Pondering what to say about myself, I have settled on this. What matters most is that I spend the first hour or two of every morning with Jesus.
Before I say good morning to my husband…or tackle my defiant hair…or even (heaven forgive me) brush my teeth, I shuffle into my prayer room in my house slippers and bathrobe. Coffee cup in one hand, Bible in the other, face as make-up free if not as wrinkle-free as the day I was born, I meet the only Person in the universe who loves me enough to think I am beautiful that way.
And I am changed in His presence.
I started those early morning trysts in 1983 at the age of 29 after making such a terrific mess of my life that only divine intervention could salvage it. My family, finances, health, and emotions were all wrecked. And I’d been the one behind the wheel.
Suicide or total surrender to the Savior my Baptist mother sang about when I was a child appeared to be my only way out. I chose surrender.
My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. But I didn’t. So most of the stuff I did before 1983 is not worth mentioning.
There’s a lot worth mentioning now though. Great family. Heaven-on-earth marriage to the best man in the world. Three grown kids so amazing that I would be obnoxiously proud if they were products of my perfect parenting skills rather than the grace of God. Three fabulous grandkids. Health so abundant I haven’t seen a doc for sickness in over 18 years. Happiness beyond what I once dreamed possible.
My morning commute takes 11 seconds and spans the distance from my bedroom to my office down the hall. Apparantly, God never forgot that from the time my first grade fingers lifted the cover of my little red primer and I saw Dick run, I wanted to be a writer. So that’s what He has allowed me to be. It’s a lot more work than I expected. But even so, I’m happy to have written hundreds of published articles, ghostwritten more than 15 books including a New York Times bestseller (an honor attributable either to the famous name on the cover or to the quality of the ghostwriting); and authored four books of my own with my good friend and co-writer, Melanie Hemry.
Lest I end up a recluse, Lynnes Ministries offers a delightful escape from the isolation of my writing days. Ministering to wonderful people in churches all around is one of my great joys. Plus it helps me maintain social skills that would otherwise rust out from disuse. If I had to choose between writing about life with Jesus or sharing it with people face-to-face, I don’t know which one I’d pick. But then, I don’t have to because I get to do both.
What can I say? I guess I’m just one of God’s favorites.
And, of course, so are you.
Ain’t it grand?