Thursday, October 16, 2014

About Today by David Hwa, author of Finding Daddy Warbucks

Finding Daddy WarbucksTitle: Finding Daddy Warbucks
Author: David Hwa
Publisher: Wellworth, LLC
Pages: 180
Genre: Christian Fiction
Format: Ebook

We never know how God may lead us. The twists and turns of life often leave us confused and deflated. For 10-year-old Haley, the unexpected loss of her father was such a twist. When all is lost, a little light in the darkness can make all the difference. The world is a big place for a little girl. For that matter, it's a pretty big place for anyone who has lost their way. Hayley finds her solution in a modern day prince, but she can't pull off this miracle by herself. Nick, an attorney struggling to save his job, wouldn't seem to be much help to a little girl trying to create a miracle. But life has a way of bringing us the people we need most, at just the right time. Still, there is so much that could go wrong, especially when her headstrong mother doesn't fall for the prince. But there's something Hayley doesn't see coming, something she can't see. Something she doesn't want to see, something that hides in the dark where she can't go, something unspeakable. Follow Haley's journey into the light and see how redemption is there for anyone, even the condemned. And see how love can find you-even through the darkness.

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ABOUT TODAY

I’ve started reading Rob Lowe’s first autobiography, Stories I Only Tell My Friends. In the first chapter he talks about a time when he was unhappy with his personal life and frustrated with his career. If a young Rob Lowe can feel that way about his life and career then what about the rest of us?

Rob’s experience is a lesson for all of us, because if you can have those feelings of unhappiness and doubt after having been a successful movie star and with his good looks, then you know that having all of those things does not lead to peace and happiness.

I think this is something we all know deep down inside, but are loath to admit. We would much rather have the movie career and good looks and then decide for ourselves—okay am I happier now? Unfortunately, for most of us, we aren’t going to get that chance. We’re going to have to take our lives just as they are, sans movies and good looks, and get along as best we can.

What I draw from Rob Lowe is that these fears and doubts happen to all of us. No one is immune. I got laid off from my law firm back in 2009. I sold my house in DC and moved to Colorado without a clue as to what I was going to do for a career. As I now begin my writing career I face a blank canvas.

In truth, every day is a blank canvas. We just live under the illusion that our future is set, but we have no guarantees of anything. This unknown, this doubt that each of us faces in life, is a universal teacher. It is harsh and unrelenting. None of us will be able to hide our eyes from the truth forever. Eventually, our illusion of control will be stripped away, and we will be forced to face the truth.

There is a method to this madness. There is a lesson to be learned. There are two ways we can enjoy peace in this life, faith or the lilies of the field. Faith is simple to understand, but hard to do, and that is to simply have faith that God will always deliver you. The lilies of the field is similar but with a slight twist and that makes all the difference.

The lesson of the lilies of the field can be found in the Gospels.

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
. . .
So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Matthew 6:28-29; 34.

Almost every Christian knows this lesson but nearly everyone ignores it, considering it too difficult to even attempt, or believing that God would only provide for those with enough faith to walk on water. But the secret lies in the final verse, “do not worry about tomorrow”.

Most of us, like Rob Lowe, don’t like where we’re at and think that happiness and fulfillment exist somewhere in the future, but not now. We believe this even though we know that we are not guaranteed tomorrow. The only reality is what we have right now, but we persist in looking to the future for our happiness.

We only exist right now and the only time we can be happy is right now. Nothing else exists.

This is the key. Ask yourself: Is it possible for you to be happy right now?

The answer is yes.

As for your worries about tomorrow, ask yourself: Are you okay right now?

The answer here is also yes. Because if something is going wrong with you right now you’re dealing with it, not worrying about it. That’s a big difference.

Let me give you an example. Several years ago while playing racquetball one night with a buddy of mine, I dislocated my left knee and right elbow. They had to call an ambulance to come and cart me off to the emergency room where the doctors “popped” me back together again.

Now, during the time I was laying on the racquetball court, writhing in pain, waiting for the ambulance, I was faced with a decision. I knew that in the emergency room the doctors would have to “pop” me back together and that would be excruciating. Now, I was already in pain, but the question was whether or not I wanted to worry about the pain yet to come. I could sense the fear that came with that worry. It was as if I could see it, sitting on the racquetball court staring at me. I could also see how I would be turned into a babbling idiot, if I let that fear in.

I decided to hold the fear off at arms-length. I would deal with what was already on my plate, and not worry about the future, but deal with it as it came. So yes, I was in pain, but I wasn’t afraid and that made a big difference.

This is the secret to the lilies of the field, deal only with what is on your plate, and don’t worry about all the things that may be coming down the pipe.

So today, I do not know what my future holds, and like Rob Lowe in the first chapter of his book, I have no idea where my career is headed, but unlike Rob, I do my best to not worry about it. I know I am fine today, and I’ll take tomorrow on, when it gets here.


And if that doesn’t work I suggest having a pumpkin latte.


David Hwa David Hwa makes his literary debut with Finding Daddy Warbucks (2014) a tale of a little girl's journey through loss, love and redemption. David grew up in Kansas. He graduated with a music degree from the University of Colorado and went on to obtain a Master of Business Administration from Denver University, a law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law, and a Master of Laws from Georgetown University Law Center. He practiced securities law for many years in Los Angeles, California with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. He later moved to Washington, DC where continued his securities practice with the Commission and later in private practice with the law firm of Bingham McCutchen LLP. Following the financial crisis of 2008, David moved back to Colorado and opened his own securities law practice. David is single and lives in Aurora, Colorado with his two leopard geckos Gordon and Carlos. He spends his days writing, skiing, and occasionally dispensing legal advice, sometimes while on the ski slopes. For More Information

2 comments:

  1. Thanks much to I'm Shelf-ish for featuring Finding Daddy Warbucks on your blog site. I want to let everyone know that I've reduced the ebook price to $1.00 for the month of October. Enjoy the read!

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    Replies
    1. I am extending the discount through November!

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