adds an orphaned baby into the mix. Now, she has tough decisions ahead—did God put her in that accident to save baby Grace? And if so, why is it so hard to convince everyone else she should be the baby’s new mommy?

Greg Marshall has been Michelle’s best friend his whole life. He’s thrilled she’s moving back home, but not so sure about her sudden desire to be a single mom. His feelings for her have grown through the years, but she’s never seemed to notice. Can he help Michelle with the adoption and grow their relationship at the same time?

****


 

Amy R Anguish

Author of An Unexpected Legacy, Faith and Hope, and Saving Grace

Amy R Anguish grew up a preacher's kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a bossy cat or two. Amy has an English degree from Freed-Hardeman University that she intends to use to glorify God, and she wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good.

 

Follow her at http://abitofanguish.weebly.com or http://www.facebook.com/amyanguishauthor

 Or https://twitter.com/amy_r_anguish

 

Learn more about my books at https://www.pinterest.com/msguish/my-books/

 

And check out the YouTube channel she does with two other authors, Once Upon a Page (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEiu-jq-KE-VMIjbtmGLbJA)

38 comments:

  1. Amy, what an inspirational post! I've been so busy with pumpkins that I've missed some Seekerville days, but I popped over here and I love this! Thank you for being here today, and wishing you all the best on your work. You know what I say about this biz... there are no secrets, no hidden passages, and very few lucky breaks.... there is mostly just staying at it! And we can do that!

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    1. Ruthy, thank you for those kind words! I am definitely working o hb the staying at it part. :-)

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    2. Ruthy, we look forward to seeing you more after pumpkin season! We've missed you.

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  2. I saw the email telling me about a new post on Seekerville this morning and wondered what it was about. Ha! Then, my morning fog cleared and I remembered it was mine. :-)
    I am bringing pumpkin bagels and cream cheese with nice frothy chai. Good morning!

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    1. LOL!! You were so on the ball you sent it to me ages ago. :) We're glad you're here!

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    2. I just knew how crazy it was going to be between then and now. And it has been! :-)

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  3. Oh so many times my plans didn't work out. I quit my job seventeen months ago to write full time, and my plan was to be on the New York Times Best Seller List by now. ;-) Instead, what I have is a completed manuscript and lots of potential and hope for where it will go from here. Plus the abundance of new ideas that I'm not quite so tortured by anymore. Thanks for the great post, Amy!

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    1. I am so glad even though you're not on the best seller list yet, things are still going well!

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    2. Rachel, that sounds like one of my earliest goals! That was back when I just "knew" my first manuscript would sell. :) Almost 12 years later, that happened. haha

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  4. Now that I'm "middle-aged" (whatever that means) I've had a bit of time to look back on those dreams that didn't happen, grieve for them, and now try to find peace in the fact that God never wastes a moment. He will redeem those disappointments and His timing--to maybe still make those dreams happen--is always perfect. Thanks for sharing and congratulations on what looks like a beautiful story!

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    1. I live the way you put this, Glynis. Redemption is definitely something we can count on with God.

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    2. Yes, I love the way you stated this, Glynis.

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  5. Amy, congrats on Saving Grace! Your blurb hooked me! An orphaned baby and a meant-to-be-together couple who need to find their happily ever after!

    God's timing is always perfect, although I'm often impatient! Such a lovely post! Thank you for sharing how you've learned to wait upon the Lord!

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    1. I agree, Debby! Sounds like a great story!

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    2. Thanks, Debby! I definitely have a ton of impatient moments, too.

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  6. Amy, we're so glad you're with us again! My publishing journey fits in so well today. I got discouraged so many times along the way (and almost quit two or three times). But then when I finally sold that first book twelve years later, I could finally see I wouldn't have been ready sooner and was very thankful for God's plan.

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  7. Amy, this is so true yet so hard to put into practice! If God had allowed me to marry the wrong man 20+ years ago, I would not have my wonderful husband, two incredible kids or the writing life I'm able to have now. It was definitely a tough-love kind of experience, but God is good!

    And whether I'm the winner or not-- I can't wait to read Saving Grace! You totally hooked me with that blurb...

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    1. Denise, it is difficult to put into practice. I'm not the most patient person and tend to try to control things. :)

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    2. Denise, I agree. It's so hard, but always worth it. So glad to hear my story interests you. :-)

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  8. Amy! Thanks for being here today!

    You know, it's through those times when my plans and God's plans didn't agree that I learned that HIS plans are always, always, much better than my plans. That makes even the most tragic disappointments bearable, doesn't it?

    Congratulations on your new release!

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    1. Yes, God's plans are always better! It's sometimes hard for me to remember that.

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    2. Thank you, Jan! And yes. You'd think we would trust Him more after seeing Him take care of us so often, right?

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  9. Congrats on the new release, Amy. I love the cover! And there's a reason why one of my favorite verses is "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it's the Lord's purpose that prevails." It's more like a manta for me, reminding me that I can plan all I want, but God knows best. Great post, Amy.

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    1. I love that verse so much, I think it's the one used several times in my next book. :-)
      I love the cover, too.

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  10. Thank you for the post Amy! It was really encouraging.

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  11. Welcome, Amy! Such wise words. I love that you can see the good in life circumstances that you wouldn't have chosen had you been given the choice. Congratulations on your book! It sounds full of good life lessons wrapped in a good story!

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  12. Aww. Thanks, Erica. I try to be wise. I am basically preaching to myself most of the time. :-)

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  13. The best example of when God's plans were better than my own occurred years ago when my teaching job was cut, requiring me to find a new job. I did find a new teaching job in another town, and that is where I met my husband. So if I hadn't lost that job, I never would have met him. Definitely God at work. Please put me in the drawing. The book looks good!

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    1. Sandy, that's a wonderful story!

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    2. Sandy, that is a great story. Thanks so much for sharing.

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  14. Hi Amy:

    Love the theme of "Saving Grace". It's one of my favorites. I'm going to read the except on Amazon later tonight.

    I'm not sure God ever says 'No' but rather makes us feel guilty like a good mother would. We do have free will after all and besides I don't remember in John 14:13, where it reads, "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son," that it is also stipulated that "unless the answer is no."

    Please put me in the drawing for "Saving Grace". My plans have changed many times, sometimes because of events I have had nothing to do with. Most seem to have worked out for the better but that is hard to say because I will never know how they would have turned out were they not altered.

    Good luck on your book.

    Vince

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  15. Some of the best blessings in my life have come from God saying 'no' and steering me in another direction. :) Thanks for sharing Amy!

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