Don't Give Up

Even when it hurts to keep going, sometimes it's the best option.

Or so I learned when went ice skating last weekend.

I'd only been skating once before, and honestly, I didn't like it too much. This time was a little better. I learned to enjoy it more. So, apparently, you have to tie the skates really tight, so tight that you can barely move your legs forward. While it kept me from falling, it wasn't the least bit compartable. And it hurt my feet. A lot.

I couldn't skate for long periods of time. In fact, I had to go take a two minute break every time I went twice around the huge skating rink. But every time when I got out again, I felt good. Minutes later, my feet would hurt again. To my dismay, I felt like I couldn't go on.

Isn't that just like life? Time after time, year after year, it's one cycle. We get hurt. We fail. We convince ourselves to get back again. Just when we've risen, when we think we can conquer the world, reality sets us again and pushes us down.

And then we hurt again.

But, through my ice skating experience, I learned that the best way to deal with the pain was to keep going. Keep kicking off on my foot. Keep moving forward. As cliché as that sounds, over the past few weeks, I've realized it's true.

Because what is the other option? Give up. Dwell in our sadness, even forget the light of life. That, in of it itself, does not any better. I think it will hurt worse if you give up. Because then, you will be forced to focus on your pain, the unfairness of life. That won't feel good either.

But there comes a time when we can't go on, one way or another. I know I've felt it. Then what do we do? If we trust in ourselves, we will only fail sooner or later. No one can endure forever. We fall and can't get up.

What do we do then?

We turn to the one who can pick us back up, the one who feels our pain, knows our sin, and loves us despite of it. Jesus. That week was tough for me. I felt like I couldn't deal with it anymore. But that's when I realized that I was never dealing with it. Jesus was keeping me breathing. Even in the depths of my sin, He still hears my prayer.

Please keep going.

"Come to me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:29-30

                                   



Worth the Pain

This year, I might have mentioned that I'm writing a fantasy series with one of my best friends. Well, unlike last year, I've practically obsessed with it now. But through writing it, and remembering some of my own recent experiences, I've come to realize something.

It is too often the ones that we love the most are the ones that will hurt us the most.

This is a sad thing to realize, even something to be afraid of. But too many times, I believe it is true. Because it is with the ones that we love that we open our hearts to them. We give them the key that can unlock our worst and best, our true feelings, our worst flaws, just as they do with us.

Even more than that, we put our trust in the ones that love us. We let ourselves become vulnerable in front of them.  Desperately, we desire them  to always be there, to do what it is best for us. Since no one is perfect, they leave us unsatisfied. Of course, we fail them as well. And the cycle continues as our relationship with them changes seasons.

Do you see what I mean? Maybe, if you think about it, you know what I'm talking about. For it is usually the people we trust that end up being the ones that cause us pain. It's not just them either---it's us too.

The question is: What do we do about it?

But another thing we forget to realize is that we can't control it. We can't force our loved ones to make the right choices, to not make mistakes, to spare us the pain. We really can't. It's a hard thing for us to see because we naturally don't like things we can't control.

Think about it more. Do you see what we can control?

While explaining the inspiration behind "Shake it Off", Taylor said, "I’ve learned a pretty tough lesson that people can say whatever they want about us at any time, and we cannot control that. The only thing we can control is our reaction to that." So what is our reaction? Do we harden our hearts and become unforgiving to the people who break? Do we shut the world out and make a decision not to become close to anyone to save ourselves the sorrow?

Or do we choose to forgive? Can we be brave enough to get over the pain? The more I live life, open my heart up and then get hurt needlessly, I see how much we need people. We need friends and family, even though we set ourselves up for heartbreak. It would be a terribly lonely life without them. In fact, it would almost not be worth it to live at all.

That's why we need to forgive. We need to accept that no one is perfect and we will endure a great deal of suffer--both physical and emotional--during our lives. But through it all, loving people  and receiving their love is worth that pain, despite the sacrifice, is worth that pain.

You might wonder what this has to do with a fantasy series that I'm writing with my friend. Well, a relationship in that story is a lot like the one I just described to you. Writing about it has really made me think about this.

So what do you say? Do you think that opening up your heart is worth the exposure?

Why?

No matter who you are, no matter what you believe, no matter what the circumstances are, there will always be sometime in your life when you're asking, Why?

You might not confess it aloud, just keep it inside. You might not even want to know the answer. In fact, sometimes we never find the answer. All I know is, that God knows everything. When I have no clue what's going on, He knows exactly where He's leading me. But lately, I've been struggling with letting him led.

And recently, the why questions have come in.

Why couldn't they have just made up? Why do we have to consider leaving? Why now?

These why questions have gotten in the way of my usual happiness. Which I hate. But I have to realize that no matter how hard I try, I will have bad days. Days when I don't want to be happy, days when I can't be happy.

And those are the days I forget to thank God for giving me words. Words that allow me to express myself, to create, to hear. Words that relate. Words that keep me going. Words that save me from depression.

So I will thank him right now. Thank you, Jesus, ever so much for words, their power, and their impact. Above all, thank you for giving me a love for them and for making the best words imaginable. Thank you for giving me them when I need them the most.

Thank you for reading.

Author Interview!: Aidyl Ewoh

Hello everyone! I am beyond excited to post my interview with Aidyl Ewoh, author of Action Kids Club. I am super overdue. I was so overjoyed when she emailed me back that I forgot why I interviewed in the first place! But now that I'm finally taking the time to do it, I hope you enjoy it. I know I did:)

About her: Lydia Howe (aka Aidyl Ewoh) is a twenty-something adventurous author who is partial to hiking in the mountains of Asia and South America, building life-size models of dinosaurs, taking a road trip across Europe, growing up in a barn and everything in-between. She was trained as a John Maxwell coach. Her passions include Christian apologetics and self-development. One of her life-long dreams was realized when her first book, “Cave Secrets of the Pterodactyl”, was published by Answers in Genesis in 2013. Find her online at her Blog, Facebook, Twitter and Google+

Hi, Miss Howe! Thank you for being here again. Could you tell me a bit about yourself and your new book, Action Kids?

Hey Sarah, I would be delighted to! 

First off, about me: I’m a writing, traveling, goal-driven girl who’s passionate about life, words and God. I grew up in a barn, helped build a life-size model of a dinosaur for the Creation Museum and I’m currently getting ready to venture off to Africa for a few weeks. I blog over at Noveltea. 

Action Kids’ Club Back-cover Blurb: Twelve-year-old Olivia Hall’s dream of a friends' club ends when she finds out her family is moving. Her parents assure her it's a good thing, opening a new world of possibilities for the Halls. But going from ‘miss popular’ to ‘the new girl’ won’t be easy, and Olivia is not convinced.

Soon she begins to realize that although her life has suddenly changed, there's plenty of adventure to keep her on her toes. From making new friends at Forward Focus, to hanging out at the world-renowned Kids Zone, to meeting the curious head chef, she discovers that there's much more to life - and her new surroundings - than she ever imagined. How will she make the most of these new opportunities? Or will she let them slip away? 

Find out more at the Action Kids blog. 

Where did you get the idea for Action Kids?

I’ve wanted to write interesting books for kids that help teach them success principles ever since I went to a John Maxwell conference when I was 18. At night when I went up to my hotel room I’d type my ideas down. I’m not sure when the exact storyline came to me, though. 

Your book encourages  kids to work towards a higher goal in life. Why did you chose that as a theme? Why do you think that's an important message for children today?

That is a really great question, Sarah! In Luke 12:48 it tells us that to whom much has been given, much will be required. I think far too many kids today will never reach their full potential because they don’t have any clue what they’re capable of doing. Each one of us has a purpose and it’s really exciting to watch someone when they realize that they have meaning, that they can make a difference!

What are some of your inspirations for writing?

I basically always listen to music while writing and brainstorming. Music is very inspiring to me. I also enjoy going on walks, reading books and I work on viewing life in an unique way. There are basically stories everywhere I look. 

I understand you self published. Could you explain a little bit about the process? Why did you chose to self publish?

Yes, I did self-publish Action Kids’ Club, (I have another book, Cave Secrets of the Pterodactyl that’s traditionally published, and another traditionally published book that’s being released in the spring of 2015). 

I decided to self-publish Action Kids’ Club because I’ve always wanted to try that route and see how it worked. My publisher doesn’t carry the genre that Action Kids’ Club is, so I figured it was the perfect opportunity. 

I wanted to make sure Action Kids’ Club was the best quality that it could be, so I worked with the same editor I had for my traditionally published books to get this book edited. I also did a lot of research to find a good illustrator (and, I must say, I’m extremely pleased with the results!), then my brother, who’s a graphic designer designed the cover and helped me get everything formatted correctly. It was a lot of work and very much of a learning curve!

I ordered the books from a website called Lulu.  

There are a few humorous traits about your characters in Action Kids (ex. Miss Aidyl having the pet skunk). Did you take those from personal experience? If not, what was your inspiration for these interesting ideas?

Well... I don’t have a skunk nor do I know anyone who has one, but I do have a dog, a cat, a bunny and a rat, and I’ve wanted a skunk for a long time now. Most of the quirks are things I would like to have, so I live virtually through my characters. 

How has Jesus impacted your writing?

I want to make sure everything I write brings Him glory. I sometimes imagine that He’s sitting next to me while I’m writing and I’ll think about it and make sure I’m not saying anything I’d be ashamed for Him to see. 

I believe that my writing, creativity and talent are all gifts from Jesus and I want to use them to the best of my ability to serve Him. 

What are a few tips you could give teen writers?

Write. You can call yourself a writer and you can learn about writing, but unless you actually write, than you’re not a writer. Makes sense, right? (This is my 838th day to write every single day on my story.) 

Enjoy the season you’re in. Before I was published I was so driven to get published that I didn’t enjoy the moments as much as I could have. Each season of writing brings unique feelings and I’m learning to relax a little bit and be happy where I am. 

Study the craft. Go Teen Writers is a great place to get encouragement, tips, and a lot of really good info. 

 

Thank you so much, Miss Howe, for interviewing me again! I was so happy to do it! Be sure to check out her blog and her most recent book, Action Kids Club, which is amazing:)