Hi, I’m Melanie. Or you can call me Mel.
When someone gave me a diary for Christmas when I was six years old, they probably weren’t expecting me to turn it into a passion. I wrote in that diary, and many more after it, almost every day. In the process I discovered that writing helped me process the events of my day, and as those days turned into years, and then decades, I realized that this habit of reflection via pen and paper was helping me come to terms with the most difficult events and seasons of my life.
When I looked back on all those pages I could see that God was faithful. His character and His love were constant and unchanging, whether I was 6 or 36. When bad things happened and I pitied myself, I questioned Him, but years later those journals reflected that no situation was ever hopeless. In every loss and every hurt, God had taken that pain and used it to create peace. By listening to God and recording my mental and emotional responses to both the good and bad, I had traced a pattern of God’s work in my own life that revealed His love and my need for it. As I reread entries from days or years before I saw times of anger and despair and loss that, days or years later, proved to be the impetus for growth and joy that transformed my vision of myself and my understanding Christ’s sacrifice for my salvation.
I want to offer that to my family, my church, my loved ones, and to you.
Father God, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, and may those who read them hear Your love. Allow my words to reflect your Spirit and your love. Amen.
