My name is Debbie Giese, and though I’ve never been inside the belly of a big fish, my blog title, Live…from Nineveh, sums up my life. I feel like I’ve been given a second chance to go where God wants me. When God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah really didn't want to go. I mean, he really didn’t want to go. He got on a ship headed the complete other direction, a storm came up, and he was tossed overboard only to be swallowed up by a big fish. After being left to stew, literally, for a few days, he prayed to God for forgiveness and said let's go ahead and do things Your way. That fish spat him out guess where...on the beach right back where he started. This time, though, he got on the first ship bound for Nineveh.
How does that relate to me, you're wondering? Let me confirm that I have never been swallowed by a whale. But I have spent a good portion of my life running from a God who only wants what's best for me. Twenty years ago I was a stay-at-home mom with little kids. And here I am again, 48 years old, a mostly stay-at-home mom with kids. Right back in Nineveh, ready to see what God has in mind for me.
It has been a journey of healing, leaving behind the scars of a past that includes being sexually abused as a child, to the scars I brought into my own life through adultery in my first marriage. I have learned through my ever-deepening relationship with God that nothing, not anything, can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38).
I especially have a heart for women who see themselves as “unredeemable.” I lived in that place for many years, believing the lies of the enemy that God wouldn’t want me. I allowed my own shame and guilt to keep me from a relationship with Jesus. I know that God has called me to share His truth, to point others to the One who offers true rescue and freedom. I just get the holy goosebumps when I see that first glimmer of hope in someone’s eyes as they begin to understand that they are not defined by who they are or what they’ve done, but by Jesus Christ Himself.
My life is far from perfect, but I know that every day, God offers His strength and guidance to lead me along. With five kids ranging in age from nine to twenty-eight, and an eight-year-old granddaughter, and a husband (not all under one roof anymore!), life is sure to have an adventure waiting around every corner.
I celebrated the release of my first novel, He Knows Your Name, in the fall of 2013. The follow-up is in the works...
