Book Drawing: “Holy Interruptions” by Debbie Dufek
Book Drawing! “Holy Interruptions: When God Taps You on The Shoulder” by Debbie Dufek
I’m so pleased to have the opportunity to feature Holy Interruptions by Debbie Dufek. Her story is an exciting memoir of God’s work, along with an abundance of wisdom, inspiration, and encouragement.
Read below for instructions for entering the drawing.
Blind to My Bleeding
by Debbie Dufek
We can walk with Jesus for decades and not recognize the need for a deeper work in our hearts. Just like this woman was losing blood and life was seeping out of her, I was bleeding emotionally, internally, but only God could see it–the bleeding of a still broken heart affecting relationships years later. He knew I needed to reach out and touch Him––it was a healing He alone could do. When I asked the Lord how this pain and grief could still be in me without me recognizing it, he brought back a memory—an analogy of a boil.
Physical Analogy of a Spiritual Condition
Once my husband had a nasty boil on his thigh. His leg was fire-red, swollen, and painful. He couldn’t walk without excruciating pain. The doctor gave him an antibiotic. After a week the pain was relieved, and the inflammation went away. About two weeks later, he was playing with the grandchildren, and stepped down hard on the leg that had been infected. Out popped a dark green, hard core. He wiped it off and discovered a clean crater-––an actual ¼ inch deep hole in circumference and depth in his leg where the infection had been. By all outward appearances, his leg looked as if it had been healed but that core, covered by skin on the surface, was still there and needed to be removed.
I had a core like that. The death of my father, losing him so quickly, left me with a hidden wound. The Lord brought healing in stages—even forty years later.
I had an invisible, deep-seated fear of abandonment. I saw myself as a healthy, Christian woman who loved the Lord and His people, yet I had this unseen wound that was festering under the surface, keeping me from fully opening my heart to the one I was supposed to love and trust the most–––my husband. Until that day, I had made an unconscious choice to seal off part of me that could be affected by the loss of the one I loved. I didn’t even know it. In the deepest part of me hidden pain festered. A place in my heart remained locked–––– like a locked room I was unaware of. But Jesus has the master key, and He unlocked that room and brought His healing light in, obliterating the darkness.
I had a freeing holy interruption that morning. I’m happy to say, that was the last (and deepest) work the Lord did in my heart regarding the loss of my father. I will always miss him, but the sting is gone now. I look forward to the day I am reunited with Daddy in Heaven. I can’t wait to hug him.
The crater left from that cleansing has been filled with a deeper holy assurance that God is my forever Father, and He will never leave me. I will never be abandoned.
Our emotions affect our physical health. Jesus brings healing.
If you’re struggling with lingering illness, it is His promise to bring streams in the desert and a path in the wilderness. Even if healing lingers or never comes this side of Heaven, Jesus will draw us close to His heart, giving us deeper understanding if we will allow Him to. My experiences traveling this road for several decades waiting for healing for my child is this: Jesus is faithful.
Never Abandoned
Are you bleeding? Do you feel your life is seeping out of you? Do you feel isolated or ostracized?
Don’t be afraid to crawl through your struggles and reach out to touch Jesus. He’ll know it’s you who touched Him.
He will do what it takes, in His perfect timing, to stop the bleeding. He knows your name. He calls you Daughter.
Excerpt taken from Chapter Six, He Called Me Daughter
Click on “Holy Interruptions” to learn more about Debbie’s book.
To enter the drawing, make a comment on this blog post. The drawing closes Wednesday evening, September 6th, 2023. Only USA addresses can win.
Debbie Dufek is an author, a conference and retreat speaker, an inspirational storyteller, a Bible study writer and teacher, and the founder and coordinator of The Mom’s Luncheon, an annual all-day event that has remained a favorite day for 150+ women for 35 years. Debbie is a certified Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA) P.O.W.E.R. Speaker and an AWSA Writing and Speaking Coach. Her first book, Holy Interruptions: When God Taps You on the Shoulder, published by Bold Vision Books, Friendswood, Texas, was released in October 2022.
Deb’s passion is encouraging others to live deliberately, living out our days for what matters to Jesus. She believes every person’s story is significant and inspires others to share their stories with whoever the Lord brings their way. We are all part of a larger picture. Embracing God’s plans and purposes for our lives, Jesus will use our stories to change the course of history which will affect the outcome of eternity-–-one heart at a time.
Debbie finds joy living in upstate New York, in the rambling 1840’s house where she and her husband, Bob, raised their family. They are surrounded by their seven children, twenty-two grandchildren, and nine great grandchildren most of whom live nearby.
Connect with her at: www.debbiedufek.com
