On the Brink*

This blog, this day, finds me on the brink of many things.

Tomorrow, I will turn over to my editor my fifth revision of the synopsis of House of Secrets, which will be released in July 2010 and is a sequel to Field of Danger, out this December. The manuscript itself is due October 1, so I am on the brink of the writing journey.

In my real life, I’ve been freelancing as an editor for a few publishers, and making multiple trips to another state, where my mom is facing some serious health concerns. The projects have had some tight deadlines . . . and I’ve missed a few, making me question whether I need to continue on this path while we have no idea what turn her health will take.

Prayer is difficult as is perseverance. But God dots the path with His lamps.

Recently, I was proofreading First Chronicles for a new Bible, and I came across a verse that startled me. Now, admittedly, I’ve not paid much attention to this historical book in the past, and like a lot of folks, I got to the “begats” and skipped to the good stuff.

And, in doing so, I skipped some of the really good stuff.

Take note of the last line of the passage 1 Chronicles 7:20-24 (NIV):

The descendants of Ephraim:
Shuthelah, Bered his son,
Tahath his son, Eleadah his son,
Tahath his son, Zabad his son
and Shuthelah his son.
Ezer and Elead were killed by the native-born men of Gath, when they went down to seize their livestock. Their father Ephraim mourned for them many days, and his relatives came to comfort him. Then he lay with his wife again, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. He named him Beriah, because there had been misfortune in his family. His daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth Horon as well as Uzzen Sheerah. . . .

Uh . . . wait a minute. What? His daughter built three cities. His daughter? Since when did women in Old Testament times build cities?

Apparently, anytime God wanted them to.

This verse contrasts with 2 Chronicles 8:5, in which we find out that Solomon rebuilt the cities, so they must have been quite important to trade, defense, and growth of the kingdom. And I was so startled by Sheerah’s appearance that I almost overlooked that this passage describes the lineage of Joshua. Sheerah is a part of a much larger picture.

Apparently, women of God are truly limited only by what God wants them to do.

So here in the midst of the “begats” I’d never read was this scrumptious reminder that God uses EVERYONE to achieve his purpose. Men, women . . . even the occasional talking donkey. The limits we place on ourselves are just that. OUR limits. Not God’s. As far as I can tell, He’s not particularly fond of our limits either. Just ask Jonah.

Even as I thought about Sheerah and her cities, another lamp appeared in a project I was working on. This phrase is from Dr. Adrian Rogers: “If the devil never bothers you, it's because you're both going in the same direction.”

It's definitely not GOD who enjoys the limits we place on ourselves. Ouch.

Time to step over my brink and dive in. Persevere and follow those dots of light in the distance. God’s direction is limitless . . . and always true.