I’ve always loved to write. When I was 14, I was in the process of
writing a book called, “When I Find Tomorrow” which was basically
autobiographical (about a little girl who was given away at birth and then
forcefully removed from her foster home by her natural mother and taken to a
foreign country where she spent her childhood fighting off the advances of her
pedophile adoptive father….) .
Unfortunately, my mother (with whom I had a “rocky” relationship)
found it while snooping through my room one day, and when I came home from
school that afternoon she confronted me about it. I honestly don’t remember what all she said
to me, but suffice it to say, it completely doused my dreams of becoming a “great
author” one day. Ironically, I had shown
passages from my novel to my eleventh grade English teacher (who heaped many
praises on me and my writing style and gave
me pointers along the way), but by the time my mother was through berating me,
my book and my character, my dreams about becoming and author were trampled to
pieces.
So, thinking I would never make it as a writer, I ended
up joining the Army and doing administrative work. I didn’t really like it, but I was convinced
I couldn’t do anything else.
But YHWH had other ideas! You see, YHWH’s Plans are only thwarted if we
stop paying attention to that drive inside each of us that propels us forward
to do HIS bidding. HIS ultimate goal was to use me for HIS Glory
one day…spreading His Word through my writing skills! So, what satan meant for evil, YHWH turned
around for GOOD – and He did it in a most unusual way….
By the time YHWH made His move, I had been a US soldier
for almost a decade (doing my admin thing and not being happy in my “chosen”
field). At the time I was working in the
Department of Engineering and Housing in Stuttgart, Germany – and the colonel
who headed that department happened to be a major Casanova who couldn’t keep
his hands off his female employees. Well,
he did it once too often to me, and one day “something came over me” …. Tossing
him a searing glance, I rose and stomped out of the office after saying
something very unlady-like that just “happened to pop out of my mouth.”
Well, needless to say, I thought my career was over
with (because it was my word against this colonel’s and I was just an E-6/staff
sergeant at the time). And so I found
myself trembling and fearing the worst in the Command Sergeant Major’s office. I mean, Sergeant Major ____ was mean as a snake and I figured he would
drum me out of the Army for daring to address this colonel the way I did. But to my utter surprise, he chuckled and
said, “Well, Sarge, I was wondering how long it would take you! Everybody knows about Colonel ____.”
Turns out, the Command knew, but they never did a thing
about this colonel, because “he was getting ready to retire.” In other words, it was the “Good ol’ boy
Network” at its worst.
And so the next thing I knew, the Command Sergeant
Major sent me to work as editor of the local military newspaper, the Stuttgart
Citizen, even though I knew nothing about journalism. He simply said, “You love to write, so go and
write and do what you do best.” (I had
done tons of volunteer writing – making pamphlets, etc. - for various organizations in the military
community.)
But, “it just so happened” all this took place “at the
right time” for me because the newspaper’s editor (a captain) had returned to
the US on “emergency leave” and the Command had just discovered that he wouldn’t
be returning - and they were in dire
need of someone with a proven record and writing abilities to quickly step in
and take over, as there was no one else available at the time.
So, that is how I ended up becoming a military journalist! Within six months or so, the Army allowed me
to change my specialty to journalism, and off I went to journalism school, with
my first assignment as a journalist being as the “NCO in Charge of the Public
Affairs Office” at the US Army Criminal Investigation Command! YHWH had restored me to the career field HE
needed me to be in, because one day, far into the future He would need me to be
a soldier for HIM…someone who would be able to WRITE articles and books
designed to lead people to YHWH/Yeshua/Torah.
Truly
– YHWH turned around what the enemy had meant for evil, back when I was 14 when
my mother totally dashed my hopes of becoming an author! YHWH restored
that which was lost (Deuteronomy 30:3-13; Joel 2:25-32;
Jeremiah 31:3). All praise and glory goes to Him – Halleluyah!
He
does turn around the lives of those who turn to HIM. If He did this for
me, He can do it for you. Please give Him a chance.
Yes, Amein!!! I can totally relate to your story Carmen! I've also been so discouraged with the many hardships that have transpired in my life, but am so grateful that YHWH has placed me where He has me for right now, in order to prepare me for His best and what He has in store for me right ahead. I'm also most grateful for the people He keeps removing from my life (terrible influences), and the new friends and people He knows I need for true friends and for accountability. "Just as iron sharpens iron, a person sharpens the character of his friend." ~ Proverbs 27:17
ReplyDeleteI now understand that I had a difficult time trusting YHWH to be in full control because I was reacting to my deep hurt and pain, so I didn't see that my attempts to be in control were simply my desperately trying to avoid further betrayal and pain in my life. I thank and praise ABBA for being patient with me and healing me from my painful past and for leading me where I am today. Thank you for your love and friendship! May YHWH continue to bless ALL of your hard work, and know that it's not in vain! :) I pray for you and Bill!
Love, your friend south of the border... Marisa
Thank you and amein, Marisa! He does put people in our life to help us learn and grow...but we always have to watch out for the tares. They are definitely out there, seeking to devour. But those who belong to YHWH will always recognize them and learn to evict them from their lives.
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