I sat looking out of my office window this past week at the turning colors of my ornamental peach. Beautiful golds morphing into stunning reds. It made me smile.

Then it made me sigh.

Three editing projects, two collaborations, and one writing project. That’s what I had planned to accomplish in 2023. And here we were only a few months until the end of the year, and what did I have to show for it? NADA. The turning leaves were a clear reminder that a year had been wasted.

But had it?

I hadn’t procrastinated. I had tried to start on the writing project, but I just couldn’t get traction. Every turn I took I ran into a wall. Nothing seemed right.

The collaborations stalled. New people needed our time or family responsibilities took precedence.

And the editing sat in a manila envelope next to me reminding me it was there . . . but I opted to read instead. In fact, this had been an unprecedented year of reading—all style and genre of books.

I looked at the colors again. What made them so beautiful? A quick Google search to the Forest Service’s website gave me a crash course.

Pigment: Each species of tree has its own pigment composition which in turn gives it its unique color palette.
Length of Night: The shorter days and decreasing light causes the life veins to begin to close off.
Weather: Temperature and moisture are the primary effectors.

As I thought about this, I realized that my year, though devoid of any new writing, had not been a waste at all. Like the three elements that were bringing these beautiful colors to my window, each new influence in my life also held a purpose.

The difficult times, those “night” events have influenced my personal “pigment.” Then the fluctuation of “warm days” and “crisp refreshing nights,” has now pushed many of those colors to the surface.

And the reading? That reading provided some creative stylistic ideas and some much needed background for my project, prompting me to make major changes to the original idea. I was excited again. I was ready to write.

All of 2023’s goals have now shifted to 2024 and, as of this writing, my hope is to make major progress on all of them. BUT, God may have a different timetable again, and if that’s so, I am okay with it, for just like the beautiful tree that is transforming before my very eyes, I am reminded that “He has made [and continues to make] everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

“Come all of you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give your rest.” Matthew 11:28

I had never really given the true extent of that verse much thought until recently. I had always thought that all who came to Christ all came from the same place and all ended up in the same place—that place being exactly where I was—in thought, beliefs, politics, etc.

But I am realizing nothing could be further from the truth.

While all who accept Christ as savior start as sinners and end up redeemed sinners, that is where a lot of the similarity ends.

What led me to this revelation was reading Anne Lamott’s Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith.

Lamott grew up a true child of the sixties. She was born in 1954 in San Francisco and grew up in Marin County. She partook in pretty much all of the pleasures of the sixties and has the scars to prove it. BUT during her time at Goucher College she became a Christian, and when you read her works, her Christianity is raw and real.

Politically, Lamott is left of center and often I wondered how her views on some subjects lined up with Biblical teaching, BUT her salvation theology is sound, and she speaks candidly in her books about her faith and struggles.

I mention this because, as I said earlier, I always thought that when a person became a Christian, he or she would automatically slide into step with me. That I was the plumb line for Christian thinking that every person should be measured by. But that was arrogance and ignorance rolled into one.

Philippians 1:6 says, “that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus,” which means—we aren’t finished yet—so none of us can be the plumb line. That role is Christ’s alone.

God wants to restore our relationship with Him first and foremost. He wants us to have a heart for Him. He is working in each one of us individually from where we started to when He completes us. He grants us grace as we stumble. He alone judges, and we are accountable to Him.

I may not be in step or even on the same road as some of my fellow Christians as we journey through this world, but that is not mine to judge. My job is to worship God and love others.

They came from seven states: California, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and Georgia. Fifty-one people in all.

It wasn’t easy for anyone. The shortest drive was about an hour. Then two hours, but  most had a minimum of eight hours or a plane flight. AND the elevation was over 8000 feet in Estes Park, CO.

Others Zoomed or FaceTimed from six countries: USA, Canada, England, Taiwan, Turkey, and Australia. Another eighteen.

Cards came from all over the world.

Why did they come? Why did they call? Why did they write?

To celebrate my mom as she turned ninety.

Ninety years would be reason enough to celebrate, but to come and call from such distances? Well, that’s a tribute to my mother.

My mom has a number of wonderful attributes. She is friendly, generous, orderly, and a beautiful pianist to name a few.

She also has a few faults, which will go unnamed.

But her greatest character trait is that she cares about people, really cares: about their past, about their stories, about their achievements—about them.

In a world that is pretty self-obsessed, Mom has always stood out as being interested in others. She asks questions. She listens.

So they came . . . and called . . . and celebrated. Quite a tribute.

Happy Birthday, Mom.

Philippians 2:4—Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Ephesians 4:32—Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

John 13:34-35—A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

I love to write. Well . . . I enjoy thinking about what I want to write, and I love to finish a writing project, but the actual writing process can be a bit . . . well . . . challenging . . . overwhelming . . . tiring . . . frustrating . . . therapeutic . . . energizing . . . surprising . . .

Anyway, I digress.

Because I like to write, I love to read about how to write. I have many books by writers and publishers that provide nuggets of insight, words of encouragement, tricks of the trade, and pitfalls to avoid.

For instance, if a writer decides to take on a historical novel, she needs to be sure her facts are correct. Nothing can destroy a reputation or a good read faster than shoddy research. People who love and know history and read historical novels will pick it apart.

One of the more fascinating books I have read was How to Write a @#*% Good Mystery, by James N. Frey. (character substitution by me) All of it was fascinating, but the most intriguing chapter was Chapter 3: “The Plot Behind the Plot.” Basically, what is the motivation behind the potential murder and what has happened previously to make murder the answer.

Then, as you set up your story, you little by little, layer by layer, begin revealing this information. This approach is why mysteries are so captivating. We don’t know everything, and we are biting at the bit to learn more.

Backtrack to a Sunday a few weeks ago. One of the songs we were singing was Waymaker by Sinach, a Nigerian gospel singer. The version we were singing was an adaptation by Michael W. Smith, who inserts the following lines:

Even when I can’t see it, you’re working.
Even when I don’t feel it, you’re working.
You never stop.
You never stop working.

And, oddly, those words took me back to the “plot behind the plot” chapter. We don’t see our story all at one time. But God does. He has written a wonderful story for each of us. This is not to be confused with an easy story. One without troubles or difficulties or tension. But one that if we stay focused on Him, will be revealed little by little, layer by layer. And even in times of uncertainty when we don’t know what the future holds, we can have that same excited expectation of learning what the Master Writer has written just for us.

I have provided Michael W. Smith’s video for your enjoyment, but Sinach’s Youtube versions are marked private so cannot be attached, but I would encourage you to go to Youtube and enjoy them.

(According to Sinach’s website, Waymaker has been translated into over 50 languages and covered by many artists all around the world. It is also the theme song sung in many languages to bring hope and faith to those in distress.)