Shannon Dvorak

Recently we moved some furniture out of our bedroom, and this morning I was straightening up the space a bit. On a bookshelf I came across the series of Narnia books that has been there since my children were quite young. Because I am easily distractable and hate cleaning, I picked up the one book that had fallen to the floor, The Horse and His Boy. I had never read this particular book in the series and had no idea of the plot or storyline; I still don’t. So, imagine my wonder as I thumbed through the pages and my eyes skimmed a page where a boy seemed to be telling the Lion, Aslan, of his troubles and questioning why the Lion hadn’t come to his aid. Here’s the quote from Aslan that got me, 

“I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the horses the new strength of fear for the last mill so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you.”

I was struck by the fact that even in seemingly unpleasant circumstances, it had been the Lord’s hand at work in Aravis’ life. God is always working behind the scenes. Even in the places where it is hard, or scary, or we are weak beyond continuing. Sometimes God allows pain. Sometimes He allows failure. The only thing I have found that He promises during these times is His presence. And with His presence we have peace. And hope.

My natural inclination is to look for immediate relief when I feel distress. Barring any relief, I look for answers. I look at what I know, I seek advice, I scope out information online and from experts. That is not bad in itself, if I stopped there, but, I typically don’t. I want to find the ANSWER. I want to find the steps I need to take to bring about my desired result and then I WILL DO THE STEPS. SOMEBODY JUST TELL ME HOW TO FIX THIS. I WILL DO IT.

Of course, there is no magic formula, or seven easy steps, or secret sauce. I look around. I look at (fill-in-the-blank’s) life.  (Fill-in-the-blank) seems to have found the secret. Look at her. She looks happy. Successful. Oddly, this unpleasant truth about my natural inclination to try and control – that sometimes leads to unhealthy (and often untrue or unrealistic) comparison, popped into my head as I continued to hold the book. I started to put it back, then for some reason brought it back to my line of vision and turned pages randomly. This is the last thing I read: 

“Child,” said the Lion, “I am telling you your story, not hers. No one is told any story but their own.”

Who is a God like our God? He is there. He sees. He will faithfully walk step by step with us through our stories, no matter the circumstances. The questions is, do we want to walk in obedience to Him as He guides, or will we continue to demand our own way, on our own timetable? The answer is the difference between peaceful hope or futile striving.

Last night my husband and I watched the final installment on ESPN of the fascinating, at least to us, Michael Jordan story, The Last Dance. Then, this morning, waiting for online church to begin, I watched a videoclip of a young woman on America’s Got Talent. Her testimony of how she’d been bullied as a Middle School student, was even more impactful than her singing talent. In both instances, there were numerous times that the camera turned to the audience, the coaches, or the judges, and Continue Reading

If you are reading this blog, then it is no great secret that I enjoy writing. Actually, I love it. I love words; I love how they can be arranged in ways that make us think, make us feel, make us laugh, and maybe even inspire us to live differently. They can also hurt, discourage, shame, cause us to cry - this too, might cause readers to live differently. Words have power to influence. Therefore, those who speak them or write them exert a certain power, the extent of which is determined by the Continue Reading

     Recently I wrote several posts about a time in my life when I desperately needed God’s healing, forgiveness, and direction. It is good to look back and recall God’s faithfulness to me in the past, when my present-day realities seem tedious, unchanging, or hard to bear. I’m encouraged to persevere, as I recall His trustworthiness.      There have been times in my life when I've been discouraged at the slowness of change, or healing, or growth. In my foolish estimations, I think that God Continue Reading

     One night not too long after this, some friends were deciding where to go eat after the Friday night meeting, and Doug asked if I was going with the group. When I replied that I wasn’t sure, he asked, “Well, would you come if I saved you a seat?” My heart pounding, I turned to look at him fully. It was only a brief second, but I saw as we looked at each other, something I’d not seen in him before. A vulnerability. I noticed his pulse beating in his neck, and although his face remained Continue Reading

    Well, anyway, none of that mattered now. I was learning to love Jesus and had just finished earning my college degree. I felt hopeful and even joyful about my future, when I once thought I would never experience anything but emptiness. I was so grateful to God for how He had filled my life with good things!      And, that is why I agreed to share my story on that Friday night. I was thankful for all God was doing in my life and I wanted to tell Continue Reading

Eventually, I graduated college with my degree in education. I looked forward to teaching - I had the degree – ‘proof’ that I knew what I was doing – but I felt unsure and wary of the responsibility that comes with shepherding young lives. Instinctively, I felt teaching was a commitment to them; to be faithful and steady and kind. I was a bit afraid of commitment, not wanting to fail either my students or myself, by not living up to what would be required.      Around Continue Reading

     As the days passed, I realized that my perspective was changing. Slowly, I began to lift my head from my own wounds and look around a bit. Light began to seep back into my mind, my heart, and my eyes. What had seemed dark and hopeless and futile, now held a promise of hope for the days to come. I met a new friend who invited me to come with her to church one Friday evening to a meeting of single adults at my church. I never knew this group existed. There was a Continue Reading

In times of uncertainty, remembering the goodness of God strengthens our resolve and bolsters our faith. Humans are generally forgetful by nature and easily influenced by whatever is in front of our eyes at any given moment. I think that’s why there are so many instances in scripture of God telling us to remember, to call to mind, etc. These recollections are like a shot in our arm of whatever it is we need to face our current situation. There is a verse in Lamentations that reminds us His Continue Reading

With a bit of added margin in my schedule, I've found time to exercise again and it's been a great stress reliever. Regular physical activity is one of the first things to go when my work schedule heats up and I didn't realize how beneficial it had been until I went without it and then re-started. Obviously, there is physical value in my daily, sometimes twice a day, long walks. But, the most treasured thing for me is mental - allowing myself time to think, without distraction, focusing on Continue Reading

Tonight I had a disagreement with a dear friend of mine – the kind of friend who is more like a sister - the kind that you sometimes say really bad words in front of. At one point, in desperation, I threw my hands up and said, “Who do you think I am - Jesus?!” There was a super awkward, approximately 120 seconds, where we just stared at each other and I knew she was thinking, “Geez, I should say yes,” and I was thinking “Geez, she’s gonna say no.” And then she quietly said, “Well, Continue Reading

I recently wrote a Facebook post that garnered so much attention and positive comment that I thought I should address it further here briefly. The topic of my post was high praise for my husband of nearly 27 years and I meant every word. (If you are on FB, you can view my post here.) However, some comments I received seemed to indicate that folks were left with the impression that: 1) we have been unusually blessed in our marriage, or that 2) my husband is a saint, or that 3) I am gifted Continue Reading