Christmas on My Heart: Wish Upon a Star by Tabitha Bouldin

Warriors and Worriers

A devotional by Tabitha Bouldin, based on her book Wish Upon a Star

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

~Deuteronomy 31:6 (KJV)

Warrior = A brave or experienced fighter

Worrier = A person who is experiencing persistent mental uneasiness

It’s interesting that two little letters can change the entire meaning of a word.

I don’t have all the answers for my life, but I do know one thing: God calls each of us to be warriors. Notice the definition of warrior: A brave or experienced fighter.

How do you gain experience? Do you want the honest truth? You gain experience by going through battles, again…and again…and again.

Some people are born warriors, some people seem to have some innate gene that keeps them moving forward when everything else tells them to give up. But if you ask them, I bet they tell you that they fight against the desire to worry.

Sometimes, the drive to worry overwhelms even the staunchest warrior. The Bible tells us to not be afraid, which is slightly different from worry, but they are close siblings. What we have to remember is: God will never let anything happen to us without His approval. Yes, we will have hard times. Yes, we will suffer. But we have the ultimate promise that it will all be worth it in the end.

It is so easy to worry. Even when we try not to, the desire to languish in our problems is a persistent thought. So how do you overcome worry? Put on the full armor of God and go into battle! It’s easy to say, right? But is it easy to do? Not so much. Going into battle requires trust, and faith, and the desire to do God’s will. That is the armor of God. Clothe yourself in His substance.

A battle is not always what you expect it to be. Sometimes, a battle might be nothing more than not losing your temper. Other times, the battle might be understanding why something unspeakable has happened to ourselves or someone we love.

This is where we find the main character in Wish Upon a Star. Bryce Masters lost his wife, Molly, during childbirth and is raising their daughter, Anna, alone. After six long years, he is finally returning to the place where he grew up. Worry threatens to overwhelm Bryce when Anna reveals her wish for a mother. With the move home, reopening the town bookstore, and caring for Anna, how is Bryce going to fulfill Anna’s wish? Does he even want to? Molly was the love of his life. His heart has no room for another.

Bryce must sacrifice his will and let God have control. Only then does he have a chance to overcome his fears.

God has given each of us free will. We can choose the type of person we want to be. Change is not easy, nor was it ever meant to be. If change were easy, then life would not be what it is today. I am a worrier by nature, but a warrior through endless trials and sheer determination as I pray for strength to overcome my own downfalls.

Worrying never does us any good. All it is capable of is taking us further away from God. We should cast our cares upon Him and leave them there. If you’re like me, that is a struggle. I can toss them away, but it’s like fishing…I keep a line on them so I can drag them back to shore and worry over them some more. The Bible says, “Be strong and of a good courage” and that is exactly what I want to be.

Don’t choose the worrier path. Choose instead to be a warrior.

~*~
Author Bio:

Tabitha Bouldin was born, raised, and still lives in the same small town in middle Tennessee. 

A member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), she has been writing for nearly five years but only recently began publishing her work.

After working for ten years as a nurse, prayers were answered that gave her the chance to be a stay-at-home mom and the time to homeschool her two boys.

Her books are meant to encourage others through the trials of life. While the stories are fiction, they come from situations that many of us face. 

~*~

Blurb for Tabitha's book (Wish Upon a Star):

Bryce Masters had everything he needed...or so he thought. His six-year-old daughter, Anna, would disagree. They were going home, moving back to Jingle Junction where Bryce would take over the local bookstore just in time for Christmas.

Losing his wife, Molly, during the birth of their daughter six years ago was tragic, but Bryce has no idea just how much it weighs on young Anna's heart until she confesses her deepest wish. 

What Anna wants for Christmas is a mother, but Bryce's heart is not ready to love again. Only God can give Bryce the desire to make Anna's wish come true. 

Only He can heal the hurt and open Bryce's heart to the power of love. But Bryce will have to be willing to listen. And when the perfect woman reveals a secret that could devastate them all, will Bryce be able to look beyond what was and accept what might be?

~*~
Buy Tabitha's book Wish Upon a Star on Amazon

~*~
Connect with Tabitha:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/tabithabouldinauthor
Twitter – www.twitter.com/tabithabouldin
Instagram – www.instagram.com/tabithabouldin
Blog – https://tabithabouldinauthor.home.blog

~*~
Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway