Struggles to Snuggles

By Donna McCrary –

Snuggle means to “curl up comfortably.” What a warm, fuzzy word. The picture of the little, cuddly teddy bear from the commercials probably popped into your head. When my 7-year-old son asks me to snuggle with him before bed, I know he wants more from me than just a good night hug. He wants me to climb in his twin bed (they are called single for a reason) and curl up under his blanket to get warm. Then we intertwine as many limbs as physically possible. After all the commotion we both freeze. We stop moving and just lie there quiet and still. No movement. If we say anything during this time it is in a soft whisper. It is one of the most precious times I have with my child.

Struggle means to “make strenuous efforts to overcome an adversary or an obstacle or to proceed with great effort.” A struggle often seems too big to overcome. It requires lots of energy, focus and encouragement to get through. When I think about my own struggles through the years, each one seemed to have a point where I felt utter desperation. The Scriptures are full of people with great struggles. Ruth needed a husband. The woman at the well struggled all her life with broken marriages. David struggled with family issues. Martha struggled with busyness. Peter struggled with taking a stand for whom he believed in. Moses struggled with a disability. The struggles were real for them thousands of years ago, and they are real to you and me today.

God gives us struggles to make us snuggle with Him. Your struggle is His way of asking you to curl up comfortably with Him. Don’t just give Him a quick good night hug; curl up with Him and stay a while. Snuggle up close to Him so you will be warmed by His love. Intertwine all your body parts of life with His and then freeze. Be still and listen to His soft whispers of love, comfort, strength, reassurance as you rest in Him. It is one of the most precious times you will spend with your Father.

Without your struggle you would never go to Him to snuggle. Be thankful He cares and loves you enough to want to draw you near to Him through your struggles.

PRAYER: Father, I surrender all my struggles to You today. Help me find time in my busyness to snuggle up close and discover Your comforting strength and reassurance.

“May Your unfailing love be my comfort, according to Your promise to Your servant” (Psalm 119:76 NIV).

Today’s devotion is by Donna McCrary and Sherri Holbert. As Life Coaches, they equip women to discover their life purpose. Learn more about their study DIVAS of the Divine: How to live as a Designer Original in a Knock Off World at: www.walkofpurpose.com.

Book Review: The Hand of Fate

Written by Liz Wiehl and April Henry
Reviewed by Nike Chillemi –

The Hand of Fate is the second in the Triple Threat series. While I enjoyed the first book, Face of Betrayal, to my mind, the second book is better. Perhaps the authors simply hit their stride. The three main female characters are stronger and more developed in this book.

I love talk radio and this book catches the immediacy of the medium. Abrasive, opinionated, and self-centered, popular Portland talk-show host Jim Fate receives an envelope at the station and when he opens it, a powdery substance sprays in his face (possibly sarin), shortly thereafter killing him.

The members of the Triple Threat Club put their heads together to solve the broadcaster’s murder. Allison Pierce, a federal prosecutor, happily married and at the beginning of her first pregnancy, who is  also a practicing Christian. Nicole Hedges, the FBI special agent who is the lead on this case is a single mother, was brought up Christian, but is now an agnostic. Cassidy Shaw, a popular crime beat TV reporter feels she’s aging, is abusing prescribed sleep meds, has a tendency to hop from bed to bed, and had a relationship with the victim she’s trying to hide.

At first this appears to be a terrorist attack on the entire city, as sarin is that deadly. The downtown area is evacuated and there are injuries, heart attacks, and several deaths as result of the general evacuation. The pregnant Allison finds a tiny Hispanic girl who’s been separated from her mother and carries the child several miles to safety. After several hours of panic, medical personnel determine the substance is not sarin and the city is safe. Now the Triple Threat Club swing into action to find out who killed Jim Fate.

Fate, a combative, right wing, shock-jock, who we learn about posthumously, is a fascinating character. As the three women investigators look at the suspect list, they realize a shorter list would be one with people who liked the man.

Christian characters in this novel pray and seek solace in God, but the book is not preachy nor is there any heavy theology. A question that pops up in the last book is answered here. Why Nicole turned her back on God. While the novel is not too graphic, this is one of the scariest and most brutal parts of the book, which I can’t go into as it would be a huge spoiler. Cassidy continues to do stupid stuff, like combining a sleep aid with alcohol and falling asleep in a bathtub full of water — and her friends, like in the first novel, find they must rescue her…literally.

The identity of the murderer comes as a total surprise, as does the motive for the murder. One of the seemingly normal, career driven characters has an agenda, and well hidden underlying emotional issues.

I recommend Hand of Fate to murder mystery readers who enjoy novels that utilize contemporary, topical themes as sub-plots and back-story.

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