Twists, surprises, and reversals make for great stories, but in life, they can leave us feeling blindsided. When my son’s school told me he could no longer attend, I thought I’d failed as a mother. This surprise twist chopped me down at the knees.
Typically, when trials come, my husband sets things in perspective, but this incident coincided with my husband traveling. Lost without my support system, I needed a good cry, but I couldn’t let my three boys see mom upset. Buckling my youngest into his booster seat, I drove to the nearest movie theater, where I could let the tears roll. In the darkness where “Wreck-It Ralph” absorbed the boys’ attention, my negative thoughts grew louder until they drown out my prayers. I felt like I’d fallen into a pit of darkness and couldn’t feel my way out.
However, God heard. He knew exactly where I was and what I was feeling.
Two days later, an acquaintance stopped me at church. God had impressed upon her heart that I was upset and that she could help me. Tears instantly brimmed in my eyes, but I was serving and, once again, felt the need to “keep it together.” We talked later, and she told me her daughter had also been kicked out of elementary school. I knew her daughter. She was a lovely young college student who hadn’t suffered any ill effects from being banned from elementary school.
There was hope.
Today, whenever I face a trial, I consider that incident. I remember how, when I couldn’t even pray, God tracked me down. He sought me like a lost lamb. Even when I was so bombarded by negative thoughts that I couldn’t hear Him, He sent a friend to get through to me. Now, when my faith runs low, I remember the lengths God went to reach me and now rehearse it as a victory.
In The Captain’s Quest, my main character, Priscilla, lands herself in one mess after another. As she runs from being associated with a terrible situation that could ruin her family’s good name, she hides on her brother’s ship. Only after the boat has sailed, she discovers her brother has been relieved of duty, and the new captain isn’t thrilled with his stow-a-way.
No matter how many times Priscilla messes up or how distant from home she travels, God leaves the ninety-nine to go after her. He sees her fears and strengthens her for each moment until she’s ready to surrender her heart to him.
Like Priscilla, know that God searches for you. He longs to carry you in his arms and celebrate your return, no matter whether you’ve turned from him, walked away, or merely struggled with doubt. He sees you and calls your name.
“Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away!” – Matthew 18: 12-13.
The Captain’s Quest
Innocent mistakes can have dire consequences.
Pricilla Middleton only attended the Lemoore house party to keep her friend out of trouble. Now, her only chance to keep from becoming a gossip column headline is to sneak aboard her brother’s ship and pretend she’d been visiting him instead of taking part in the debacle. Before she can speak to her brother, the ship sets sail, and the man in charge is not at all who she expects.
Captain Tobias Prescott, son of an infamous war hero, has been assigned on a critical mission to deploy warships in St. Kitts for battle in New Orleans. Unfortunately, his orders require him to assume command of a friend’s ship, and he must weigh anchor the instant the former captain is escorted down the gangplank. When they reach open waters, the last thing he expects is to find a woman hiding in the captain’s cabin, yet his mission is too urgent to return her to England.
The Middleton name has always brought Tobias trouble, and Pricilla is no exception. As the waters clear and the temperature warms, the danger escalates too. Yet Tobias discovers the intuitive and strong woman who struggles to hide her anxiety is nothing like her disloyal brother. He may lose the opportunity to help his country, but perhaps he can still save the woman who’s rescued his heart.
Buy it here: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Apple Store
Lorri Dudley has been a finalist in numerous writing contests and has a master’s degree in Psychology. She lives in Ashland, Massachusetts with her husband and three teenage sons, where writing romance allows her an escape from her testosterone filled household.