In June, I was at the Fort Riley Army Post in Junction City, Kansas, helping my daughter-in-law with the kids after her hernia repair. We stopped by the Exchange, and I met a lady there who was doing a book-signing, so I talked to her. She was a self-published author who set up book-signings all over the country on military bases. I asked her how she did in sales. She said that on average, she sold 25 books a day. She’d set up her table for about six hours a day for 5-6 consecutive days, and she encouraged me to give it a shot.
Boy, did that sound exciting. So when I got back to Cincinnati, I did some research and made some phone calls. I got hold of the Exchange service at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, the nearest military facility to my home, yet still a one-hour drive. Because I home-school my grandsons, I couldn’t set up a week-long, book-signing event. Also, I wanted to test the waters, so I decided to set up for two days, but they were long days. I chose a payday weekend.
That was last weekend. I was there for a total of 13 hours and sold one book. That can be discouraging. I’ve set up one book signing after another, and I have yet to sell more than one book. But I know beyond all doubt that God wanted me to write this book, and He wanted me to pursue publication. So why am I not doing well?
I asked God that very question as I was wrapping up my second long day at my book-signing table at WPAFB. He reminded me that success doesn’t come easy. It takes work. And to see my book become the success that I want it to be, I will need to be consistent in my efforts, diligent in my work, faithful to my marketing plan, and determined to see positive results. So what is God teaching me? Perseverance.
You see, even when we are following God’s plan and direction for our lives, we still face various obstacles and challenges. As in my book, “Another Day, Another Challenge,” just about every day I faced a different challenge with my daughter, Michelle. My decisions were always made with her best interest in mind, even though she didn’t understand the rationale behind them. The same is true of God. The experiences of life are designed to mold each of us into the person that God wants us to be. I need to develop perseverance. That will only happen with determination and hard work. What is God trying to teach you?