Redwoods at Mount Hermon

On the drive home from our getaway last week, I took Steve to Mount Hermon, the venue for my writer’s conferences over the past few years.  I wanted to show my husband the special places where God met me through the process of writing and publishing We Wait You. I showed him the hilltop where I had thanked God for a small victory in the beginning of the process, when I’d only written the first two chapters.

And then Steve and I hiked down to the bottom of the canyon and sat on a wooden creekside platform, surrounded by towering redwoods straining to reach heaven. One year ago, I walked there after my intensive mentoring clinic ended. My first draft was finished and I was determined not to hide it away in a desk drawer. I poured out my fears and hopes to God that day. My emotions were all over the place – discouragement (after a fellow student suggested I just print five copies of my manuscript at Kinko’s and give them to my family, because no one would want to read my book enough to purchase a copy) and anticipation because my mentor believed in my work. I knelt on that platform, with arms outstretched, and once again gave God my hopes, my dreams, my fears, my book. I thanked Him for bringing me that far and asked Him to do whatever He wanted to with my meager offering. I asked that if it ever became published, He would receive glory through it and people would be encouraged to trust Him for more.

Last week, Steve and I joined our voices and our hearts and thanked God together at that exact same spot, affirming anew our desire for Him to use my book for His glory. It was a sacred place for me, and a holy moment for Steve and I.