In 12 Days, Lindsay Billing’s dad is one of the richest men in the fictional town of Blanchardville, Ohio. Lindsay’s brother, Wade, feels shame for not living up to his parents’ expectations and turns to drugs. Lindsay, on the other hand, turns to people pleasing. While from the outside her perfectionism may seem not as harmful as her brother’s drug addiction, Lindsay lives in fear of others and their rejection. Her boyfriend, Scott Newton, challenges her to find her worth in Jesus instead.
The Bible tells us we are to focus on God instead of pleasing men (I Thessalonians 2:4). We want people to think well of us, but not everyone is going to like us. And if we think about it, would we really want everyone to like us or for us to please everyone? Would I want to please an evil dictator and have them like me? Nope. Personally, as I’ve leaned into this truth, I find it freeing. I’ve found God’s burden to be lighter than the yoke imposed upon me by others (Matthew 11:28-30). Only God’s opinion of me matters. If I have too many things on my plate, I can go before the Father and ask Him what to do and about what I need to remove from my life. Other people might guilt me into volunteering for an activity, but does God want me to take part? I’ve learned (often the hard way) God’s ways are really better and higher than mine. I’d rather follow His plan than someone else’s. We can choose to let Him define us or base our worth on others’ opinions, which might constantly change.
Another option is to base our worth on what Christ has done for us. The Hope of Christmas is Jesus, the promised Messiah, being sent to Earth as a baby, who would one day die on a cross for us. God loved us so much while we were yet sinners, he sent His only son to die for us (Romans 5:8). “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). And that’s very good news, especially for perfectionists, because as sinners, we could never earn our salvation, so Jesus died in our place. God offers salvation to us freely (Romans 6:23)—the best gift of Christmas!
Scott Newton retires from the sheriff’s office after a fellow officer is killed. Wracked by sorrow and the need for justice, Scott grows distant from his girlfriend, aspiring crime writer, Lindsay Billings. But, when Lindsay goes missing, and Scott discovers her research on the missing person cases thought to be the work of a serial murderer known as the Christmas Killer, Scott vows to find her at all costs. Police have never found the bodies of the people who went missing many Christmases ago, and Lindsay won’t become just another statistic.
Then, someone kills again in Blanchardville. Police locate a corpse atop one of seven inflatable swans on a pond, and another body in a pear tree. Scott receives odd texts from Lindsay’s phone and deduces they’re from the killer.
In order to save Lindsay, Scott agrees to meet the madman and play his game. As time runs out, Scott must learn to trust in God again, no matter what.
The novella is available from Amazon, Pelican Book Group, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, and Kobo.
Heidi Glick has a B.A. in biology from Cedarville University, a Master of Technical Communication from Utah State University, and a passion for writing Christian fiction. Additionally, she is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Faith, Hope, and Love Christian Writers and has written two articles for Intercom. Before becoming a suspense writer, Heidi taught science to middle and high school students and edited science documents. Heidi resides in rural Northwest Ohio with her husband, two children, and six pets.
A timely reminder, Heidi. Congratulations on the new book.
Great post, Heidi. Thanks for the reminder.