12 Pearls OF Christmas- Susan May Warren

Welcome to
the 12 Pearls of
Christmas!



Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's
(Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and
more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt
stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.



AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this
simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl
necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on
1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.



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short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in
the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering
Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

Enjoy the Ride!

Susan May Warren



We sit poised on the top of a cliff, a near drop off before us, that falls to a rushing river.
In the middle, a bridge of snow and ice hints at our destination. My husband guns the
snowmobile engine. “Ready?”



Ready? For a face plant into a tree, maybe reconstructive surgery? To feel my stomach
ripped from my body as we plummet down the mountain? Let’s do it!




We live on five acres of woods in northern Minnesota that butts up to a national forest.
Hence, our backyard is about a hundred thousand acres. Aside from harboring deer, lynx,
fox, cougar and bear, it also makes excellent snowmobile terrain. And not long ago, Mrs.
Claus gave her Santa a snowmobile for two.



I love snowmobiling. Flying over the snow, catching air over drifts. I love to drive, to be
at the helm of the beast as I weave around trees and over hill and dale, my husband sitting
behind me. I also love riding behind my husband as he drives, feeling those powerful
arms as he’s muscling the snowmobile into the wilds. We follow unknown trails, driven
by a Magellan spirit, hoping that we have enough gas to get us back to civilization. I
love hanging on, simply trusting him, knowing that wherever he’s taking me, he’s going
first.



But there are times, when I see where he’s taking me, and I just have to bury my head in
his back. Like straight down a cliff.



However, my heart cheers, despite the terror as we gun it down the hill, over the river, up
the opposite side. And, if we hadn’t let ourselves go, we would have never discovered the
beauty of a winter river, a hidden jewel buried deep in the forest. Nor the exhilaration of
facing the challenge together.



Further on, we find an enchanted forest of towering white pine. Catch a view of Lake
Superior, discover an old cabin in the woods.



It occurs to me that snowmobiling is much like my spiritual life. Occasionally, I drive,
and it’s me setting our course, weaving through the trees, getting us hopelessly lost. But
when God takes the “wheel” and I hang on, trusting Him for the speed and destination, I
see the scenery. I trust him to keep me safe. I trust him to bring me home, where there is
an eternal supply of hot chocolate.



As Christmas season becomes more hectic, what if I let God drive?  Maybe
everything doesn’t have to be perfect, and maybe I don’t have to control every tradition,
every holiday nuance. What if I just held on for the ride?



I’ll bet I’ll still get there, and I might even enjoy the scenery along the way.



How have you let go, and “enjoyed” the scenery of this hectic, exhilarating
Christmas season?



Merry Christmas!

***

Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning author of thirty novels with
Tyndale, Barbour, Steeple Hill and Summerside Press.  A four-time Christy

award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational
Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Carol Award.  A seasoned women’s
events speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and
the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create
and publish the novel in you!.  She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service
that helps authors discover their voice.