Main Character Monday – Anna Hartwell

Welcome to Main Character Monday. It’s a little different than my regular blog posts, a little more lighthearted. But stick with it, and you just might find some characters you’d like to read more about. And even though it isn’t my usual devotional style, you may still come away with an encouraging word from the Word. I hope you enjoy Main Character Monday!

 

Today’s Guest is Anna Hartwell from Safe Refuge by Pamela S. Meyers. Thank you for joining me Anna.

Is there a person from the Bible that you most relate to?

Ruth. My parents had set up my arranged marriage just days after my birth with a boy who grew to be an abusive and hateful man. I had to lean heavily on God and seek his will during that time leading up to our ceremony, all the while praying for an escape before I found myself exchanging vows with a man I detested. I can identify with Ruth because she left all she was familiar with and followed her widowed mother-in-law to another land and adopted their ways and found her kinsman redeemer. Readers will better understand this after they read my story in Safe Refuge.

What has been the most difficult lesson God has taught you? 

What Proverbs 5: 3-7 says is true. I’m to trust in God with all my heart and not lean on my own understanding. In His due time (not my timetable) he will make my paths straight.

The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Is there one of these characteristics you find easier to show than the others?   

I seem to come to kindness naturally and I’ve learned that is likely one of my God-given gifts.

Which one is the most challenging for you?

Self-control and patience have taken some work. When it seems the odds are against me, I tend to lose patience and that’s when I’m not so kind after all.

If you could give one message to those reading this interview, what would you tell them?

Trust in Jeremiah 29: 11-13.  One of your more modern Bible translations than the one I use says it this way: ^“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare^[a] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

If you keep those words from the Lord close to you heart, especially when things get tough you can make it through just about anything. God has been my safe refuge all my life and He’s never let me down.

Just for Fun:

Dark or Milk Chocolate? I prefer dark, but will never turn down chocolate of any kind.

Beach or Mountains?  Mountains definitely. I like the beach, but you can only spend a little while there before you have to get out of the sun. Mountains, no matter the weather draw me in.

Sweet Tea or Lemonade?  Sweet tea for sure. Being a northerner, I didn’t taste it ever until I traveled to Alabama where my mom’s ancestral family is rooted. I thought I’d find it too cloying but I loved it. Nowadays, we have sweet tea in the north. Not as much as the South, but it is around.

If you could describe Pamela Meyers in three words, what would those words be?

Loyal, Creative, Trusted

I want to thank Pamela Meyers for letting us have this time with Anna. If you’d like to get to know Anna better, you can get your copy of Safe Refuge from Amazon in both paperback and e-book formats.