Retha Groenewald
Author
God Knows Best
“Dear Lord, did I hear wrong? Did I misunderstand when you called me? I
thought you called me to be a Bible teacher...but here I am...without a job,
without....well, all doors are closed...even to be a Bible teacher...what
now...what’s left...”
That is what I was thinking in June 2012. I was desperate. I was confused...
so confused. What had kept me together up to that day, was knowing God
had called me as a Bible teacher...now that was gone too...
Looking back I realize that if I wasn’t in such a desperate place, I would
never have heard God and would never have taken the first step into the
fullness He had for me.
When I heard the word “blog” I had no idea what it was. I knew that God was urging me to start
a blog. It took me two weeks of online research to figure out what it was and how to launch my
first blog. A month later I launched my second one. I was still under the impression I was
biding time, waiting for answers, waiting to find out what I was supposed to do with my
future.
In November 2012 I came across NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I’ll never forget
that morning. I was sitting in front of my computer wondering why I would participate in
writing a novel of 50,000 words when I’m not a writer. I prayed and asked God to guide me. If I
was suppose to write a novel, He would show me. I saw the title, The Four Faces, I saw the
ending, and my journey as an author began.
The floodgate was open.
I wish I could say it was all glamour and wonderful, but it has been a bumpy
ride. Last year was probably the worst year. As a Christian I knew what to do
in difficult situations, but when I had to close my blogs, it was as if I was
back in 2012...it was too much. I didn’t give up. I didn’t lose hope. I just
stopped. Then God protected me against myself. For twelve days I woke up
each morning with a word, such as broken, tantrum, tranquility, and a
relevant Bible verse. He ministered to me. He restored my dreams. He
refreshed my hopes. I wrote Dear Diary Devotional to encourage others.
Keep on dreaming, hoping and believing in God and His plans for you,
because He knows best.
Would I change anything? No. This is my journey. This is my walk.
God called me as a Bible teacher, but in a different way as what I initially thought.
He opened the online world with books, websites, and freelance writing for the
Christian market. In January 2015, I launched Writing That Breathes Life, my
author website, and Bible Study Quest.
To God all the glory.
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background photo courtesy of Ginny via Flickr | License