I’m excited to host Katie Ganshert, friend, agent-mate and fellow author, as my guest blogger today. I’m drawn to Katie’s quick smile, sense of humor and heart for God.
Katie Ganshert was born and raised in the Midwest, where she writes stories about finding faith and falling in love. When she’s not busy plotting her next novel, she enjoys watching movies with her husband, playing make-believe with her wild-child of a son, and chatting with her girlfriends over bagels. She and her husband are in the process of adopting from the Congo. You can find her online at her blog and on Facebook.
It can’t be coincidental that around the time my publisher titled my debut novel, God began a work in my heart that would eventually lead to adoption.
The title of my debut novel is Wildflowers from Winter.
There’s a scene in the novel where the heroine, Bethany Quinn, is sitting on a rock, by a creek, late at night, snow falling all around her as she talks to her grandfather’s farmhand, Evan Price.
Evan explains to Bethany that really snowy winters produce an abundance of wildflowers in the spring, a truth in nature that encompasses the overarching theme in the novel.
The truth that God is at work, even during those barren seasons in our life. Even when He feels absent. Even when our hearts feel cold. Beneath the frozen layers of pain, He is working. Preparing the way for something beautiful.
If that isn’t a portrait of adoption, I don’t know what else is.
In a perfect world, adoption wouldn’t exist.
Biological children would be with their biological parents—all together in a loving home.
But we don’t live in a perfect world. And every single adoption is born out of pain.
Whether it’s death or poverty or sickness or drug addiction or frightened pregnant teenagers or governments that devalue life or women with empty wombs.
It begins with pain.
Yet God uses what is broken and makes something breathtakingly beautiful.
God makes families.
Families that are not bonded together by blood, but by love.
Wildflowers from winter.
The theme unravels in Bethany Quinn’s life. The theme unravels in my life too.
Thank you, Katie, for sharing from your heart! Let’s hear from our friends.
Your Turn: Pain hurts. No denying that. When has God used your pain for something beautiful? Have you received an abundance of wildflowers from your winter?
God has used my pain for something beautiful many times…but only when I've let Him. That's the trick, I think, letting God change stuff.
Lovely post, Katie!!
Thanks for having me here today, Lisa!
Love that idea of "the snowier the winter, the more abundant the wildflowers." Simply love it.
Great insight, Jessica. God wants us to want Him to work within us and change our situations. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I'm happy to have you here today, Katie. Your words of truth touched my heart. Thanks for being my guest blogger today.
Makes looking toward the season of spring when we've been dormant all winter more hopeful, doesn't it?
Lisa, thanks for giving us such a great insight into Katie, her writing, and Wildflowers from Winter. Katie, what beautiful words! I can't help but think how God brings the most beautiful things out of the harshest conditions. For me, it was forgiveness and a new life following an unexpected, heartbreaking divorce. Two and a half years later, I'm finally breathing in the fresh air of God's promises. Hugs!
A lovely thought, and a lovely theme for your life. It is so heartening to know that God has a plan, even for the painful things in our lives, and that out of that pain can grow something that glorifies Him.
Beautiful post! I look forward to reading Katie's book. At one point, I'd hoped to adopt but it didn't work out.
Love the idea: "The snowier the winter, the more abundant the wildflowers." My second marriage is so wonderful because Steve and I have both suffered loss. We have never argued because we both have such grateful, giving hearts. We have so little conflict and we resolve any differences easily. With 10 kids, there's conflict, but I won't let anything hurt our relationship. Unfortunately, I wasn't this same wise wife to Jack. It took four barren years to get me to this place.
Oh sure! Pain is part of life and God has used it beautifully in my life. Wearing a back brace for 2 years in high school…going through a difficult church situation…losing everything to make a church plant succeed…failure at every level…oh yeah…God has done great things…mostly in my heart. 🙂