Linda Dillow - A Deeper Kind of Calm: Steadfast Faith in the Midst of Adversity

How can we let the Lord use our pain and distresses to bless our lives? Linda Dillow shows us how, sharing rich treasures from the Psalms and from her own life. See afresh how sufficient the Lord is, even in the worst of circumstances.

RUTH MYERS , author of Christ Life; 31 Days of Praise; The Perfect Love; and The Satisfied Heart

Linda Dillows heart finds rest and strength in secret and holy places. Once again she brings clarity to the human experience and wisely points us to the true Helper.

GAYLE HAGGARD , director of womens ministries, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado

NavPress is the publishing ministry of The Navigators, an international Christian organization and leader in personal spiritual development. NavPress is committed to helping people grow spiritually and enjoy lives of meaning and hope through personal and group resources that are biblically rooted, culturally relevant, and highly practical.

For more information, visit NavPress.com.

A Deeper Kind of Calm

Copyright 2003, 2006 by Linda Dillow. All rights reserved.

A NavPress resource published in alliance with Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

NAVPRESS and the NAVPRESS logo are registered trademarks of NavPress, The Navigators, Colorado Springs, CO. TYNDALE is a registered trademark of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Absence of in connection with marks of NavPress or other parties does not indicate an absence of registration of those marks.

Creative Team: Dan Rich, Liz Heaney, Darla Hightower, Arvid Wallen, Laura Spray

Cover illustration by Getty Images/The Bridgeman Art Library

This book was previously published as The Blessing Book, copyright 2003 by Linda Dillow, published by NavPress.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Some of the anecdotal illustrations in this book are true to life and are included with the permission of the persons involved. All other illustrations are composites of real situations, and any resemblance to people living or dead is coincidental.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Tyndale House Publishers at , or call 1-800-323-9400.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Dillow, Linda.

[Blessing book]

A deeper kind of calm : steadfast faith in the midst of adversity / Linda Dillow.

p. cm.

Previously published as: The blessing book.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 1-60006-075-7

1. SufferingReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. Consolation.

I. Title.

BV4909.D48 2006

248.86dc22

2006016326

Build: 2021-04-21 13:33:31 EPUB 3.0

To Becky, Donna, and Nanci:

I have watched you walk through the Valley of Weeping

with grace and eyes lifted to God.

A big thank-you to:

Liz Heaney: my super editor and friend. I continue to learn so much from you.

Lorraine Pintus: the coauthor of everything I write. You always find ALL the rocks.

Dan Rich, Terry Behimer, and their team at NavPress: It is a joy and privilege to work with you.

As I hung up the phone, all I could do was weep. This was the sixth phone call Id received that week from a distraught woman who had shared with me her heartache, leaving my heart broken as well. Their anguish-filled words echoed in my mind:

• My husband is having an affair with my best friend.
• I just found drugs in my sons room.
• I lost my jobwhat am I going to do?
• My breast cancer has returned.

So many hurting women; so many heavy, heavy burdens. I cried out to God: Is there no end to the pain in this world? O God, give hope to the brokenhearted... wrap Your arms of comfort around my friends.

But as I lifted each name to the throne of grace, I added my name to the list.

If God had given me the opportunity to script my story, Id have written something like Its a Wonderful Life. Id be the lighthearted heroine traipsing through town, seeking opportunities to bless others.

Oh, yes, Id have a wonderful lifeand so would everyone else.

The last three years of my life have looked more like scenes from Les Misrables than from Its a Wonderful Life. I have had struggles on every front: my relationships, my ministry, my home, and my health. While I can laugh at some of these incidents now, at the time I did not find them particularly amusing! See if you dont agree.

My husband, Jody, and I took our Polish houseguests for a Wild West adventure to the Flying W Ranch, where we enjoyed a barbecue and western music. When we returned home, our friends entered the house first. When they walked into the kitchen they yelled, Linda, come quick! Something is wrong. As I rushed in, I discovered that wrong did not begin to describe the condition of my kitchen. Disaster was a better word.

• A mangled screen lay in the sink.
• Jagged pieces of the pantry doorframe cluttered the floor.
• A kitchen cabinet door covered with splotchy, red marks dangled from one hinge.
• Large, bloody-looking prints covered the stovetop, floor, and countertops.
• Peanut butter jars littered the counterall of them empty.
• A chunky, brown substance that looked like vomit coated the counter and walls.

A bear had come calling. A very desperate bear. Our house had been closed and locked, except for the window over the kitchen sink, which wed left open six inches for ventilation. Because the window had a twelve-foot drop-off, we thought our house would be secure, but a ravenous bear would not be dissuaded. Climbing on top of the grill on our deck, he lunged toward the window, heaved his large frame up on the sill, and then smashed through the screen into food heaven. According to neighbors, our ninety-pound dog, Barney, barked incessantly and then stopped abruptly. Apparently the bear had swatted him to silence, leaving a chunk of Barney fur on the floor in the process.

As we cleaned up the mess, we discovered that the bloodlike prints on the counters had resulted from the bear breaking a large glass jar of salsa. (Was he a Mexican bear?) The vomitlike muck turned out to be a mixture of baking chocolate and salsa. (A Mexican bear with PMS?) When we finished cleaning up, we went to bed, unaware that our intruder was ready for another try at the Dillow Diner. Once again, he climbed on the grill, lunging for the now-closed window. Hitting it hard, he fell helplessly onto the rocks below. We know this because our houseguests happened to be looking out the window at the time. They are now firmly convinced that the Wild West still exists!