To say I was overwhelmed by the launch of 31 Days of Forgiveness would be bigger than an understatement. Overwhelmed, surprised, shocked, in awe of … and crazy emotional would describe those three days of the launch.
You know … I’d be lying if I said it didn’t matter how the book did. Of course it mattered. But I had no set goals in mind or what “doing well” looked like in my mind.
And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t do all I could to get 31 Days of Forgiveness into the hands of all who’d listen {and then some!}.
{this gorgeous photo is courtesy of
my instagram friend @aedriel}
I had an absolute blast those three days of the release! It was so fun to connect with people and see their excitement. It motivated me and excited me! My favorite part might’ve been the Instagram giveaways … my girls even got in on the action, highjacking my phone and doing a giveaway on their own!
And of course it was fun to watch the “numbers” and see how the book was doing and growing and reaching.
As I watched with amazement, copy after copy of the book being downloaded, I was in awe. And completely reminded why I wrote it in the first place:
The message of forgiveness is something most
of us struggle with in one form or another.
I believe proof of that is in the numbers:
11,307 books downloaded
#1 in both categories it’s listed
#25 on the free Kindle list
#4,969 in Amazon’s entire bookstore
$5,600 donated to The Seed Companyall of this is equal to Untold Works by God
Wanna know a secret? Satan did.not. want me to release this book!
The very day I was supposed to get some vital information to the book’s designer, I was hit with a doozy {excuse my lack of a better word}. A doozy that would require EPIC forgiving. Epic. And the crazy thing is, I wrote 31 Days of Forgiveness out of an experience that taught me the meaning of radical forgiveness!! I thought I was done and done.
Learned the lesson.
Lived through the lesson.
Came out strong enough to teach the lesson.
Like really?!? Hadn’t I done my time? Filled my forgiveness quota and all that?
Apparently not.
You see, I was also scheduled to go to a local conference and work on put a speaking message together. Any guesses on the topic? If you guessed forgiveness, you’d be right.
But guess what happened? I was so bowled over by the recent events in my life, forgiveness was something that felt hugely foreign to me at that moment in my life … and so I backed out of the conference.
And contemplated not releasing the book at all.
Given the state I was in, I was pretty sure I was the last person to be sharing a message of forgiveness.
But wouldn’t you know? God knew. He knew the timing of events. He knew {pass the kleenex please}, He knew I would need those exact words He helped me pen. And He knew when I’d need them.
And slowly my heart softened.
In full disclosure, I’m not 100% there yet and the ugly bombards me daily … but I have a road map and a heart understanding on how to get where I need to be.
And because God guided me through it, spoke gentle words of encouragement, and prodded me on … now others have that same road map and God willing, heart understanding too.
The messages of hope, restoration, and healing that have come out of the release of 31 Days of Forgiveness have had a profound impact on me. I believe God is up to something big here my friends. And if He’s up to something big, you’d better believe the enemy is out in FULL FORCE!!
I continue to pray over this book, the hands that hold it, the hearts that embrace it, and the people who need it. What I believe to be a very important message of the cross.
Amen Tracie! It is a blessing you shared this and 31 days of Faith with the world!
Isn’t that just like God?? I’m so thankful that you are allowing Him to “make your mess His message.” I’m sorry you are faced with more…but I know my God is faithful and He has already given you the necessary fuel through your own words. Isn’t God amazing??? Praying for you this morning…
it makes me sad {and mad} that you have to stumble through yet another roadblock… even when i know that He is wlking right along by your side. i’m still praying :) and i think i had almost as much fun as you watching you & your girls on launch day! what FUN!?!?! it just made me grin. and it makes my heart thankful to know that your words are out in the hearts of the world, and that through them God is showing them what forgiveness is
xoxo
I am so sorry you were hit with another situation that requires big forgiveness. I am so thankful for your words and the message of hope they have given me. I am clinging to them to get through these dark days. I wrote you about my situation back around the time of your book launch and your reached out to me even though you were hurting. Amazing! I agree, God is up to something BIG and doing a work in people. I know He is doing something in me and my family. Thank you for your kindness and reaching out to me even though you were hurting yourself. Thank you for sharing your words and not letting what you are going through stop you. I will be praying for you! XXOO
You are so awesome!
xoxoxo
Angela
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