Looking out the Window: Tracy Wainwright Talks about Her New Book, Hearing Whispers and Shares an Inspirational Post
A Warm Welcome to Tracy Wainwright
Hi, Tracy, thanks for sharing your post about love with us.
Love Is the Greatest Thing.
When thinking about the question why did Jesus tell us to love one another, the answer seems obvious, yet complex.
Few of us take the time to pause and consider the fact that God made us in His image. That each one of us is a Lord image-bearer. How astounding. When we survey creation, we observe God’s endless creativity and variety, even in humans. Yet, we recognize we are made different. Unique. Not just from one another, but from all the rest of creation. The greatest aspect of being human is our capacity to love.
Since God is love, this makes sense. The triune Lord is love and emanates love. This easily explains our need for and ability to love others.
However, ever since the fall, we’ve tended to give into selfishness, envy, and manipulation instead of selfless love. God knows that love is the best thing for us. To give and receive love fills us like nothing else can. Our love for Him is most important because, being the very definition of and source of love, He fills us with love in return, which enables us to truly love others.
Jesus emphasized and commanded us to love because barriers to love are everywhere. The story of Sarah in Hearing Whispers is a perfect example of this. Hurt caused by others’ selfishness builds walls around our hearts that we think protect us from more hurt, when they just inhibit us from receiving the love we need. False faith of others hardens hearts to who God truly is. Satan’s lies push us to believe acting selfishly ourselves will bring happiness. That manipulating situations to result in what we want will give us joy. That tearing others down is the way to elevate ourselves and accomplish higher things. These and many other lies rob our ability to heal, walk in obedience to the Lord, and both give and receive genuine love.
Love, instead, means viewing others as broken image-bearers of God who need as much grace and mercy as we do. Love means we don’t compromise the truth, but we don’t intentionally hurt others. Love means sacrificing our own comforts and desires to build others up and help them when they’re in need. Love means meeting people where they are and encouraging them to grow in the Lord (and sometimes come to a relationship with Him through repenting and believing). Love means giving freely as God leads without expecting anything in return.
Jesus modeled all these aspects of love. He met everyone with love, even when He confronted the Pharisees with their hypocrisy. People often consider love approval, but instead, love is walking humbly knowing who we are without God and confidently in who we are in Him, holding to His standards, His commands, and His truths. We’re called to love every person God puts in our path, knowing that we’re dependent on Him to do so and it won’t always look the same.
So, why is love so important? It’s the essence of God and our human relationships, and it’s the only thing that will last.
About Hearing Whispers
In her last semester of college, Sarah knows exactly what's next: marriage to the man of her dreams and working with young children. That is, until she discovers two secrets that throw her whole future into turmoil.
Determined to move past immeasurable pain and betrayal, and armed with newly discovered information, she embarks on a journey to discover who she really is and what' s really important in life. The last thing she needs is a man to distract her. The only hiccough? Warren Crysel.
Buy Hearing Whispers on Amazon
Excerpt:
Sarah pulled the envelope out and debated opening it. She shook her head and reached to put it back in the drawer. Then she pulled it back, opened the tab, and plucked out the single sheet of paper. Her hand trembled as she read. It couldn’t be. The sheet of paper clutched in her hand shook along with the rest of her body.
Her eyes scanned the wrinkled document again. There had to be some kind of mistake. She’d known about her dad’s relationship with the woman who was now her stepmother and that it had caused her parents’ divorce, but this was worse.
Bio: Tracy's been writing for 20 years, She has 17 books published (self and traditional) and 8 books due to release in the next year. She loves sharing God's truths through story-telling and does so through fiction, nonfiction, and speaking. In addition to writing her own books, Tracy loves helping other authors produce works of excellence through editing, coaching, presenting at writers' conferences, and ghostwriting. She squeezes all this in the middle of being a wife, homeschool mom of 4 (3 graduated now!), volunteer at her church, and most recently running for her local Board of Supervisors.
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