See Your Writing from God’s Perspective
By Cathy Baker
God obviously knew
the exact wording that was needed to startle me out of my rut. Prior to writing
as my main ministry, I taught women’s Bible studies and treated it like my
calling. I leaned into God’s wisdom and discernment, worked hard, and made
personal sacrifices to bring a solid weekly lesson. That same determination was
not reflected in my writing.
God’s words fastened
to my spirit and propelled me to action. I immediately got up, plunked my
laptop onto the farm table, and poured a second cup of coffee. Clarity parted
the confusion and now, a project I’d toyed with for three years started to take
shape.
In the months that
followed, I dedicated the first moments of writing to prayer, worked office
hours, clung to the sharp learning curves of self-publishing, and drank more
than my standard two cups of caffeine.
Five months later,
Pauses for
the Vacationing Soul: A Sensory-Based Devotional Guide for the Beach
released at #6 in Kindle Religion and ranked #1 in the same category that
summer.
Choosing to see my
writing as a calling and not a hobby, continues to offer tidbits of wisdom that
I pray will help and encourage you too. (I hope you’ll share one of yours in
the comment section.)
Together, let’s:
Tap into Prayer
Before Tapping on the Keys.
Meeting with Him prior to writing reminds us that the core of our calling isn't
about what we do but rather who we are becoming in Christ. It also awakens the
realization that our writing is for His glory, not ours.
See God as Our
Ideal Reader. Every writer
knows the importance of knowing their ideal reader but seeing God as our
ultimate Ideal Reader frees us from unrealistic expectations that we can
sometimes place on ourselves.
Stop talking,
start writing. Philippians
4:13 says that we can do all the things He has called us to do because Christ
empowers and strengthens us to carry it out. The verse doesn’t suggest we think
about, plan for, or read about those things—we are to do. If we have
time to binge on Netflix, we have time to write.
Expect
Obstacles. During the five
months of writing the first book, dozens of obstacles double-dog dared me to
pull over and give up—brain exhaustion, the achingly familiar tape of
self-doubt that repeatedly played in my head, and pneumonia—to name just a few.
Expecting barriers while writing the second book helped me prayerfully prepare to
write through them.
Cheer Others On. It’s easy to get hyper-focused on our
writing, our time, and our energy when deep-diving into a project but staying
alert to opportunities to support others is vital. We're not competitors. We
are teammates going to bat for one another, cheering each other on from the
sidelines. Do you know someone who would appreciate encouragement through a
note, a comment on their blog, or sharing their post? Dust off those pom-poms
and let's hear some sis-boom-bah!
Do these tips resonate
with your writing journey today? What’s one tip you can add to the list?
We never know what
doors He will open (or shut) for His glory or what we'll learn along the way.
But this we know: God is with us, and He is for us. Now let's write like we
believe it by choosing to see our writing from God’s perspective.
"His words
are always unique and personal. If what comes to you sounds like a generic
greeting card, that's probably not God's voice. He is intimate. He is also
disruptive. His words may surprise you, but they will never bore you. They will
never condemn you. They will stir your soul." - Allen Arnold, The Story
of With: A Better Way to Live, Love, & Create
Photos courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net, Stuart Miles, and IndypendenZ.)
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