Hello, I’m Abigail and this is my story.
I was born into a Christian home, in a small coastal town in the state of Oregon. My dad was a pastor of a small church, so I was around and taught from the Word from the very beginning by both of my parents.
I was five years old when I asked Christ to be my savior, I knew Jesus died on the cross for my sins, I had sinned and I wanted Jesus to be in my heart. It was my mom who guided me through what I wanted to do.
My childhood could be best described as epic. When I was a toddler, we (my parents and two older brothers) lived on a small farm, consisting of cows, large gardens, drinking from the garden hose, and hay fever. Then later we started a different type of “work” when my family began to be involved with the Fire Department/EMTs. Those times are my proudest family memories. I’ve seen and heard things that I will never forget, but I am extremely thankful for those days. It has given me the best memories that I often look back on.
It was when I was eight, that our entire world was turned upside down. One morning we read on the front page of the newspaper that the company my dad worked for was sold to a company in the unknown state of Wisconsin. When the new company offered jobs, my dad wasn’t sure if he should accept or not, because that meant uprooting everything we ever knew and moving to an unknown state, where we knew no one. All our family was either in Oregon or my mom’s home state of Maine. But through God’s guidance, we moved. We have lived in a small country town in Wisconsin for nearly 20 years. So, where does my story go from here?
Well, as I began to get older and think about what I wanted to do with my life, I had a few ideas, and being an author was not one of them. For as long as I can remember, I loved writing; words just came, almost naturally to me, but it never entered my mind to write a book. Instead, I started blogging, and that decision would be both a good one and a failure. I blogged for two years, and I knew, deep down it was failing, but somehow, I was convinced I could make it work.
But, after months of ignoring the obvious, I began to let go of my plans and what I thought I should do, and seek what God had for me.
So, I began to pray for God’s will for me. I prayed that God would show me what He has for me.
But God didn’t seem to be answering me, I prayed again and again, why wasn’t I getting an answer?
It was through a sermon by a guest pastor, that I bit of a revelation. I was praying wrong.
God has a higher calling and purpose for each one of our lives. God uses us to fulfill His purpose, and in so doing, we fulfill our purpose. God uses us and we are His instruments. We are part of His orchestra and He is the director.
I realized I needed to change my prayer. God, what is Your higher purpose for me? Where will You use me to fulfill my purpose in life? Slowly, the answer came. The first answer was the obvious one I was ignoring…quit blogging. I was wasting my time on something that I was going nowhere.
While it was a good thing for a while, as I discovered my passion for writing and I grew in different ways. But when the growth stopped, I finally heard God saying “it’s time to move on to something better.”
But, move on to what? I loved writing so much; I didn’t want to give it up completely. It was my mom who gave me another answer…write a book. A book? Me, write a book? That would be so hard!
And while I wasn’t wrong that writing a book is hard, I have discovered God’s purpose for me.
I believe God has given me the gift of writing, there is no other explanation for how I can do what I do. He has given me this gift and He could take it away. So, I will use this gift for His glory and His purpose.
I published my first devotional Refusing to Bend – Becoming a Steadfast Woman on the Course for Christ in March of 2022. It was a challenge, and many things and people tried to hinder my progress, but I knew it was what God wanted me to do.
So, when I am not writing, (which is a rare occasion), what am I doing? I am very active in my church, teaching Sunday school, playing the piano, and serving wherever needed.
I am an aunt to seven nieces and nephews, so I am often taking care of them. My favorite pastimes are reading, spending time outside, photography, music, and graphic design.
Writing for His Glory.
Abigail
Abigail Holmes 