The Official Writing Challenge
BACK TO
CHALLENGE
MAIN
INSTRUCTIONS
how it works
submission rules
guidelines for
choosing a level
ENTRIES
submit your entry
read current entries
read past entries
challenge winners
Our Daily Devotional HERE
Place it on your site or
receive it daily by email.


TRUST JESUS TODAY

  • Share
  • how it works
  • Submit
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Encouragement (02/23/12)
When I became a Christian, at the age of 30, I thought that I should immediately be flawless, It didn’t take long to see that I wasn’t. So when I would have what some people call; bad luck, right away I would think that God was mad at me and I was getting what I deserved. I even got to the point where I felt that bumping my head, burning dinner, or getting a flat tire was punishment for not being able to do everything that I felt I should be doing as a Christian.

I can clearly remember praying, “God, why can’t I do this Christian stuff?” I wanted to be perfect, NOW! I struggled with these feelings until God used my nine year old daughter, Elizabeth, to help me through this.

I was having another one of those days where everything was going wrong. Because of this, I was angry with myself for not being good enough. I felt I must have brought all the bad things on myself. This thought had been going through my mind all day. What a shock I got when later that night , on her way to bed, Elizabeth tripped and fell, and what she said to me were the exact words I had used in a prayer to God that morning. Liz said, “Why is everything going wrong? Why am I always getting hurt?” She went on to say, “I must be a bad girl and deserve to be hurt.” All my thoughts about me being bad went out of my head and all I could think of was comforting and encouraging her, “No, you’re not a bad girl. You need to be more careful and watch what you are doing. You also need to get some sleep, it’s late and you are tired.” I could see that she wasn’t convinced, she was still feeling frustrated. Liz said, “Mom, I just can not do anything right.” She added, “I’m just stupid.” I knew that wasn’t true, but I didn’t know how to convince her of that. Then something that had happened in her class at school, came to mind.

Elizabeth had been having some trouble learning her times tables. But she practiced hard, and soon after, her teacher said that she was getting A’s and B’s on all her papers. I reminded her of what her teacher had said, and added, “If you were stupid you wouldn’t be getting such good grades now.” I told her that when things are new to us, they may seem hard. We might make a lot of mistakes, but if we practice and don’t give up we will get our A’s and B’s.

At that moment, it was like a light bulb went on in my head. I could tell that God was using Liz to talk to me. He was answering my questions , comforting and encouraging me, as He was giving me the answers to comfort and encourage my daughter. God really does speak to us in many different ways. That night I learned not to be hard on myself, perfection comes through Jesus. I also learned that it takes time, practice and percervence with God’s help to do something new, well. And that does include living a Christian life.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE

JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
This article has been read 912 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Donna Wilcher
03/02/12
This is a wonderful testimony! It's perfect example of the way the Lord teaches us what we need to know, when we need to know it , and "how" we need to learn it.

So many times we just don't "hear" what He's saying, so He has to "show" us.

Very...very good work! Keep it up!



C D Swanson 
03/02/12
Wow - this was truly touching and so true. I loved it.

The Lord "speaks" to us in may ways...and your daughter was a perfect example and you illustrated this beautifully in your entry.

The confirmation from God as He tries to reach us is varied, given the circumstances and the individual.

Beautiful job...thank you.

God Bless~
Carol Alwood
03/04/12
I can completely identify with your story. It's so neat how God uses our children to convict us of our misunderstandings of who He is. He loves us so much! Nice job!
Nancy Bucca
03/05/12
I think just about any new believer can relate to this. i know I can. This article could really be a boost to new believers.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
03/05/12
Oh how I enjoyed this. I understand why Jesus loved the little children so much. They can be great teachers if we open our eyes.

The only thing I might suggest is to do more showing than telling. It's something most writers struggle with. Instead of telling that you had a day where everything was going wrong show us. For example, The alarm buzzed me awake an hour late. I jumped out of bed and smacked into a wall. This paints a picture for the reader.

Your story was right on topic and a fresh approach. Anyone who has kids will surely be able to relate to this delightful lesson. Keep writing and rejoice in the love Jesus has for you.
Jody Day 
03/05/12
Very nicely done. I can see this published as a devotional. Add a scripture reference and there you go:)
Laura Manley
03/10/12
I love this story and I love the title of it. It's amazing how many of us think the way you did as a new Christian. I have been a Christian now for 32 years and I still have days as you describe. My only suggestion on this entry is that you need to watch your punctuation and spelling; otherwise, I thought the piece was very smooth reading and I enjoyed it very much.