Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns
If you think Jesus would have come into your home that day and not issued a strong rebuke to the head of household, you are mistaken. These words of condemnation have been haunting me for days now. They aren’t all that different than the soundtrack I play in my head on an almost-daily basis. It’s…
I am nesting. On Saturday I emptied the refrigerator. Last summer’s homemade pickles in their jars. The bread ends that seem to multiply on every shelf. The eggs. The milk. The fruit and veggies. All of it sat on the floor or the counter as I carefully removed the shelves and wiped them down with…
I’ve heard that life is like a highway. And it definitely seems like that sometimes. The pace of life swirls around me at dizzying speeds. We’re all so busy. In such a hurry. Always somewhere to be, something else to do. I’m a get-to-the-point, get-there-quick kind of girl. I don’t like to waste time on…
© Robert Pernell | Dreamstime.com
Donald Trump’s getting a lot of air time and attention these days. (The Donald for president? Really?) But I want to talk about someone else on “Celebrity Apprentice”: Jack Jason.
If you don’t know the name, don’t worry. I didn’t either. I’ve been calling him Marlee Matlin’s interpreter for weeks. Until I googled him, I couldn’t have even told you what letter his name started with. He was introduced when the show started, and even though I hear his voice every week when I watch, his name wasn’t important enough for me to learn it.
In a way, I think that’s how it’s supposed to be. He is, after all, the interpreter, not the star. But I was thinking, while watching the episode where they filmed the commercial for the video phone, how hard it must be to not answer people’s questions with his own opinions. People talk to Marlee, but he answers for her, and even though he’s in the room and could give his opinion, that’s not his job. His job is to speak for her.
Last week, when Marlee raised $1 million for her charity, Jack cried his own tears. It was a meaningful moment for me. I’ve since learned that his parents are deaf, so charities that benefit those with hearing disabilities is personal for him as well. But it was a rare glimpse of how connected they are, and I was reminded that he is a person, too.
It must take a lot of humility to be someone’s personal sign language interpreter. You’re essentially a background figure. Necessary, essential and important, but your life is all about someone else.
Not unlike a Christian’s life. When we choose to follow Christ, we choose to become part of something bigger than ourselves. We choose to let God work through us, and ideally, give Him the credit for it.
That’s not always easy. I’m learning this myself. I used to think that I needed to write a book or have magazine articles published with my byline to feel successful at writing. My two most recent paid writing gigs won’t have my name prominently displayed anywhere on them. But they paid, and they’re writing credits. Glory be to God.
I’ve heard said that you can accomplish much if you don’t care who gets the credit, and I think that’s where I’m at with writing and God and the Christian life right now. It really isn’t about me, after all, and God can accomplish much more through me when I hang on to that truth.
Back to Jack Jason. He was Marlee Matlin’s interpreter when she won an Academy Award, and thus got to voice her acceptance speech. He said this about that experience:
“I flashed back to when I was eight years old [and] wrote in a school journal that it was my aspiration to have my voice be heard by millions of people as a DJ or a TV announcer. There I was doing just that. The moment was even sweeter as Marlee thanked her parents and I spoke those words, knowing my parents were in the audience too. It was a moment I’ll never forget.”
You can read more of his thoughts from that interview here.
I don’t know what your dreams are, but I know mine, and I’m finally coming to understand that God may not grant them in the way that I expect. And that’s OK.
It’s not self-defeating to not care who gets the credit; it’s freeing. If all I’m worried about is whether or not someone is going to recognize the work I do, then I won’t do much work at all. But if I join the work God is doing, and let Him get the credit, then who knows what might happen.
I choose to serve Him as faithfully as I know how, to communicate the messages He wants people to hear and forget about myself in the process. I don’t expect it to be easy. Humility never is.
And on a show where the objective is for the contestants to use their celebrity to win tasks and eventually be named “Celebrity Apprentice,” I’m grateful for the reminder that serving can still be celebrated.
When I tune in tonight, I’ll be watching for more than the stars’ antics. I’ll be seeking a lesson in humble service.
‘Survivor’ is just the beginning of words that describe Linda Gomes. 
Faithful. Encourager. Joyful. Enthusiastic. Fun. These are other words to describe her, and I’ve never even met her.
Readers of Gomes’ book “You Are Loved” will notice these things about her and marvel. You see, Gomes has survived unspeakable acts of abuse and neglect in her life, acts she recounts in her book. The first few chapters are difficult reading. It’s hard to stomach the pain and hardship some people have gone through in life. But at the same time, I couldn’t put it down as I sought the rest of the story — how she overcame and how she lives with the past.
Gomes shares much of her journey to faith from a painful past, and her story has the potential to help others heal from similar circumstances. For that reason, I would recommend it.
Technically speaking, I was not impressed with the writing style or the organization of the book, but I applaud Gomes for courageously telling her story and for using her wounds to help others heal.
Read on for an interview with Gomes by Christian Speaker Services.
What inspired you to write You Are Loved? And was there a pivotal point that changed your life?
My life and its past had always been a burden to me. I tried to hide it, lie about it and pretend that I was just as “normal” as everyone else until I realized that my faithful life was being affected by not being myself! I made a decision to become a part of a class at my church called Wounded Hearts that was led by the most amazing woman! (You can read more about her in the dedication of my book.) After several hours of being a part of this group I was encouraged to write or journal and that led to asking for prayer and writing Monday Morning Prayer which I e-mailed to my friends. It was very well received, much to my surprise as I never thought of myself as a writer! Then one day I was thrust into a trial that I had no frame of reference to handle. I thought that my attending my class was confidential until I read an e-mail from a pastor’s husband that once again tried to pigeon hole me by suggesting that my crying foul and not tolerating abuse in my life was somehow “because of” my past! The exact words were “she must have some significant damage in her past to react this way.” It had been the story of my life to not speak out when I was hurt, to not demand respect and to take the abusive behavior from others as just another part of my life as if I deserved to be treated less then. The impression that was transmitted openly in a not so private e-mail was that this man felt that he knew who I was, because of a class that I was attending! God hit me at that moment like a Mac truck! I was keenly aware that this type of reaction and careless assumption was the reason I had hidden for years, taking me off of my path and “shaming” me back into hiding and away from the blessings God had intended. I saw it so clearly at that moment! I was working so hard to not be “pigeon holed” that I was not the authentic person that God was trying so desperately to use for His purpose.
I made the decision that day that I would use my life and all of its facets to speak out and not hide any longer. I would not allow anyone else to “tell” my story! I could no longer allow another broken person to define “who I was” and just cower in the shadows. I realized in that moment that women hide from their abuse because they believe they will not feel loved by anyone if they tell their story. The ignorance in one e-mail brought me to my knees before God, begging to be relieved from the pain of the secret that was snuffing out my life and the gifts that He had intended me to be blessed with!
You are loved, was the message that I had to accept and then I had to allow Him to use my story to reach out to others!
How can reading your book have an impact on the reader’s life?
My hope and prayer is that my life will encourage other women to be brave in his name! I exposed my life because I was living in a way that the world had designed and defined and not the life that God was working to use to restore others. I believe that His plan is to shed the light in the dark corners where we hide our deepest pain. My book reveals pain and fear that can control and lead a life into desperation and isolation, destroying His purpose! As you will read in the first page of You are Loved, Surviving is my History, Living is my Destiny, the impact will be that my readers will finally know and believe that they are loved and that they are worth it!
What are your plans for the future in the publishing world? Think you have any more books in you?
I am in the process of writing new book called EMBRACE. This book is a culmination of all the steps it took for me to be the woman God intended. Embracing your life and all of its facets is a process, this book will bring you full circle, through the pain of your life to the joy that the healing that God creates through that pain, teaching you to walk in His Embrace in order to lead others to His salvation!
What else does God have you doing these days Linda, and how can our readers connect with you?
Embrace Ministries is the passion of my life these days. I am still writing Monday Morning Prayer and the Daily Light Switch. You can find me atwww.embrace-ministries.net. I am also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/people/Linda-Gomes/1260573178#!/pages/You-Are-Loved/281441512624. Both of these pages allow feedback and support.
How can our readers purchase your book?
You can purchase my book on www.embrace-ministries.net.
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I was given a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for posting the author’s interview on my blog. This blog tour is managed by Christian Speaker Services (www.ChristianSpeakerServices.com).
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