Looking out the Window: Tracy Wainwright Talks about Overflowing Hearts, Book Four in the Fruit of the Spirit Series. Giveaway
A Warm Welcome to Tracy Wainwright
Tracy shares a devotional about love with us and gives away a digital copy of Overflowing Hearts. To enter to win the book leave a comment and an email address below.
Devotional
As I reflect on the question, “Why do you think Jesus told us to love one another and what does that mean?”, I find myself reflecting on the gamut of emotions roiling through me in the handful of days since the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk. I saw the news very quickly and watched too many of the live videos. I experienced the roller coaster of emotions as news came out that he made it to the hospital and then passed away. I wept at the death of this man I never knew. And I didn’t know why.
You might be asking what all this has to do with Jesus’ second greatest command. I promise I’m getting there. As a believer, and one in the public eye, I, along with every single other believer in Jesus the Messiah, am part of the same family. The family of God’s children who are to love one another. And it hit hard because one of God’s children was taken out by evil.
This – the real presence of evil in this fallen world – is the reason Jesus wants us to love one another. We are His representatives, and since He is love itself, our job is to represent His love for people through our words and actions to combat the tactics of our enemy who seeks to steal, kill, destroy, and devour.
Sometimes, this is easy. Sometimes, it’s difficult. There will always be people who rub us the wrong way, gossip about us, lie about us, are rude or even mean to us. Yet, Jesus still says to love them. So, what does that mean?
Like my new series name, God gave us a guide in the verses on the Fruit of the Spirit and the well-known chapter of 1 Corinthians 13. He also showed us by how He lived out love.
Loving others means being patient when they’re having a bad day and lash out at us. Loving means rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep. Loving means being kind to someone who is cruel, not by approving or just accepting their cruelty, but by standing on the truth, not seeking retribution, and, when appropriate, confronting sin in love. Loving means taming our tongues. Loving means apologizing when we’re wrong or sin. Loving means letting others have their own way when it’s not sinful. Love is humble yet confident in God’s purpose.
Jesus focused so much on love and gave us specific instructions and examples of how to love because He knew it’d be difficult for us. That there would be times we’d desperately need His help to love someone who hurt us. To forgive and move forward without seeking retribution or boasting. To not just follow our feelings and love when we feel like it. And then He left us with the Holy Spirit to empower us to give, serve, share, smile, forgive, and act out love in whatever ways He calls us to each and every day.
About Overflowing Hearts
Fruit of the Spirit Series book 4: Overflowing Hearts
When Jessica and Nate open their hearts and home to three neglected children in desperate need of love, they discover that healing comes in unexpected ways. Austin, Dakota, and Memphis arrive carrying deep wounds, but through patient love and unwavering faith, this makeshift family learns that God's plan often looks different than ours. As they navigate the complexities of foster care, court battles, and broken pasts, they find that hope can flourish even in dark circumstances.
Buy Overflowing Hearts on Illuminating Books on Pelican Book Group
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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