The Invitation: A Love Story

By Lori Michalina Wood

The Invitation is an encounter of the Father reaching down and calling His daughter to a closer walk with Him--to follow His leading out of the misty lowlands, a life of defeat and hopelessness, onto a walk that is on a much higher plain. It is an invitation to step out of the boat onto deep waters and trusting Him when she can't see and trusting that He sees her and knows her more than she thinks, to come and be healed and set free from the lies of rejection and insecurity that so wanted to destroy her. It is the story of overcoming faith in the midst of trials, sorrow, and tragedy and how God gives us beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair; and they shall be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor. It is the greatest love story a woman could desire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638852612

Book preview

cover.jpg

The Invitation

A Love Story

Lori Michalina Wood

ISBN 978-1-63885-260-5 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63885-261-2 (Digital)

Copyright © 2022 Lori Michalina Wood

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

Table of Contents

In Memory

Introduction

My Arrival

Childhood Memories

Work and Then Play

Turbulent Teen Years

Trying to Help God Out

The Good, Bad, and the Ugly

Following Hard after God

The School of Life

The Day the Lord Cried with Me

Her Hand, His Hand

Hard Days

It's All How You Look at It

The Invitation

Double Trouble

Twenty-Twenty Vision

About the Author

To my Mom and Dad, I love you.

In Memory

Iwrite this story with my mom always in my thoughts. It was my mom who always stood by me and prayed for me. When I had a need, I would tell her, and she would take it to prayer. Rest assured, she knew He heard it and the answer was on the way. That faith she had in her God is what she impressed upon my heart and truly made me who I am today. She would tell you there's not a circumstance that puzzles Him or a problem too big for Him. She would also tell you and me we have a heavenly Father who is watching over us all the time. Thank you, Mom, for loving us—all of us—the way you did. Your love is a memory we all hold in our hearts forever. God has a way of taking our pain and making something beautiful out of it. All the glory goes to Him. Thank you, Jesus, for helping me write this story.

Introduction

Hello! So glad you picked up this book. You have allowed me to come into your world, and I am glad. I am not a believer in coincidences , a word that you can't even find in the Hebrew or Greek dictionary. However, I am a believer in God, and I believe He leads us to certain books that He wants you and me to read. I believe He has led you as well. I share my story because it is my testimony. I remember years ago in the little country church where I attended, they would have testimony night; and to me, it was the most powerful and effective way to encourage the body of Christ. I sat on the edge of my seat as I listened to a story that one would be telling and just waiting to see what they would say next. They would share how God had carried them through a difficult situation and how God brought them through what they had suffered. It was really special because only then did you see a whole new side of that person that you never knew and a whole new side of God that you never knew as well.

So what about my testimony is so great that I need to write a book about it, right? Well, it's not me that I want to share about as much as it is Jesus, my relationship with Him, and how He helped me through some really tough things. As I pondered writing my story, I thought, Wow, I need to go back to the beginning. That's where it started. So I will take you down this road with me through times of insecurity, feelings of unworthiness, and tragedies and share with you how God, my Father, got me through it. He walked the whole way through with me, and that is what I want you to understand as you read this book. Everyone has insecurities and feelings of unworthiness; some of us have tragedies in our lives and trauma, but it's what we do with these things that matter. It's trusting even when you can't see. The book of Isaiah says in chapter 43 verse 2 that we will go through deep waters, but it will not overtake us; and we will go through the fire, but we will not be burned. I am here because I believed those scriptures to be true. I believed in my God that He was there with me like He said He would be, and you know what, He was always there even at times when I felt nothing.

I am excited to share my story and share His Love with you because, dear friend, you count! You are here for a reason, and He has planned great things for you. He formed you and thought of you long before you ever arrived here on this planet Earth. Just trust me and just keep reading. Don't give up! You have too much to do here, important things to do here. You are His, and He is yours, so just come to Him as a little child and have faith in Him, my friend. Grab yourself some coffee and find a comfy chair, believe you are valuable even if you don't feel it right now, and let me tell you a story of a little girl who grew up feeling just that, very invaluable, but found out her heavenly Father, Almighty God, was holding her all the while in His arms and was always there.

Chapter 1

My Arrival

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

—Psalm 139:13 (NIV)

Abeautiful evening was unfolding. It would be April 20, 1964, and my mother was traveling to the hospital. I'm sure she was so scared delivering her first baby. Those were the days when you had to wait to know if you were having a boy or a girl, and my mother would have been happy either way. She was an amazing lady, and I was about to meet her. When I arrived, the doctors wrapped me up and laid me in her arms. She was beautiful, warm, and I knew she loved me beyond words. Oh, Father, You are so wonderful to give us exactly what we need. Fifty-five years later, as I look back, I see His love for me and how He was there with me during the events of my life and how He blessed me with such a wonderful mother.

On the flip side of this day, I learned very early in my life that my dad was hoping for a boy that day, and when I came, He became very upset and stormed out of the room. He left that room upset, and the question I now have and would like to ask him is Why? Not why He didn't want me, that's the first thing that enters our heart when we hear about these situations; no, I didn't want to ask that question but why did he think he needed a boy? Well, I never asked him. We all have some unanswered questions, don't we? I strongly believe now that I've lived and walked with the Lord for some time, and if He wants us to know an answer, be certain that when it's time, He'll tell you.

My parents brought me home to a small apartment where the three of us lived. My dad supported us, and my mother was home with me. I was just fine with that. She loved me and cared for me, and this was my life, so the pictures tell me. I was a baby—what can I say!

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into years; and before you know it, I was becoming that little girl that God created me to be. I held my mother's hand tightly everywhere we go. She had no idea how much I love her, but I squeezed her hand continually. Our days were filled with naps, time together at home, and outings to our nearest grocery store. On special days we strolled the aisles of our nearest K-Mart together, just me and her. She would put me in the cart and buy me a small slushy and popcorn, and I would sit content as long as she liked, as long as I could see her.

I was about five years old now, and I was so blessed to find out that I was going to be a big sister. I didn't know what that was going to be like. Till then, it was just the three of us. So, in the same month I was born, my brother was too. I got to be a part of the welcoming party of my little brother, Todd, as he came into our world. He would become a precious part of my life, and I was so happy to have him.

As we grew up together and played together—and that was just what we did—our little imaginations soared as we played under our mother's feet. She was always there cooking and cleaning and even sewing our clothes. She was so proud of the outfits she made for both of us, and we were just proud she was our mother. She took care of everything for us and made our world such a happy place.

A few years passed, and our parents bought a house in the country, and we were introduced to so many new things. My mother's family were tobacco farmers, and at such a young age, my brother and I spent a lot of time under a huge oak tree out in the country, surrounded by a family of all shapes and sizes and color. It was a good life as far as we knew. I played around the barns, and Todd napped under the oak tree in a playpen, covered to keep him safe. The breeze blowing and the birds chirping under those trees were some of the best of times. I played in the dirt and tried to help out if I could and just waited for the highlight of my day when the workers came in from the fields and Kate, an old mule my granddaddy owned, would be pulling a tobacco slide in from the field.

I was completely mesmerized by her. She was sweet, and as soon as they parked her and tied her up, I would make my way over to her and give her a pet. Yes, I was small, but Kate was harmless.

I can still hear my granddaddy's words ringing in my ears, saying, Lori, don't mess with the mule.

I would be rich if I had a dollar for every time my granddaddy would tell me that. He didn't want me to get hurt, but I could