Laura Hodges Poole: Ouch! Who Put That Wall There?

Everyone's Story welcomes fiction and devotional author Laura Hodges Poole. I've gotten to know Laura the past few years through the writings on her blog and Twitter and was delighted when she contacted me with the news of the release of her devotional WHILE I'M WAITING. If you are yearning to replace an emptiness within you with hope, Laura's messages will uplift an encourage you on. The message that Laura shares with us this week is dynamic. It's perfect cheer for a difficult spot in life, one's seemingly stuck writing journey, or for the reader who devours words to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Please check out Laura's BookGiveaway. Both Laura and I look forward to hearing from you.

BookGiveaway:

Laura is offering 1 Kindle copy of her devotional WHILE I'M WAITING to 1 randomly chosen commenter. The winner will be announced here on Friday, June 26th between 5-6 PM EST. To be entered in the Giveaway, please leave your contact information within your comment.

Description of WHILE I'M WAITING:

While I’m Waiting originated from a portion of the author’s blog devotions from the past few years, put together for the first time in a collection. This devotional will inspire the reader to wait on God patiently and reverently to answer prayers according to His perfect timing. The author shares her own struggles and shortcomings in a relatable way that encourages and brings hope even in the most difficult circumstances. The devotions show that it is possible to walk through the valley and not despair while praising God and choosing contentment during trials. As Jim Elliot once said, “God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him.”

The Invisible Wall by Laura Hodges Poole

“A flash of harmless lightning, a mist of rainbow dyes, the burnished sunbeams brightening, from flower to flower he flies.” ~ John Banister Tabb

Last summer, I walked through my garage and heard a noise coming from behind the window blinds. It sounded like an oversized bumblebee—or a miniature power tool. Along with the hum, I heard a tap, tap, tap. The little creature was beating itself to death against the closed window, when he only needed to back up and exit the way he came in—through the open garage door.

We have this problem every summer. No doubt, the hummingbirds are attracted by anything red in the garage. They hover around my van’s taillight, apparently trying to discern if it’s a food source.

Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards. I could list many amazing attributes about this beautiful creature, but no matter how magnificent, its design is also limiting. One trait in particular—fear—causes the hummingbird to ignore its God-given instinct to simply back out of a situation it shouldn’t be in.

Horrified that the bird would tap the window until it died, I grabbed a rake. After several careful attempts to free the bird without stressing or injuring it, I guided it away from the closed window back to the open garage door. Was it relieved? I doubt a bird has the capacity to feel relief, but it went on its merry way, to the next red bloom or taillight that caught its attention.

Sound familiar? How often do we insist on following a path in pursuit of something that turns out to be a counterfeit blessing, much like the taillight is to a hummingbird? We see the end of the path—the objective we’re after—so we keep beating our head against the invisible wall to reach it. Though we could take a step back and reassess our objective and the means to achieve it, we refuse to do so.

God grabs our shirttails and tries to rein us in. We try to wriggle out of His grasp.

“But, God, I see the prize. If I try hard enough, work hard enough, sacrifice enough, I’ll get there. Don’t pull me back. Here’s a better solution … remove the invisible wall.”

Because we know best, right? And removing the barrier would be best.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Reflection: Are you facing an obstacle today? Challenge yourself to take that step back into the arms of God and wait for His direction. Trust Him to get it right!

(Post shared from “While I’m Waiting” devotional.)

Laura's Ah-hahs To Tweet:

Author Laura Hodges Poole @Laura_Poole: you can walk through the valley & not despair! (Tweet This)

Everyone’s Story: Laura Hodges Poole @Laura_Poole, an author sharing own struggles to give you hope. (Tweet This)

Laura Hodges Poole @Laura_Poole: #BookGiveaway of WHILE I’M WAITING (Tweet This)

Author's Bio:

Laura Hodges Poole is a Christian writer with dozens of articles, devotions, and short stories in publication. She is a 2014 ACFW Genesis semi-finalist and a 2012 RWA Emily finalist (second place) in Christian fiction. Her novella, "A Christmas Chance," and devotional, "While I'm Waiting," are available on Amazon. She collaborated with several published authors on a Christian romance serial “Path to Love,” available July 1 on Amazon. Her upcoming Christian romance novella will release in November. Laura is also a non-fiction ghostwriter/collaborator. Her passion is encouraging others in their Christian walk through her blog, "A Word of Encouragement." When she’s not writing, you might find her hiking in the mountains or being crafty. Laura lives in South Carolina with her husband and is a mother of two sons.

Places to connect with Laura:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest

Amazon

**Please consider taking the survey on the right-hand sidebar. Thanks.