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10 December 2017

Unfulfilled Familial Expectations - By Lucy Thompson & Giveaway

Author Lucy Thompson
Lucy, welcome to Overcoming With God.  We appreciate your willingness to share your testimony of overcoming with our readers. 

Would you tell us about the one of the most difficult things in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help?

Unfulfilled Familial Expectations
We all think our family is “normal” until we grow up, possibly even move out, and are challenged by other people’s ‘normal’. Recently, I came across the terms Narcissism and Gaslighting. After reading and researching more on the subject I realized a lot of what is found within those terms described my childhood and first marriage “normal”. There is a short but powerful article here which describes more on this topic and, more importantly, some healthy solutions.

One of the hardest things I found to overcome is unmet family expectations. You know, where we (I!) expect a parent or spouse will treat us (me) one way and instead the reality is totally different. It could be something simple such as:
when I’m married my spouse will never leave his socks on the floor in front of the hamper…
Daddy will always hug me goodnight…
ALL of our family will always love Jesus…

Or, it could be something bigger. Something harder. You fill in the blank with whatever that may be.
But! But…God.
God is so faithful. Jesus truly is my Rock and one steadfast constant through life’s ups and downs. He alone determines my worth and makes my name successful. All this is to glorify Him.

What passages in the Bible have been most helpful to you in those times?

John 14:16a, 18 NLT is a comfort to me. “…I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you…No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.”
Romans 8:28 NLT “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
When I am tired this verse gives me courage and heart": Galatians 6:9 NLT “S let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

What helped you get through or helped you cope with this difficulty?

God doesn’t leave us as orphans. He places HIS family in our lives, stays with us personally, gives us strength when our own gives out.

Disability friendliness: Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have any other works available on audio?  Do your e-books have audio capability? Do you have any in large print? 
No audio formats so far. However, ebooks have the wonderful capacity to be enlarged to a large print standard. Handy! J

In this latest work, “Waltzing Matilda” in The Captive Brides Collection, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading about a disorder or situation?  
No disorders in particular. I mainly wrote about trusting God with his plan in the midst of challenging circumstances.

Question you’d like to ask readers:
Do you have a particular song or hymn that has helped you or been a comfort during any of your challenging seasons in life? YouTube links are welcome in the comments. Let’s lift up Jesus’s name. J

BIO:
Lucy Thompson is a stay-at-home mum to five precocious children by day and a snoop by night, stalking interesting characters through historical settings and writing about their exploits. A resident of Queensland, Australia, she loves her sunburnt country and loves to make new friends.

Lucy’s Links:

Book Links:
A Cowboy's Dare (Harding Family Book 2)
Tyrone woke up with a headache—and a wife. And he’s never been so scared in his life. 
$3.99 or FREE with Kindle Unlimited. Christian Historical Fiction.

The Captive Brides Collection: 9 Stories of Great Challenges Overcome Through Great Love

Waltzing Matilda
 by Lucy Thompson - Sydney, Australia, 1821
Henry didn’t plan on a runaway convict masquerading as a shepherd. Or on the woman’s baby. Keeping them safe will cost him his freedom—or will it?


Giveaway: I’m happy to giveaway an ebook copy (open internationally) of either Mail Order Surprise or A Cowboy’s Dare.  CFP: And I'm offering a paperback copy of The Captive Brides Collection (if you're an international reader, if Book Depository ships to your country, you're eligible for the giveaway.)

33 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing this. Both my girls married men (one now an ex) who exhibit narcissitic behaviors. Your words ring true. But...God...He is so faithful. Thanks again.

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    1. Hi Anne! Amazing how common this type of disorder is now among marriages. Maybe as a society we have more tolerance for that sort of behavior? :-/ Sorry for you and your daughter's experiences.
      Exactly: but...God. :-)

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  2. My early married years was rough. Even after we had children. We've gotten closer to God and it's better. I'm an AVID reader

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    1. *waves* Hi Aletha! That's fantastic. And getting closer to God sure choices a lot of problems! Love your name btw. I have a daughter named "Athleana". ๐Ÿ˜

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  3. As one who has moved more times than I can count in our almost 29 years of married life, I have had many chances to start again. It hasn't always been easy, but praise the Lord, He has always been there to help me get through. We have yet to have enough money to have a savings account, but we have always had a place to live and enough food to eat. There have been some songs that have gotten me through, but, unfortunately I cannot remember any at this time.
    Thanks so much for sharing about your overcoming, Lucy. I am a member of Pagels Pals :)

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    1. Hello Betti! Thanks so much for stopping by. :-) A place to live and food in our tummies is a wonderful blessing and plenty to be thankful for. :-) God bless!

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  4. Hello from a Pagel Pal! Thank you for sharing.. I'd enjoy reading you books.. I have Captive Brides & loved all the stories!

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    1. Deanna! Hello! Thank you for your support. I'm biased I know...but I think they are great too. :-)

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  5. Hi,
    This is a wonderful interview. I hadn't one song but many. Mainly prayer when times were hard. My son became terminally ill, doctors wanted me to place him in an institution. With prayer and doctors at home and another at Children's Hospital I was able to bring him home. When he was 15 no old he went home to Jesus. I dealt with this on my own, but with prayer. Plus many things that life has given me. I sang in prayer. I am a Pagel Pal. Many Blessings to you all.

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    1. Oh Wendy. What a personal overcoming moment of your own. I can't even imagine what that would be like and especially to go through that by yourself. *hugs*

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  6. Hi,
    This is a wonderful interview. I hadn't one song but many. Mainly prayer when times were hard. My son became terminally ill, doctors wanted me to place him in an institution. With prayer and doctors at home and another at Children's Hospital I was able to bring him home. When he was 15 no old he went home to Jesus. I dealt with this on my own, but with prayer. Plus many things that life has given me. I sang in prayer. I am a Pagel Pal. Many Blessings to you all.

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  7. Hi Lucy, thank you for sharing.
    One hymn that has always been a favorite is Amazing Grace.
    Blessings,Tina
    (PALS)

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    1. Yes! Such a timeless song that is filled with rich meaning. Thanks for stopping by. :-)

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  8. Lucy, thank you for sharing. The link you posted was informative. The song that has been a comfort to me in the last year or so was "Give Me Jesus" by Danny Gokey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbh43MGoigw&index=12&list=FLEnnZK9pzDIUCs6mgWD2xRw
    PALS

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    1. It's a fantastic link. I learned so much and it explained a lot to me. I'm going to check out that song. Thanks so much for sharing. :-)

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  9. No one particular song or hymn comes immediately to mind.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  10. Thank you for this interview, Lucy. I liked especially the words "unfulfilled expectations" as I still have expectations and struggle with them. Like you, I turn to God to hold me when I'm lonely or having a rough time or simply because I love God. I love the song "Enfold me in Your arms" and "Be Not Afraid". I would love to win Mail Order Surprise and The Captive Brides Collection. Thank you for this contest. flowersmarylou85(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Thank you for stopping by and entering, Mary Lou. Nodding asking as I read your comment. It's a lifelong process I think. We surrender and God perfects.

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  11. I like for me and my house we shall serve the lord. Thank you for this giveaway. I loved hearing the quotes that helped you when you had difficulty in your life. mommystuck1(at)optonline(dot)net

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    1. Hi Tammy!God's word is so useful for every season and for every triumph (and valley) in our lives. Peace to you at Christmastime. :)

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  12. I know first hand how harmful narcissism is and am still shoulder deep in the difficult period. God IS good. Sometimes (a lot of times) when my faith is so very week, I grab onto the shirt-tail of someone who's faith is strong and hold on for dear life. So, I appreciate your words that speak light and hope. :)
    Thanks for the chance to win.
    My all time favorite hymn is I"t Is Well." My current favorite inspirational song is "Sometimes He Calms the Storm."

    I am an AVID reader.

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    1. Speak light... I love that. Truth to shine on the darkness. :-) Sorry to hear you're still in the trenches. Draw near to God and he will draw near you you.

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  13. All time favorite hymns - “It Is Well” and “Be Still My Soul”.

    mindyhoungATmsnDOTcom

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    1. Timeless classics that speak truth to or lives today. Thanks for sharing, Mindy!

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  14. There are so many song that the Holy Spirit has used to ministry to me at certain points in my life so it's close to impossible for me to name just one. But the ones that come to mind right now are all over the board "Even if" "Pulling Me Through" "On My Knees" so many more.

    I'm an avid reader. Thanks for the chance to win๐Ÿ’š❤️๐Ÿ’š❤️Merry Christmas

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    1. Merry Christmas! I agree. The Holy Spirit does minister with song. :-)

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  15. There are so many hymns that bring comfort and peace to me. " When the storms of life are raging, Stand By Me", "In The Garden", "How Great Thou Art"...I could go on and on.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Melanie! Some great songs there that have brought me comfort many a time. :-)

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  16. Lucy, thank you so much for sharing! I've been working on this issue for quite some time. I love "ABBA" by Rick Pino. When we have the revelation of WHOSE we are, then everything else comes into alignment.

    I'm a Pagel's Pal.

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    1. Mmmm. Exactly. WHOSE we are. And our worth is due to how valuable we are to him. Once that foundation is in place then the other things in our lives start to make sense. God bless, Caryl. :)

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  17. A lot of valuable thoughts in your article. You bring up a very important topic. Thanks for your candid and well-written thoughts. I am an AVID reader and a PAL

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  18. A hymn that rings hope to me in this situation is Count your Many Blessings. Always gives me hope.

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