I'm A Turtle: Biblical Wisdom from the Hare and the Tortoise

By Chesley Maldonado

Does slow and steady truly win the race? 

Discover how you can BEAT THE ODDS and ENDURE TO THE END. 

We are all running a race in this life. How can we win that race? What does it take to persevere? By examining the old fable The Hare and the Tortoise, we can find the bi

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: May 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887383781

Chesley Maldonado

Chesley Maldonado is an author, educator, life coach, wife, and homeschooling mother. In the midst of overwhelm, trying to balance raising her children and starting a new career, she felt the call of God to share her experience and wisdom. Studying the Bible, praying, and trusting the Lord allowed her to push through grief, anxiety, and self-doubt. Now she is dedicated to helping others grow and change through life coaching and sharing online.

Book preview

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Biblical Wisdom from

The Hare

and

The Tortoise

Chesley Maldonado

I'm a Turtle

Trilogy Christian Publishers A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2023 by Chesley Maldonado

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.TM Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without written permission from the author. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

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Trilogy Christian Publishing/TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Cover design by: Kelly Stewart

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN: 979-8-88738-377-4

E-ISBN: 979-8-88738-378-1

To my husband, who walks the race with me

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I must acknowledge Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Without Him, I would not even have a life to write about. He is the One who has given me the inspiration to share my stories, the strength to endure the challenges in life, and the One who gifted me with the talent to write.

My husband deserves thanks for providing support during this process in every way. I want to thank him for the prayers, the time and space to write, and for working hard to make this possible. He believed in my vision for this, and that encouragement is something God used to help me finish what I started.

Also, to my parents, a heap of gratitude: my mother, who is enjoying the freedom of heaven, and my father, who illustrated this book. I learned so much about perseverance from both of them. Trusting in the Lord became second nature to me, being raised by those two. I had a head start in my spiritual walk not only because of what they taught me but also because of what they lived before me. I am so thankful for their influence on my life.

Lastly, to you, the reader. Thank you for showing interest in my story. Even though I may not know you, the thought of the impact my words can have on your life has inspired me. I hope that you are blessed and encouraged by what I have written for you in the pages that follow. May you hear from God, draw closer to him, and be encouraged to fight the good fight of faith.

Introduction

God spoke to me as I stared at yet another pile of laundry while thinking about a dozen other things on my to-do list. It had become a habit of mine to try to complete absolutely everything that needs to be done on any given day and to fail miserably at such an overwhelming goal. So, He said to me, Slow and steady. Immediately, I was mentally and emotionally liberated from this horrible cycle of unrealistic productivity goals and inevitable failures. I had set the bar too high for myself. I set it higher than God’s standards for me. I repeated, Slow and steady.

Two things came to my mind as I heard those words echoing in my mind. First, I thought of the classic fable by Aesop, The Hare and the Tortoise. Second, I thought of one of my favorite Bible verses: So let’s not get tired of doing good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up (Galatian 6:9, NLT). Relieved and very inspired, I jumped onto Amazon, downloaded an adaptation of the story on Kindle, and read it to my daughter. She said, Thanks for sharing the story with me, Mom. Then she went off to play, not knowing how profound a lesson this was for me.

In a video