She remembered that image she’d seen so many weeks before, the one of the two diverging paths. One stale, cold, and hopeless. The other dipping into an unknown, but somehow surrounded by life. She’d taken the path that dipped.
Apparently it climbed too. It wasn’t all dark. There was light after the darkness. Hope on this difficult but glorious path.
You were right, Mom.
“Yes.” She took another step toward him, and he continued to wait for her.
When she reached his side, he took her hand and led her into the sun.
Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed;
Save me and I will be saved,
For You are my praise.
~Jeremiah 17:14~
THE END
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Dear Reader,
I didn’t see this one coming. Honest. As I was going through the final editing stages for Blue Columbine, I got to the scene where Cheryl leaves Andrew in his downtown loft—livid, frozen, and completely unlikable. Something whispered to me, “She has a story.” Probably that “something” was Someone.
Great, I thought. Series sell, so let’s do it. What’s Cheryl the Ice Princess’s story?
I fiddled with some ideas, sketched out some plot possibilities.
Nothing stuck. That was okay. I was in the middle of completing The Carpenter’s Daughter, so it could keep.
A few months down the road, my hubby and I somehow managed to snag a night on our own, and we decided to watch a movie. I’d purchased October Baby over a year before, but honestly, I knew the story, and on the rare nights that we could choose our movies, that hadn’t made it to the top of the list. But my hubby doesn’t do reruns that well, and it was one of the only movies we had in the house that we hadn’t seen. And so we began…
There is a scene where we see the birth mother. Most remember her as cold, stiff, and indifferent. That wasn’t what grabbed me. Truly, of that whole movie, what I remember most vividly was the ten-second sequence of seeing that woman shatter.
Her, the Whisper said. That’s Cheryl, and you need to tell her story.
Truth? God couldn’t have laid this story on a more unqualified woman. So I argued. I don’t know anything about this. I don’t want to do this. I will completely mess this up.
But Cheryl…she wouldn’t leave my mind.
There was nothing easy about this story. I found myself shredded through the process of research—something I usually love to do. Sitting down to write her story came with a sense of heaviness and a strong dose of fear. Still, her story would not let me surrender.
I am so thankful. I loved when Brock said that his life was shifting. My paradigm has shifted too. I don’t write so that I can preach. I write so that I may be changed.
I am definitely not the same. (We) cannot escape the demands of deep compassion. Truth. And it has opened my eyes.
Sometimes, as we saw with both Brock and Cheryl, you have to be willing to look at the brokenness and to allow another’s pain to break your heart before you can truly learn compassion.
Thanks to Cheryl, my heart has been shattered. I am better for it. Because of that, I am so thankful for the things that I hadn’t seen coming.
I pray that you are as well.
Thank you for traveling this road with me. Until we meet again…
Jen
Note from Sydna Masse
Dear Reader:
As a post-abortive woman, I read Jennifer Rodewald’s book Red Rose Bouquet with my heart in my hand. After over twenty-four years in helping women find God’s healing, I am surprised to say that Red Rose Bouquet kick-started a deeper healing in my soul. This excellent resource can do the same in your heart.
From the very beginning, I related to every aspect of Cheryl’s journey toward God’s amazing healing. The emotions of self-loathing and an inability to accept or give love often overwhelm the post-abortive heart into the extreme “ice princess” position. Brock’s gentle ability to hear and obey God’s voice allowed Cheryl access to unconditional love that she simply never expected from anyone.
As the leader of an international abortion recovery program, I am blessed that Jennifer allowed God’s Holy Spirit to touch this story at an anointed level. Though never experiencing abortion, Jennifer offered God’s healing balm to parched souls, outlining the typical post-abortion experience. Her desire to help post-abortive women discover the safety of addressing this pain with God’s help will bring peace to our world.
The journey that Cheryl experienced in Red Rose Bouquet is a common one. Few choose abortion with any understanding about the long-term impact. Abortion is packaged cleverly as a “safe and legal” response to an unexpected pregnancy.
Sadly, many women are pushed into making this choice by those who may never endure any emotional, spiritual, psychological, or physical consequences. Abandoned and alone, post-abortive hearts often flow into other sinful behaviors, falsely believing they have committed the unforgivable sin. Often, alcohol and drugs help numb their pain.
To those who have experienced abortion, please understand that there is no sin that God cannot forgive. Like Cheryl, you may have more trouble forgiving yourself. The pain and grief of this form of pregnancy loss is often denied, muted, or simply ignored. Yet abortion memories can reignite at any moment, causing the post-abortive individual great pain.
Abortion doesn’t solve any problems—it only creates new ones. God’s redemption is available to anyone who would humbly confess and seek out His healing. There is a way to find healing and peace.
If you can relate to Cheryl, know that God has a plan for your life. Here are steps to begin healing any pain that may reside in your heart:
Understand you are not the only one that chose abortion—Abortion providers outline that one in three American women have experienced abortion. Of those who choose abortion, as many as 44 percent may go on to have additional abortions.
Realize that tears rid the body of toxins and bring healing—Many falsely believe that if they begin to cry, they won’t be able to stop. Tears are part of grieving and can help begin the process of healing.
Research the symptoms of Abortion PTSD—If you relate to three or more of these symptoms, an abortion recovery class could help your heart.
Discover your local abortion recovery ministry—Pregnancy centers offer these services, along with physical, emotional, and psychological support to those in unplanned pregnancies. Visit Ramah International’s directory (http://ramahinternational.org) to find your closest center, and contact it for more information.
Obtain a copy of Her Choice to Heal: Finding Spiritual and Emotional Peace after Abortion—This resource includes details on the pain many experience after abortion, along with chapters that help begin the healing process.
To those who love a post-abortive person—Understand that God can use your prayers and compassion to help her find His healing. Brock knew very little about Cheryl’s specific agony but was led by God to simply provide unconditional love no matter what sins were shared. There is no condemnation in Christ.
Sydna Masse,
President/Founder at
Ramah International, Abortion Recovery
Also from Jennifer Rodewald...
Blue Columbine, Book One of the Grace Revealed Series
Best friends—maybe more—until addiction shatters everything.
Andrew and Jamie have always been best friends—maybe more than friends—until addiction shatters everything. Caught between loyalty and fear, Jamie realizes she cannot be Andrew’s miracle and makes a decision that rips them apart. Can the hand of grace reach into their broken lives to bring redemption to all that has been lost?
"The characters are all impressively multifaceted, engaging with complex emotional strains and difficult issues of allegiance....Rodewald proves to be a formidable new voice." -Publisher's Weekly
“Delicate. Humorous. And plumbing the depths of God’s redeeming power. Blue Columbine definitely fulfills Rodewald’s mission statement, Words that edify. Stories that glorify the King. Prepare to be inspired and challenged.” – Sondra Kraak, author of the Love That Counts series
“Blue Columbine is an intensely beautiful story, gripping the mind and heart of the reader to the point of breaking, for both Jamie and Andy, willing God to show up with His power and might; He certainly can. But will it be too late?” – Rebecca Maney, Amazon Reviewer
Reclaimed, an award winning novel.
A place of her own and the love of a good man…
shouldn’t that be enough?
Suzanna Wilton has had a hefty share of heartache in her twenty-seven years. Left heartbroken by a marriage cut short, she leaves city life to take up residency in a tiny Nebraska town. Her introduction to her neighbor Paul Rustin is a disaster. Assuming he’s as undermining as the other local cowboys she’s already met, Suzanna greets him with a heavy dose of hostility.
Though Paul is offended by Suzanna’s unfriendliness, she often invades his thoughts. Intrigued by the woman who lives down the road, and propelled by a sense that she carries a painful burden, he frequently drops by to offer help as she adjusts to rural living.
Just as Paul’s kindness begins to melt Suzanna’s frozen heart, a conflict regarding her land escalates in town. Even in the warmth of Paul’s love, resentment continues to strangle her fragile soul. Will Suzanna ever find peace?
Winning title for the 2014 Clash of the Title’s Olympia
Second place winner for the 2014 FCRW Beacon Contest
Third place winner for the 2015 NTRW Great Expectations Contest
The Carpenter’s Daughter
One word can change a life…
Sarah Sharpe has grown up as a carpenter’s daughter, knowing only the rough and work-heavy world of her father’s blue-collar profession. Abandoned by her mother as a baby, she’s lived twenty-one years content to drive nails at her dad’s side. Following her father into the world of construction was a natural path, and she took it without a second thought. But a harsh comment about her “butch” appearance sends her on a search for identity.
Enter handsome and easygoing Jesse Chapman, the roofer she meets on her first foray into volunteer work for Homes For Hope. In every way, the quirky man is her opposite—confident, a people kind of guy, and most importantly, happy. His likable qualities continue to draw her in, and for some reason he keeps coming back to her. But they can’t be more than friends—he’s made that crystal clear. Except for a handful of times…and the confusion is driving her crazy.
Sarah’s quest for self-definition becomes more tangled than she ever imagined, and she discovers that the journey will take her deeper than clothes and makeup. Filling the void in her heart becomes an obsession she cannot escape. How far is she willing to go to discover who she really is?
“Hauntingly tragic yet filled with hope, The Carpenter’s Daughter weaves a tale of discovering identity, craving love, and finding both in unexpected places. The deep introspective characters, polished prose, well-drawn construction settings, and spiritual lessons contained herein make this a novel that will stick with the reader long after the final words are read.” – Christina Coryell, author of The Camdyn Series
“An honest tale of one woman's journey to self discovery that will have reader's searching their own hearts.”
–Sarah Monzon, author of The Isaac Project
"Every woman who has ever felt like she wasn't pretty enough... or smart enough ... or creative enough... or just enough needs needs NEEDS to read The Carpenter's Daughter." -Carrie Schmidt, Reading Is My SuperPower
Red Rose Bouquet: A Contemporary Christian Novel (Grace Revealed Book 2) Page 28