ASK THE AUTHOR

This is a new initiative where from time to time, we will feature our authors to find out a little more about their behind-the-scenes backgrounds and interests.

Our author today is: Anna Harris

Ed:       When did you first start writing?
Anna: I was about 7 or 8 years old when I set my mother’s typewriter up in my bedroom and told her I was going to write a book. I won my first writing competition at school when I was 14. It was the 80s and the prize was a 3 pack of blank cassettes from the local Retravision store.

Ed:       Do you remember what sparked this interest?
Anna: Blame Dr Seuss for my absolute love of books and reading! I have been writing in different forms ever since.

Ed:       Where do you get your ideas?
Anna: Everywhere. Life is full of stories.

Ed:       What are you passionate about?
Anna: Loving people the way Jesus did.

Ed:       What types of books do you enjoy reading?
Anna: Non-fiction – I love reading about how things are made and how they work.

Ed:       How do you handle tough times?
Anna: Sit at the Lord’s feet, cry, pray, praise, repeat.

Ed:       What would you describe as your greatest accomplishment so far?
Anna: The mixed doubles partnership with my husband, Scott, and the way we have worked together to raise our kids.

Ed:       What are your current priorities in this season of your life and why?
Anna: Health – As I get older, the complexity of chronic illness affects me in more ways. It reminds me that I still need to lean on God.

Ed:       How has your upbringing influenced your worldview?
Anna: My family were all Christians and we attended a Pentecostal Church. In many ways their very conservative views formed a stumbling block for me as I grew up with the effects of PCOS. I struggled for years with gender confusion as a result of the hormonal irregularities it caused. It took time to discover how graceful and gracious Jesus is. His worldview is loving and filled with mercy.

DOW would like to thank Anna for her willingness to share a little bit about herself apart from her Bio which you can view on our website: www.dancing-on-water.com

Lesley Mathews
Editor

A very warm welcome to our new Guest Author, Anna Harris, who writes about her struggles and how God in His faithfulness delivered His time-honoured promise. What was the key? Ed.

Psalm 113 was both a beautiful promise and a kick-in-the-pants for me as I battled with infertility. I was miserable. I was regularly poked, prodded and prescribed strange drugs by doctors. I found myself weeping at the altar, begging God for a miracle child. According to Psalm 113, God wanted me to praise Him from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.  Psalm 113 (NIV) ^{3  “}From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.”

Really God? All day long? Even in the Doctor’s office?

I felt like God was being unreasonable. He wanted me to praise Him, to be grateful to Him, even though I couldn’t have the one thing I longed for. So I grumbled. I grumbled to God, I grumbled to my husband. I grumbled to the doctors, my Mum, and my friends. I grumbled to myself as I took the train to work. Without realising it, complaining became a habit.

As the barren years went by, I returned to Psalm 113 again and again. I read that promise, v9 “He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children”. It ended with “Praise the Lord”. I grumbled and mulled over that little sentence at the end where he promised a miracle to the barren woman. Eventually, I noticed a connection between the praises at the beginning of the Psalm and the goodness of God at the end. It was painful to realise that I praised God for the gift of salvation, but not for my daily life.

In Exodus, God lovingly met the needs of the Israelites as they walked in the desert for 40 years. They responded by complaining and it made God angry. The ancient Hebrew text said his nostrils flared. My complaining angered the Lord in the same way. I was a habitual grumbler and I needed His help to give it up.

I tried to fill my mind with praise by playing worship music in the morning as I got ready for work. Gradually, it became my morning routine, like drinking coffee. Praising God through song stayed with me and resonated in my mind through the day. Those words highlighting his love, his power and majesty gradually filled in my mind. God wanted me to lift my head, take the focus off me and place my eyes on Him. 

God sits on His heavenly throne and humbles himself to reach out to us. When I focus on Him there, it makes it even more amazing that He stooped down to hear my prayer and made me a happy mother of two children just like He said He would.

Anna Harris
October 23, 2024