| “Will that dog bite me?” “No,” I replied. “She won’t bite you.” “Hold the mouth closed,” the tiny girl demanded. “That wouldn’t be good,” I said. It was a hot day, and the dog was panting. “She’s breathing through her mouth. See?” She thought about that, and apparently saw the reason in it. She began to approach the dog she had asked to pet, but then, suddenly, reversed course and ran back to the miniature bicycle she had left a few feet back. I called goodbye to her, and the dog and I went on for our walk. On our way back, the little girl was waiting for us in the same spot. “I want to pet your dog.” “Okay,” I said, and, once again, asked the dog to sit for petting. This time the little girl marched right up to the dog, and, with a smile, began to pet her soft fur. Her brother, only a little bigger than she, watch slacked-jaw from a safe distance, remaining astraddle his bike for a fast getaway. “How come you aren’t afraid?” he asked her. “Because she said the dog wouldn’t bite me,” said the tiny girl, happily, indicating me. And she continued enjoying her personal victory by petting the dog’s blond coat. “Hold its mouth closed,” demanded her brother. “No,” the girl answered, and then repeated to her brother verbatim what I had said about why we weren’t going to hold the panting dog’s mouth closed. She happily petted the dog some more and even danced a happy dance. When I recounted the story to my husband that night, he restated with the same incredulity I felt: “So she wasn’t afraid—just because she believed what you said?” “Yeah,” I replied. Bookend Dreams Remember the dream I recounted in chapter 3 of Faith with Wings? That was the one in which—while sleeping—I vehemently made the accusation against God that he was never going to heal me because he hadn’t already done it. My accusation against God was a lie I had wrongly believed, and God used that dream to expose the lie. In the rest of that book, I talk about what happened after the lie met the light. (And then, 52 days after that book was published, God began giving me miraculous healings.) Even after that, God has continued to tear down lies by showing me truth. Then, a little over a month ago, God gave me a similar opportunity to tell him what was in my heart about the remaining healings I need—again, while I was sleeping and he could bypass my inhibition and find the answer that was living in the core of me. In the dream, someone had not yet been healed. But I knew without a doubt that God would heal them, because the new Testament records a God who healed everyone who came to him for healing—whatever their need. In the dream, I enthusiastically proclaimed in a loud voice, “He healed them all!” And then, smiling right into Jesus’s face, I joyfully said, “It’s who you are!” What bookends these two dreams are! The stark difference revealed to me how my faith has changed, in just the space of a few years. What made the difference? I just believed what Jesus said. Getting from There to Here After the second bookend dream I shared above, I realized that my four nonfiction books—Jesus as Healer, Stay, Faith with Grit, and Faith with Wings—can now serve as a breadcrumb trail for many people with backgrounds similar to my own: living for decades without ever seeing healing miracles, knowing God could do one anytime he wanted, needing and wanting one but not fully expecting it, and thinking my case might have already been closed. If your experience isn’t matching Scripture, and you have no idea what to do about it, I invite you to check out the trail I’ve taken: Jesus as Healer by AmyLu Riley Stay: Why I’m Still Here, A Spiritual Memoir by AmyLu Riley Faith with Grit for the Not-Yet Healed by AmyLu Riley Faith with Wings by AmyLu Riley Parting Words What did the stories I shared in this newsletter mean to you? I’d love to know. Hit reply to send me an email. To your freedom, health, and wholeness, AmyLu What I’m Writing Now: Inspirational Fiction While out for a walk recently, a spectacular, shiny blue lizard—the tiniest little sliver of a creature—went darting in the path ahead of me, and into the grass. I love surprises like that—unexpected dazzles of living beauty. I’m hoping to create many such moments like that for you in my new inspirational fiction series—little passages that will make you smile. I’ve invented a town filled with people you’ll like (well, most of them) and gentle, uplifting everyday adventures. I’m now developing the fourth story in the series. This email community is the place to be to get updates when the series is ready! Thank you for being here. I am grateful for you. All content copyright 2021 by AmyLu Riley. |
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