Faces of Rebellion

Sunday evening has arrived all too soon. My writing has progressed well this week, even though I've not been able to write much on the weekend, which, for women who work full-time, is filled with other work -- housecleaning, laundry, shopping, gardening, chores, paying bills -- all the ordinary stuff of life that demands so much time. But I made progress on Amanda's story; even if I write for an hour at night, I can get two pages written, which is two pages more than I had when I sat down. Little increments will eventually get me to my final goal.
As with many young people, Amanda goes through a period of rebellion, but her rebellion is more than against her parents, who she deems to be too strict, but against her God as well. Spiritual rebellion can result in consequences beyond imagination for a child of God, and chidren of the world often lead children of God into rebellion. Rebellion has many faces -- a good friend at school asking you to cheat on a paper, a college friend pushing drugs, the girlfriend who challenges you to push your limits at home, that boyfriend who offers you your first drink or who talks you into giving yourself to him, the bully in school who ridicules you for your beliefs, and yes, church people who don't walk the talk and lead you down a stray path. The only way to stay safe from spiritual rebellion is to look into the face of God, who will never lead you astray. Amanda finally comes to her senses and recognizes the face of rebellion, but it's too late for her to avoid the consequences.
If you're reading this now, I want to thank you for reading my posts. Feel free to post comments and/or feedback. Please sign in and follow my posts so I know I'm not writing to cyberspace, for Amanda's story is one of rebellion and loss, hope and healing, redemption and restoration. I think you'll like the end result, but I must apologize for the length of time it's taking me to get to the end. But I will get there; I promise!

Introduction to Amanda

Now that I've posted my first 'post', I've got to concentrate on posting every few days, which will be difficult to do because LIFE takes up so much time. Last evening, my husband wasn't home, so when I got home from work, I watered the tomato plants I'm growing (literally hundreds of them), prepared and ate dinner, stripped the bed and washed and dried the linens, remade the bed, answered e-mails to inquiries from our ad on Craig's List of tomatoes for sale, answered and sent personal e-mails, rode the stationary bike for 30 minutes, and finally sat down to work on "Amanda's Hope" at 9 PM! I typed for about 50 minutes. It's difficult to get into characters that I've created in my mind when time is limited, when I'm rushed, and when I'm tired. My main character, Amanda, is just out of high school and facing a situation she never dreamed she'd ever have to face. I picture her as pixie cute with shoulder-length auburn hair, full of energy and zest for life, but she's gone through a period of rebellion against her parents and her Lord. Now faced with consequences, she has to decide what to do.
Life is fraught with dangers, temptations, and consequences. One doesn't wake up one morning and decide to do something dangerous or fall into a temptation that they've been resisting -- no, it's much more subtle than that. It's a slow slide, a slow change, and areas of black and white are no longer distinct, but are now gray. People give themselves away slowly, step by step, and oftentimes it's too late to go back to safety once they realize that they really don't like where they've ended up. Such is the case with Amanda, and I think all of us can relate to her. However, the consequences that we pay vary greatly, some being more severe and long-term than others.
Safety is found in God, in His ways, in His leading, in His Word. If you haven't opened your Bible for a long time, do so tonight and read a verse or two. Listen carefully, and you may hear something.

I've started!

Here it is, Sunday night at 10:18, and I'm starting my first blog. This is quite an undertaking for someone my age who grew up with transistor radios, dial telephones, cars with no air-conditioning, and poodle skirts! But life has moved, too quickly for me at times, and my dreams have also changed with the passing of time. I'll wager that every person in life has something that they'd like to do which is totally beyond the realm of reason and has absolutely nothing to do with what they DO for a living. Well, mine has been to write a book, and I've already done that several times over and have self-published them, but the book on which I'm currently writing delves into a deep and controversial subject, which often splits families and political parties. But I must go there and write what I believe God has put on my heart to write, and I'd like you to go with me through the completion of this process.

For now, suffice it to say that the writing is difficult, the subject sensitive, and the outcome . . . ? I know, but I'll leave you suspended until my next post, which I'll try to do at least twice a week, if not more.