Walking by Faith or Walking in the World, by Paula Rose Michelson

When Obama was running for President in 2008, one of his talking points was The Dream Act. In his 2012 campaign, he spoke of it again. During both campaign cycles debate questions flew hot and heavy about illegal immigration. While taking a break at a 2012 book signing a college prof from The University of California, Irvine spoke with me about Book One, and asked me to contact her because she wanted to put me in touch with facility teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) courses. As she encouraged me, I envisioned The Dream Act students using my fiction, and I smiled.


I spoke with my husband, we prayed, looked at the number of campuses local to us, and bought 25 copies of Casa de Naomi: The House of Blessing, Book One so I could gift a copy to each interested teacher. When the books arrived, I set up meetings. Although polite, no one was interested. During numerous discussions with ESL teachers, I discovered that the educational portion of The Dream Act our President was touting had been in effect for several years.


How often, I wondered, do I vacillate between God Word and other voices? Yet rather than worry, God quickened Jeremiah 29:11, "I know that plans I have for you...plans to not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future," to my heart. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+29:10-12&version=NIV


I mention this today because once again, God has taught me that setting aside what I thought would happen and asking Him to silence  my "I want it to happen now' thoughts has brought me into a season of rejoicing I would have never experienced if I continued in my "Invictus" attitude. In case you're wondering how this wife of a missionary and pastor could allow the idea, "I am the master of my fate" into her heart, I will share that though this thought was originally published in a small book of poetry 1875 called the "Book of Verse" as one of the four alternating poems called "The Book of Death and Life,"  Simon and Garfunkel popularized the claims made in "Invictus" in 1963 when they sang, "I am a rock. I am an island, which was their final track in the much acclaimed, "Sounds of Silence" album. Since I used to love grooving to this song the thoughts were already in-bedded in my mind.

The words one reads in the poem "Invictus" or listens to in that Simon and Garfunkel fortress song are no more true today than when they were penned...They are a philosophy not a fact! And amazing as it might seem what Ron and I did then in faith is now bearing fruit in a way I could have never envisioned! God does work in strange and wonderful ways when we wait upon Him. Today I know that what happened at that long-a-ago book signing prepared me to say yes to a college prof and I quote, "As I was reading this book, I felt that it should become required reading for students in college-level writing classes, the kinds I have been teaching for many years. I gathered up my courage and emailed the author to see if she would be willing to let me use the first chapter of Casa de Naomi, Book One with my students. To my delight, she agreed. Thank you, Paula! My students and I really appreciate it!"