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: SEA CHANGE or TREE CHANGE (07/13/17)
Sometimes miracles happen when you least expect them. I can tell you this, because I watched one happen right in front of my eyes.



I had accompanied my young brother and his family as they travelled to our rural home in Africa for the weekend. As we preparing to go back to the city on Sunday afternoon, my mother took me aside and asked about how I was coping financially. We had not really had time to the two of us, since we were in a big crowd that weekend, with lots of activity going on.



My mother was concerned about me, however. I had lost my job a couple of months back and was struggling to get something new. Now and again I would find some temporal or contract work, but that did not last long. I had two boys in school, rent to pay and some bills to worry about. At one time, my father had visited us in the city and bought us some groceries, and that was a big help for a while.



I confided in my mom that I wasn’t doing so well. She packed a few grains and vegetables for me to take home. I really appreciated her love for me and my family. Then she also suggested that I pick a basket-full of lemons from the lemon tree in the family garden. “You could sell some, and get money for bread”, she said.



I picked up a basket from her pantry and walked out to the lemon tree. There were a few ripe ones, and I picked those ones and filled up the basket. I noticed that the remaining ripe could fill one more basket. So I took the full basket and went to my brother’s vehicle where I emptied them in a large box inside the boot. I went back to get the rest of the lemons.



The sight that greeted me was awesome. The tree was full again with ripe lemons! How could a tree change in just a couple of minutes? Well, I decided that was not my issue of concern. Mine was to pick them and load the big box in the car boot. I filled that basket three more times and every time I went back to the tree, it had ripened some more. After filling up the box, we cleared the boot of other stuff and just emptied the lemons straight in.



It was a miracle, and the whole family had joined in carrying bags from the flourishing lemon tree to the boot of our vehicle. We had some fun and excitement that day. We all knew this could only be from God. One scripture that a friend had given me as I struggled in my unemployment was from Psalm 37:25, ‘I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread’.



Needless to say, we drove to our city home singing with joy because of the boot full with ripe, delicious looking lemons. And wisdom told us to go straight to the largest grocery store, where we exchanged most of them for a couple of dollars’ worth of groceries. We used the rest of the lemons to make our juicy lemon drink. God is good!
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 470 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
C D Swanson 
07/20/17
Loved this!
Blessings~
Noel Mitaxa 
07/20/17
Wow! Great story, and very well-written.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
07/21/17
I enjoyed this modern rendition of the fish and bread parable. You made me smile. I've no doubt that God performs such miracles still today. We only need to open our eyes to see them.

One thing I might encourage you to do is use dialog, body language, and thoughts to paint more of a picture for your reader. For example, I might edit it like this:
After spending the weekend at my mother's home, Mom snagged my elbow and pulled me into a quiet corner. "How are you making out since you lost your job? I've been really worried about you."
Dipping my head, I shrugged my shoulders. "Not good, Mom. Not good at all. It's been really hard. I've looked everywhere for a job. I just don't know what to do."
Mom wrapped her arms around me and held me. It felt so safe to be in her arms again. Slowly, I felt my fears and frustration ebbing away.

I know I took some liberties that might not be accurate, but I wanted to show you what I meant by using dialog and body language.

I truly enjoyed your story. I think it was a great take on the topic. Even better is the clear messages. As much as our earthly parents love and care for us, it is just a fraction of how great God's love and mercy is. Your words will encourage many people. Keep writing.
Phillip Cimei
07/21/17
We just need to open the eyes of our heart to see miracles every day. Your story was wonderful.

It was easy to read.

I wanted to see how the MC felt when the tree kept supplying her need. Describe her emotion, don't just tell us that she had one.

Shann gave a great example of this.

Read all you can on how to show not tell.

I think the topic got a lot of writers. Make sure you totally understand it before sitting down to write.

This was a blessing to read. thank you. God bless.
Larry Whittington
07/22/17
A very nice story. God blessed the effort.

Keep up the good work. Remember: God blesses effort.