Grace Spilling Over / True Stories of God’s Tender Mercies
Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell, A Country Girl Tale
Whether we’re city folks or a country girl like me, we never know when we’re about to face a frightening moment of decision.
My Winchester country girl friend and I blithely drove down an Idaho countryside highway one winter’s day. Speed about sixty miles per hour. Then a truck coming toward us passed and spewed snow and mud so thick on our windshield we were totally blinded.
Should we try to pull off on the side? But where was it? Keep going and hope the snow blows off? Were we going to crash? If we slowed down, would we be rear-ended? It was sheer panic for those few seconds. We cried out in prayer.
We did manage to slip and slide to the side of the road. To knock off the snow and clear our view. How we treasured the privilege of sight and safety, to be able to ride in peace again. Of course, that same scenario could have happened in a big, crowded eastern city. But here we were country gals, living in the wide-open west, with a new and unnerving adventure story to tell.
Few Smooth Roads
Janet’s snow-covered Chevy Lumina
Life, for most of us, is not a steady, safe gun of the motor. Some days we’re harassed by burrs and burdens. Other days we feel like a ball of yarn coming unraveled. It seems like we’re provoked, prodded, and picked on by the world. Whether you’re an urbanite or country girl, single, happily married or widowed, a homeschooler, SAHM, or career gal, stuff happens.
This earth spins for everyone somewhere between hell and heaven. The travails ‘out there’ intensify pressure on up close and personal upsets. And lately it seems there’s fear and panic everywhere. Unthinkable things are happening.
Yet you can still build a solid foundation of trust in a God of love. He calls out, “Wake up! Pay attention. I’m doing something in your day … good things. You may find it hard to believe. Don’t be afraid.”
Allow blinding smacks of snow blasts on your own country girl journey to shake you up. See the road ahead clear and unobstructed. No more mindless drifting or stupor. No numbing of the soul.
Things to remember
When trauma and troubles hit you or those you love …
Country girl Janet Chester Bly with icycles
1.) Life is a medley of joys, a mixture of woes. The irony, your most troubled times can reveal the most amazing, grace-filled moments. Watch for them.
2.) You know better what to appreciate and value in the shadow of loss and near-tragedy.
3.) Provide a measure of comfort to others hit by shockers. Do what you can. And be grateful for any mercy, however small, extended to you during an unpleasant jolt.
Janet Chester Bly
April 2013
Adapted from Hope Lives Here & 2020 release Grace Spilling Over by Janet Chester Bly JANET’S DEVO BOOKS
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Some Links to Check Out
Janet’s country girl Pinterest Images JANET’S PINTEREST
Video by Janet on “Getting The Writing Call” & “How We Got Our Ideas” JANET VIDEO
What is a Karimption? A western slang devotional by Stephen Bly. KARIMPTION BLOG
Download Bly Books Ebooks & Estories BLY EBOOKS
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