Nehemiah

I found this post saved, but not posted.  I love that I am stumbling across it again today about half way into fall because It is a good reminder!

This week I have been reading in Nehemiah.  Nehemiah is such a great story.  It is short and it is sweet, but this time around I hit a part that I have read a thousand times before and it struck me so I wanted to share.

 I just love how Nehemiah is so focused on what God has called him to do.  Nehemiah is rebuilding a wall, and nothing will deter him.  It is a great example of staying focused even in times of strife. Fall this year for me isn't necessarily a time of strife, but it is a really busy time for us.  Sometimes it is easy to let things slip.  Things like spending time in the word.  I believe that the times that we are feeling OK, and not spending time in the word are the times we really need to buckle down and make it a priority.

Anyways, back to Nehemiah. The book opens up with Nehemiah receiving the news that the wall had been broken down, and that God's people were hurting.   What is the first thing that Nehemiah does?  He mourns and prays.  I LOVE this.  How often, when something happens is the very first thing we do pray?   I can tell you that this has been my focus this week.  Every time something happens good or bad I am on my knees immediately and what a difference it makes!  

  Later, in the book Nehemiah is busy rebuilding his wall, (Chapter 6) and everyone is starting to get tired.  Nehemiah is starting to worry that the people are not going to be able to fix the wall.  And so he prays:  Now strengthen my hands.

Strengthen my hands.  I know that Nehemiah means this figuratively.   He prays it to feel less discouraged that the wall will fall down.  What a perfect prayer to pray as a mom, as a wife, as a woman.  Sometimes the days get weary and I have been praying.  Lord, strengthen my hands.

This books is kind of my focus for me going into this fall.  A focus for me, and for my family.   1. That we would pray before anything else bringing God into everything we do.  and 2.  To continually ask God to strengthen our hands a we do His work.   :)

Beauty and the Heroine

I am gearing up for Nanwrimo again.  Ideas are spinning in my head.  I am eager to write, and eager to get to know all the new characters that are just starting to formulate in my head.  For those of you who don't know what Nano is, I will explain.  Nanowrimo or National Novel Writing month is an event that happens each and every November.  The challenge is to write 50k words in the month of November.    Those 50k words are a start to your novel.  :)  This year will be my 6th year participating!!

While thinking about my main character who is yet unnamed have run into a double edged sword.  Is she Beauty?  Or is she the Heroine?

I love pink.   I love sparkles, and I love to dress up for my husband.   I love having dinner on the table.  I love taking care of my gorgeous daughters.  We sit around sometimes and we do mani/pedis.  We watch princess movies, and we have dance parties in my family room.   I am a girly girl.    I love being a girly girl.

I am also tough as nails.  I have been through emotional turmoil, and I have overcome.  I have been abused, been a single mom, I have survived.  Not to mention, I am quick, strong, smart and organized.  If you need a heroine.  I am your woman.

Wow, rereading that I am thinking that it sounds really like I am tooting my own horn here, and that is not my intention at all.  I am only trying to make a point here.  Why is there always a choice?  Why can't my Beauty be a heroine?    I intensely dislike it when people assume that to be strong you cannot be beautiful.  Or to be beautiful you cannot also be strong or smart.

I have a challenge for myself this year, and for other writers out there.  Stop short changing female characters.  We can be strong and beautiful!