Valley Sitter or Mountain Climber?

by Ronda Wells

…for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. Joel 3:14 KJV

If I’d had good knees, I would have hiked many mountains in the Rockies and Appalachians. Majestic mountains are thrilling, and the scenic views are stunning. On a family vacation, we drove up to Pike’s Peak instead of taking the incline railway. The road is gorgeous but scary. Many curves have no room to pull over, so it’s either stop on the road or go off a cliff.

Not long after we reached the summit, my husband and I grew lightheaded. We thought we’d been in Colorado long enough to adjust to the altitude, but with each step harder than the last, I was short of breath. My thinking slowed. But our kids weren’t affected. In fact, our youngest ran around as usual, and asked, “What’s wrong with you, Mommy?”

We needed to drive back down. Thankfully, prayer and coffee helped, and we proceeded with our descent.

Life’s series of ups and downs are called valleys and mountains. Hills are considered symbols for power and triumph. The Bible, though, contains three times as many verses about valleys than mountains.  

Valleys tend to be associated with death and depression—dark places we don’t want to pass through. King David prayed, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” (Psalm 23:4 KJV).

Valley-sitting can be unsafe. One of my mother’s cousins perished in the horrendous 2022 Troublesome Creek flash flood in southeastern Kentucky. Thunderstorms had dropped a deluge of rain—600 percent more than normal—and four more inches fell before 10 p.m. on the night of July 27^th.

A roaring awoke that cousin’s daughter, who lived next door to him. She faced a terrible choice. Save herself and her two children, or alert her dad? She ran up the hillside with her kids to the road, and barely made it before the massive wall of water struck.

Last fall, my husband and I tried to visit the family cemetery next to where the tragedy happened. We only drove as far as my mom’s old schoolhouse in Caney, which had also flooded, because I broke down. Seeing all the devastation, I could not go further.

I looked upward, comforted by Psalm 121: 1 (KJV) : “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.”

Our faith needs to be a lot more like mountain climbing than valley-sitting.

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the Author: Physician and award-winning author Dr. Ronda Wells is a wife, mom, and grandma who puts faith and family first. She loves to write “heartfelt stories from the heartland.” A member of AWSA, ACFW, and the new 2022-2024 KCWC Planning Committee, Ronda speaks to groups and writers’ conferences on Novel Malpractice: Get Your Medical Fiction Right. Connect with her at novelmalpractice.com or RondaWellsBooks.com.

Join the conversation. Do you have a tendency to stay in the valley too long?

Takatsubo Heart

by Ronda Wells

^“But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.” John 19:33 ESV

Years ago, a medical school classmate visited her father in the ICU. On the drive home, she developed sudden, severe, left-sided chest pain. She was only in her late twenties, but she knew the signs of a heart attack.

Close to another hospital, she reached that ER in time. She had suffered a mild heart attack, but not from coronary artery blockage. Her disorder is called Takatsubo Cardiomyopathy, or “broken heart syndrome.”

Truly, you can die from a broken heart, brought on by severe stress or emotion such as grief.

Some forensic specialists have attempted “virtual autopsies” of the death of Jesus Christ. All conclude He died, but their cause of death varies. The typical crucifixion resulted in slow suffocation, which could take days. Per the Gospels, since it was Passover, Jewish leaders asked the Roman crucifixion squad to hasten the death of the three condemned men by breaking their legs.

One forensic analysis wondered if Jesus died from Takatsubo Syndrome. Theologically, it makes sense. Psalm 22:14 is a unique, first-person point of view, from the Messiah on His cross. “My heart is like wax; It is melted withinme.” Regardless how he died, Jesus volunteered to take our condemnation and suffer the death and utter separation from the heart of God, His Father.

In the last six months, two couples I know have made the wrenching decision to donate their son’s organs. One young man had been on life support for after a motorcycle wreck. His accident happened right after his grandmother’s death. When it became clear he would not survive, his parents donated his organs the day before his grandmother’s funeral.

The other, a son of Christian writers, was a phenomenal teenager who simply walked home from a nearby grocery, and got hit by a truck. Both families, in the midst of tragedy, chose life. Multiple people now live a normal life or see again because these parents made a tough, generous choice to donate.

I can’t fathom having to make that decision.

There is One who fully understands their grief, though. One whose heart was broken on a cross. One who holds out His hands to any who come.

Have you reached back?

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” Hebrews 2:14-15 ESV.

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the Author: Doctor by day, writer by night, Dr. Ronda Wells is an award-winning author who has written inspirational fiction for over twenty-five years. She has helped numerous other Christian writers with creating authentic medical scenes for their books. A lifelong Hoosier, Ronda is a wife, mother and grandmother who lives in Mooresville, Indiana, and loves to travel. She writes fiction and non-fiction stories that illustrate extraordinary faith among the conflicts of ordinary life. Her contemporary inspirational novel, Harvest of Hope, is currently under consideration with a publisher. Visit her website to read a bonus chapter at www.rondawellsbooks.com or connect with her via Linktree at https://linktr.ee/rondawellsbooks.

Join the conversation. Does knowing God understands your grief better than anyone helpful to you?

God of the Algorithm

by Ronda Wells

“In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.” Job 12:10 ESV

Algorithms are based on math—that much I remember from college. In fact, that’s all I remember. Your basic algorithm is a recipe: a step-by-step set of rules for solving a problem like quadratic equations. My math nerd hubby still remembers all of them. Me? That’s algebra, right?

Almost all areas of our modern lives are ruled by algorithms. Predictive algorithms help those who try to prognosticate future behavior – like stock brokers, marketers, bankers, and actuaries. Then there’s advertising, insurance, internet searches, healthcare, politics, government, and of course, the three eight-hundred-pound gorilla algorithms called Amazon, Google, and Meta.

It feels demoralizing and dehumanizing to be ruled by impersonal algorithms. We forget, though, the omniscient God who knows all and created the universe is the greatest mathematician ever. He controls the algorithms our world is physically and metaphysically based on.

He gave us a set of rules for avoiding sin called the Ten Commandments. Jesus, the Son of God who came to earth and was born as one of us, elaborated on those. Just thinking about robbery IS robbery, not the actual act of stealing. Our chaotic, dangerous world right now would benefit from remembering Jesus’s Golden Rule.

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12 NIV

Not much of that going around right now.

It’s also said, “he who controls the algorithm controls the world.” Artificial intelligence is built on algorithms that have been shown to contain biases. Our God though, is not biased. Two things are true—God doesn’t lie, and He is no respecter of persons. His unbiased algorithm will be applied equally to us all.

He knows ahead of time which choices we will make. That alone is reassuring – because we have the promise of whether we choose to turn right or left, He will be there behind us. As long as the choice isn’t to sin, God is fine with it.

He doesn’t mind if you paint your kitchen taupe white or cream beige.

All the promises made by man’s algorithms and A.I. are false. They aren’t truth, nor are they unbiased. They’re mere tools, like a hammer and nails. Tools can be used for good—to build a house, or bad—to attack someone.

Live your life by faith in the genuine Creator of the universal algorithm, and you need not fear man’s algorithms nor the artificial intelligence based on them.

For God does not show favoritism. Romans 2:11 NIV

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the Author: Doctor by day, writer by night, Dr. Ronda Wells is an award-winning author who has written inspirational fiction for over twenty-five years. She has helped numerous other Christian writers with creating authentic medical scenes for their books. A lifelong Hoosier, Ronda is a wife, mother and grandmother who lives in Mooresville, Indiana, and loves to travel. She writes fiction and non-fiction stories that illustrate extraordinary faith among the conflicts of ordinary life. Her contemporary inspirational novel, Harvest of Hope, is currently under consideration with a publisher. Visit her website to read a bonus chapter at www.rondawellsbooks.com or connect with her via Linktree at https://linktr.ee/rondawellsbooks.

Join the conversation. How does knowing God rules algorithms give you confidence?

The Sycamore Tree

by Ronda Wells

“A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. So, he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.” Luke 19:2-4 NIV

Indiana is blessed with abundant sycamore trees along nearly every creek or river. Growing up, I thought sycamores were the ugliest trees in the woods. Young trees have a greenish, scabby-looking bark that’s well, plumb ugly. What good could come of a tree like that?

In Bible school, we sang the song about Zacchaeus, imitating him trying to see Jesus with “climbing a tree” hand motions. While the sycamore the Bible refers to is part of the fig tree family, but to us, it meant an American sycamore. Zacchaeus’ tree bore sweet figs, and was likely the same species of tree Jesus cursed when he went to find figs to eat and found the tree empty.

Over the years, I’ve changed my mind about sycamores. When the trees age, their top branches lose their leprous scabs and become a lovely white, smooth bark. The older the tree, the whiter and taller they grow. In their declining years, the now almost pure-white trees are spectacular, especially in the snows of deep winter. The average American sycamore lives two hundred years, but can live up to five centuries. These large trees house end up housing an abundance of wildlife.

Two dear writer friends recently left to be with Jesus. The American Sycamore tree symbolizes our Christian walk. As young Christians, we may struggle with leaving behind worldliness and impure desires of the flesh. Later, as we grow in Jesus, those will drop away from us like the scabby bark of the sycamore tree.

We will soar toward the heavens, strong and tall, with limbs as white as the robes we aim for.

Our culture may coarsen, but let’s hold our ground like a sycamore tree.

“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: as soon as its branch has already become tender and sprouts its leaves, you know that summer is near. So, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” Mark 13:28-31 NASB

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the Author: Doctor by day, writer by night, Dr. Ronda Wells is an award-winning author who has written inspirational fiction for over twenty-five years. She has helped numerous other Christian writers with creating authentic medical scenes for their books. A lifelong Hoosier, Ronda is a wife, mother and grandmother who lives in Mooresville, Indiana, and loves to travel. She writes fiction and non-fiction stories that illustrate extraordinary faith among the conflicts of ordinary life. Her contemporary inspirational novel, Harvest of Hope, is currently under consideration with a publisher. Visit her website to read a bonus chapter at www.rondawellsbooks.com or connect with her via Linktree at https://linktr.ee/rondawellsbooks.

Join the conversation.  What is your favorite tree, and why?

As the Maker Intended

by Ronda Wells

My power works best in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT

Allergies, autoimmune disease, and chronic pain have been my lifelong companions. And I tend to complain. As a professional patient and physician, I can tell you a good doctor is worth his or her weight in gold.

While working in a busy Family Practice clinic, I developed heel pain. Every step felt like walking on sharp rocks. I duly saw a podiatrist. The diagnosis? Plantar fasciitis with heel spurs. Even after steroid injections, it took months to resolve.

Years later the condition recurred, and I saw a new podiatrist. In the waiting room, I sensed an immediate effect on my attitude. All of the wall decorations had Scripture quotes. A warm, comforting color scheme along with soft Christian music playing overhead further calmed me. The doctor even warmed his hands before examining my icy feet.

When I laughed and made an off-hand complaint about all my chronic ailments, the doctor smiled and gently said, “You are as the Maker intended.”

Talk about a velvet-covered anvil dropping on my head. That was the most profound, eye-opening thing any physician ever said to me. And his timing was perfect, since my health issues worsened not long afterwards.

In 2 Corinthians 12:7 – 9, Paul said he was given “a thorn in the flesh. … Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness’” (NLT).

It’s a hard lesson to learn, yet earthbound suffering that weakens us is never in vain. Trials are part of God’s plan, and how we handle them become our witness to others. Eternity puts all of this in perspective.

God designed us for His reasons. Grumbling and bitterness about our problems will dim our Christian light. Facing difficulties with faith and prayer makes all the difference, though.

Many times when I’ve been ill, the enforced slowdown was God’s way to prepare me for something I didn’t see coming.

When Jesus healed a man who’d been blind from birth, the disciples asked Him why the man had been born that way. He replied, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3 NASB).

The man’s blindness turned out to be part of God’s plan. Our health issues are all part of God’s plan. We are all as the Maker intended.

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the Author: Doctor by day, writer by night, Dr. Ronda Wells is an award-winning author who has written inspirational fiction for over twenty-five years. She has helped numerous other Christian writers with creating authentic medical scenes for their books. A lifelong Hoosier, Ronda is a wife, mother and grandmother who lives in Mooresville, Indiana, and loves to travel. She writes fiction and non-fiction stories that illustrate extraordinary faith among the conflicts of ordinary life. Her contemporary inspirational novel, Harvest of Hope, is currently under consideration with a publisher. Visit her website to read a bonus chapter at www.rondawellsbooks.com or connect with her via Linktree at https://linktr.ee/rondawellsbooks.

Join the conversation: Do you suffer from a thorn in the flesh, too? How do you handle it?

The Long and Winding Road

by Ronda Wells

In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:6 NKJV

Recently, we drove a rural highway in the hills of Southern Indiana at night. Several years had passed since we’d traveled this uber-curvy narrow road. To tell you how bad it is, in some places the speed limit is fifteen mph. Heeding warnings here is important.

A pleasant surprise was finding that every curve had been upgraded with huge reflective arrows; one turn alone had a dozen. The straight sections remained marked as usual, but any upcoming swerve could be seen well in advance. What struck me was the stark difference between well-marked curves and the straights, where we didn’t need much guidance.

Turns must be navigated with care, or one is led astray with possible catastrophic results.

Life is surely our long and winding road. We never know what’s coming around the next bend. People ask God for a revelation, which way to turn—am I on the right road; can you please give me a sign?

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Matthew 7:13 NKJV

Christians don’t follow the crowds on many cultural and societal issues. Sticking to this path isn’t meant to be the restrictive walk the world makes it out to be, though. When we become a Christian, we become aware of God’s warning signs about avoiding tragedy on the bends. We just need to learn to watch for them.

On that Indiana highway, we didn’t get the usual single arrow of instruction; we had clear guidance the entire time. This is how God works, too. Always listening, willing and able to let us know what choice(s) He wants us to make.

Is God’s will always as obvious as our road arrows? Sometimes. Other times, not so much. He is right there behind us, as I often remind myself. He directs and determines my path. I need not fear.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21 NIV

God’s reassurance in the straights gives us the courage to drive toward the curves.

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the Author: Doctor by day, writer by night, Dr. Ronda Wells is an award-winning author who has written inspirational fiction for over twenty-five years. She has helped numerous other Christian writers with creating authentic medical scenes for their books. A lifelong Hoosier, Ronda is a wife, mother and grandmother who lives in Mooresville, Indiana, and loves to travel. She writes fiction and non-fiction stories that illustrate extraordinary faith among the conflicts of ordinary life. Her contemporary inspirational novel, Harvest of Hope, is currently under consideration with a publisher. Visit her website to read a bonus chapter at www.rondawellsbooks.com or connect with her via Linktree at https://linktr.ee/rondawellsbooks.

Join the conversation: What curves are you navigating in your life right now?

The Feast

by Ronda Wells

These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed, wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the LORD’s Passover. Exodus 12:11 NLT

This time of year, many are preparing a holiday dinner. Tables will be laden with a vast assortment of family favorites, delicacies, and my all-time love, desserts. The delicious smells of homemade hot rolls, turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie will fill the air in our kitchen.

My favorite virtual feast though, is the one in the movie Hook. A starving Peter Pan (Robin Williams) sits down to a long, bare table with empty pots and dishes until his imagination sparks. Suddenly, a massive feast appears, followed by a rollicking food fight.

Feasts are frequent in the Bible. Israel celebrates several throughout the year, appointed by God. The first and most important is Passover. The Israelites, about to be freed from slavery under Pharoah after the final plague, are told by Moses to sacrifice and roast a lamb. They are to eat it with bitter herbs, fruit of the vine, and unleavened bread. They must paint over their doors the blood of the lamb so the Angel of Death will pass over them that night. And in the morning, they would leave for the Promised Land.

Passover points to the Last Supper, a meal shared by Jesus with his disciples the night before His crucifixion. Jewish tradition starts the Passover meal by offering a cup of wine, and later the breaking of bread. Jesus said the cup was His blood, and the unleavened bread was His body. Jesus ordered this to be repeated in “remembrance of Him.” Christians call this celebration the Lord’s Supper, Eucharist, or Communion. Pastor Tim Keller aptly refers to this as “the hors d’oeuvres of your future bliss,” because the Lord’s Supper foreshadows the final, most important feast.

We find that feast in Revelation 19:9, where John records, “And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb’”(NLT).

Some think this feast is metaphorical, to show how fulfilling Heaven will be, after the church, the bride of Christ, is united with her groom, Jesus. I believe this feast may well be literal. Like the one in Hook, it will be a sumptuous banquet with all manner of heavenly foods never seen before, with brilliant colors, tastes, and scents we’ve never experienced. Perhaps even manna will make an appearance.

And at the head of the table, God Incarnate, the risen Christ, will again sit with His people and share a meal. Minus the food fight, of course.

Are you prepared for the wedding supper of the Lamb?

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the Author: Doctor by day, writer by night, Dr. Ronda Wells is an award-winning author who has written inspirational fiction for over twenty-five years. She has helped numerous other Christian writers with creating authentic medical scenes for their books. A lifelong Hoosier, Ronda is a wife, mother and grandmother who lives in Mooresville, Indiana, and loves to travel. She writes fiction and non-fiction stories that illustrate extraordinary faith among the conflicts of ordinary life. Her contemporary inspirational novel, Harvest of Hope, is currently under consideration with a publisher. Visit her website to read a bonus chapter at www.rondawellsbooks.com or connect with her via Linktree at https://linktr.ee/rondawellsbooks.

Join the conversation: How are you preparing for the feast?

The Argument

by Ronda Wells

“We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NLT

When hubby and I travel, we avoid chain restaurants. A small-town diner got several good reviews and had lots of cars in the lot, so we stopped. The food turned out to be decent, but the floor show was another matter.

After we were seated, a petite young woman with cerebral palsy struggled awkwardly on her hand canes to reach her seat near our table. Her companion, a man easily five times her size, cursed her out for how long she’d taken in the bathroom. His voice carried throughout our end of the restaurant. The woman argued back, but her halting speech and child-like answers indicated some degree of cognitive impairment.

He told her she could just walk home (in ninety-degree heat) or “go back to mommy and daddy.” Oddly, no one else in the diner reacted, not even the waitress. Perhaps they knew them, or sadder yet, this wasn’t unusual for the area. I determined if he made a threat to harm her, I would call the police.

Physicians are trained to look for signs of vulnerable women and domestic abuse. I’d treated many abused patients in my family practice. But this man’s verbal abuse was the worst I’d ever heard. He even made fun of her disability. If this was in public, how did he treat her at home?

If I tried to intervene, it would likely make things worse, but I’d had enough.

I normally don’t make a show of praying in public settings, but this time I put my hands together, bowed my head and prayed silently. I asked that the demons of anger and hatred surrounding this couple would be banished, and the man would stop his tirade. I prayed they both would find Jesus.

The argument lulled.

I stopped praying and studied my menu. The bully started cursing again. By now, she was crying, and he mocked her tears. I made a deliberate show of setting down my menu and prayed again. My husband gave me a puzzled glance but said nothing. He told me in the car he knew I had to have a good reason for what I was doing, being this obvious.

Three more rounds of argument ensued, followed by prayer each time. The last time, when I opened my eyes, the man looked at me with shame on his face before returning to eating. The argument stopped.

We finished our meal and left. I prayed for this couple all the hundreds of miles home. Hopefully what the man saw would impact him and be used by God even more than if I had actually spoken. Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.” NLT

I think soft prayers can do the same.

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the Author: Doctor by day, writer by night, Dr. Ronda Wells is an award-winning author who has written inspirational fiction for over twenty-five years. She has helped numerous other Christian writers with creating authentic medical scenes for their books. A lifelong Hoosier, Ronda is a wife, mother and grandmother who lives in Mooresville, Indiana, and loves to travel. She writes fiction and non-fiction stories that illustrate extraordinary faith among the conflicts of ordinary life. Her contemporary inspirational novel, Harvest of Hope, is currently under consideration with a publisher. Visit her website to read a bonus chapter at www.rondawellsbooks.com or connect with her via Linktree at https://linktr.ee/rondawellsbooks.

Join the conversation: Have you ever encountered a situation like this? How did you handle it?

Fallow Time

By Ronda Wells

“For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns.” Jeremiah 4:3 NASB

Along an Indiana highway, a large field hadn’t been planted for the second year in a row. We live in the heart of Midwest farm country, so a cornfield left to fallow for more than a year is unusual. This is done along with crop rotation to help soil recover its energy, like the exhausted mother of a newborn down for a much-needed nap.

The process of writing is similar. Long stretches of stillness occur. Why didn’t that publisher buy this devotional? Will I ever publish again? Where are you God? Should I even still be writing? Twenty years seems like a long time to wait for a contract.

We ask these questions about our lives, too. Periods and stages where things go awry and work against us. Job losses, health, family deaths, people who unexpectedly let us down. Divorces, aging parents, rebellious children. Bad economies. Wars. Sometimes all at once.

All these trials simply prepare us for what lies ahead.

A fallow field looks empty, except for random yellow mum-like weeds dotting its surface. The deep, ingrained patterns of planting remain though, not fully erased by the weather. We might think nothing is happening because the chemical restoration underneath is invisible. Minerals rise from deeper soil and leach to the surface. Organic matter, nitrogen, and carbon along with good bacteria replenish the moisture and fertility of the dirt.

Everything necessary to sustain new life appears.

King David alludes to this in his Twenty-third Psalm (NASB). “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; he leads me besides the still waters. He restores my soul, He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”  

Whatever you call it, we all need deliberate down time. Rest. Relaxation. Retreat. Time to think upon God and His word. Talk to Him in prayer.

Personally, I’m terrible at this. I’ve been on-the-go ever since I left the womb. I run around helping others, even at the cost of my own health, both mental and physical. After an entire night in the ER with my sick mom, you need me to teach that Bible study? Sure!

Since mostly retiring during the pandemic, I’ve had plenty of ponder time. For two years I became a virtual shut-in because of severe asthma and avoiding Covid. Slowly and surely, God worked on me, that fallow field. I started to see the deep patterns and meaning present along, but I’d been too busy to notice. All the skills, training and interests of my life fell into place.

If you’re in the throes of a busy life, I urge you to not fear what lies ahead. Add deliberate periods of recovery when time allows. Learn to recognize illness and injuries as something God will use, if He must, to literally ground you and get your full attention.

If you’re in fallow time, know that God is at work, preparing you for His plan. And when you reach that point, like a fallow field plowed for planting, you will be fully equipped and ready to burst forth with His goodness.

 “Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness. Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord until He comes to rain righteousness on you.” Hosea 10:12 NASB

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the Author: Doctor by day, writer by night, Dr. Ronda Wells is an award-winning author who has written inspirational fiction for over twenty-five years. She has helped numerous other Christian writers with creating authentic medical scenes for their books. A lifelong Hoosier, Ronda is a wife, mother and grandmother who lives in Mooresville, Indiana, and loves to travel. She writes fiction and non-fiction stories that illustrate extraordinary faith among the conflicts of ordinary life. Her contemporary inspirational novel, Harvest of Hope, is currently under consideration with a publisher. Visit her website to read a bonus chapter at www.rondawellsbooks.com or connect with her via Linktree at https://linktr.ee/rondawellsbooks.

Join the conversation: Are you in a fallow time?

Thin Skin

by Ronda Wells

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:11-12 NASB

Do you have thin skin? Metaphorical or literal? I have both.

Even though I try to avoid scraping my hand or arm on a shelf or drawer edge, with just the slightest bump I get nasty reddish splotches that seem to take forever to heal. Hmm, those are called senile purpura that come with aging. So many tell-tale bruises, yet I don’t feel old. My husband jokes I need side air bags. After a bad trip & fall last summer, I think he’s right.

Emotionally thin skin affects me as well. Perhaps like me, you had two loving parents who meant well but were highly critical. Maybe you’ve suffered some of these criticisms and perhaps more:

 Stand up straight!  Don’t slump in your chair, you’ll get a hunchback. Your foot turns in. Walk straighter. If you overeat, you’ll get fat.

If you grow up in that environment, you become sensitized to criticism and develop an overreaction to any form of perceived slight. Blood pressure rises, headaches start. Your jaw cramps with anger. I must “count to ten” to avoid making an immediate snarky reply.

Our current reigning culture has made a false god out of criticizing anything and everything that doesn’t go along with or agree with what they think. Doesn’t matter if it’s considered sinful by the majority of Christians or not. You must go along or be punished! This hypercritical and hypocritical overreaction to someone else’ perceived past sins is destroying lives right and left.

God tells us how to respond to criticism in Proverbs 15:1. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” NASB

Not my usual first impulse when I’m attacked. Condemnation is easy to find online. Outright viciousness, especially towards Christians, is prevalent in social media.

Insults from others are slings of the devil that leave invisible scars on our hearts no matter the source or form. Our protection is to use the full armor of God. Armor is heavy, but it’s designed to protect. Fighting in armor takes discipline and years of training. Young squires and knights started out with only a helmet and a dull wooden sword as they learned how to defend themselves in battle.

One Christian counselor recommends performing an actual visualization. Close your eyes and pretend you are sliding on that metal helmet to protect your thoughts, don the breastplate of righteousness to shield your heart, slide on the shoes of salvation to carry Jesus to others, and lift that mighty two-edged sword of the Word (Jesus) – not to cleave someone’s skull—but to patiently lift others up, compliment and instruct with your gentle spirit based in a knowledge of Scripture.

The more we respond with humor, kindness and “turning the other cheek” as Christ suggests, the more arguments we may win or at least end quickly. One troll suggested on social media that I was a fool. My response?

“That may be true, but at least I’m a God-fearing one.” The troll did not respond further.

Always remember our battle isn’t just the one we see. A much greater invisible war is taking place all around us, one that at times we can only glimpse. Jesus and His angels are fighting Satan and all his minions on our behalf! But if you’re bathed in the blood of the Cross, remember that battle has been won for eternity.

Victory has already been achieved.

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the author: Doctor by day, writer by night—Dr. Ronda Wells is an award-winning author who has written inspirational romance and romantic suspense for over twenty-five years. She has helped numerous Christian writers with creating authentic medical scenes for their books. Her column, Novel Malpractice, can be read at Killer Nashville Magazine.

A lifelong Hoosier and preacher’s kid, Ronda is a wife, mother and grandmother who lives in Indiana and loves to travel. She writes to illustrate extraordinary faith among the conflicts of ordinary life.

Read a bonus chapter of her contemporary romance, Harvest of Hope, at www.rondawellsbooks.com.

Join the conversation: How do you deal with personal attacks or attacks on your ministry?