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TRUST JESUS TODAY

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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: TRUST (07/21/16)
There are times when life hands over its worst to us and yet, in the storm, God makes His presence known. Such was the case for Jo.

The day started out like any other. She dressed for work and showed up at the hospital to fulfill her duties as a nurse. She loved her job in the healthcare field. But one thing held her back from fully embracing her profession: she needed to receive the final score to her nursing board exam. It was something that would define her as a full-fledged registered nurse. The results were to arrive soon but each day yielded an empty mailbox. Maybe this day would give her the results that she was hoping for.

Her work day was long. It had been a challenging day with her supervisor. Jo felt as though her senior boss had it in for her. Truth be told, the senior nurse was a bit threatened by the new nursing graduates who might one day take her job from her. Bu Jo pushed those thoughts aside and headed home.

Once home, she headed for the mail box. It looked as though there were things in the mail slot. She was shaking a bit as the key went into the tiny door of the mail cubicle. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out the letters that were resting in the box and there it was! The long awaited results had finally arrived.

The nursing exam was a five-part test. Every part needed to have a passing score. Jo slowly opened the envelope and began to read the final results. Here relief was great as she reviewed parts one through four. Whew! Passed! Only one more part needed to be a positive score and she would be an officially licensed nurse!

Her countenance fell, though, as her eyes stared at the final score: three points short of passing. No! No! Nooooo! It could not be. What was she going to do? Now she would have to tell everyone f her failure. That part of the exam would have to be re-taken. Even worse, her nursing supervisor would have to be the first to know. Jo’s job hung on the results. This day was turning out to be one of the worst in her life. Why had she even thought that she could trust in her own intelligence when she sat down to take that daunting exam? She cried out to God for help and comfort.

That evening she could only ponder what the day ahead would bring when she would have to go into work with the news. She stared out of the window not knowing what to do next. That’s when her eyes fell on an event taking place in the yard of her apartment.

A man was walking with his dog. Apparently, he was teaching his puppy the discipline of obedience and trust. In an effort to teach his dog patience and to heed the voice of the master, the man had the dog to stand by his side. A car was passing by. The pup needed to trust the wisdom of his master. But what got Jo’s attention most of all was the screech of tires and a voice crying out, “Stop”!

Jo could almost not look out to see what had happened. Had the dog survived? Thankfully he had and there on the lawn of the apartment, Jo witnessed the most tender moment she could imagine. The owner bent down to the level of his pup, embraced him and tenderly stroked his fur. The dog had survived the incident. Instead of receiving a huge scolding, the master embraced the scared and shivering puppy and whispered to it calming words of care.

That was lesson straight from the heart of God, Jo reckoned. She needed to see that incident. She identified with that greatly shaken pup and needed to feel the embrace of her loving Master. In that moment, Jo put her trust in God’s plan for her life. She was reminded that there are times in our lives when life hands over its worst to us and yet, in the storm, God makes His presence known so that our trust in Him is deepened.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
08/02/16
This story fits something going on on my life perfectly. It can be so hard to trust at time, but God has a plan. I enjoyed your character and you did a nice job telling the story.

It would be even stronger to show it with body language, dialog, and thought. For example, you could do something lik:Jo bounced into work. I love being a nurse;I hope I passed my exams. I don't think I could face anyone if I failed. Her smile faded as she noticed her boss scowling at her. I wonder what her problem is? Maybe she heard about my test scores. Her heart beat harder as she tried to shrug off her fears. She rushed in to see her next patient. "Hello, Mrs. Jones, how are you feeling today?"
That was just a quick example to show you how to use thought and dialog. You had a POV shift when you slipped into the boss' head and worries. You can show her insecurities with something like a scowl, but the reader should only know what the MC knows.

You did a great job of writing on topic. While a lot of people wrote about trusting God, you mixed it up a bit with the nursing exams. I found that realistic and interesting. Your conflict made me want to read on and the ending felt real. I remember what torture it was to wait for my nursing exam results, knowing my job was dependent on me passing. You did a great job of capturing that.