Dear Writer, You are More than Your Words
By
Katy Kauffman
“Alice,
my dear,” the kind lady whispered before the session began, “are you now shorter
than when you first joined us?”
Alice
looked down at her hands and clothes. “Well,” she replied, “my clothes are a
bit looser than a few months ago. I mean, my jeans kind of drag the floor when
I walk. Oh! Am I shrinking?”
Mrs.
White chuckled. “I’ve seen this syndrome before, Alice. It’s quite common. And
curable.”
“Oh,
good. I was already short.” Alice looked at her hands one more time. “I don’t
really want to be any tinier. What’s happened to me?”
Mrs.
White looked Alice in the eye and said, “You are more than your words, dear
writer. With each passing month, the comments grow about your writing because
you’re learning, but you yourself are shrinking. You may have I-Am-My-Writing
Syndrome.”
Alice
gasped. “What’s that?”
Alice
picked up the copies of her writing that she had placed on the table before
her. “I am more than my words.”
Her
fingers grew a little longer.
“And
you are doing so well to come month after month and get feedback on your
writing,” Mrs. White added.
Alice’s
palms grew a little wider.
“I
can edit my words and still be me.” Alice’s arms and legs snapped to their
normal size.
“And
I have friends who care about me.” Alice felt her torso pop and looked down to
see her clothes fit just right again. She turned to look at Mrs. White. The
kind lady’s smile said it all. “So who I am is not what’s being edited?”
“You
got it,” Mrs. White replied. “You did that to yourself. But your identity is
safe with God, and He’ll help you to know when your words are just right. It’s
a process, Alice. One we all go through. However …” Mrs. White’s voice trailed
off.
“However,
what?” Alice braced herself.
Mrs.
White put a hand over her own heart. “There may be two things that get edited
in the writing process. Sometimes as we write, we find that God edits our minds
and hearts, so we understand Him more and we become more like the best source
of inspiration—His Son. But that kind of editing is a welcome transformation,
don’t you think?”
“Oh,
yes,” Alice agreed. “I can handle that kind of editing.”
And
so the story can go for all Christian writers who are serious about their work.
We are more than our words, and yet God can use words to strengthen us while
our value stays safe with Him.
(Photo
courtesy of Unsplash and Sven Brandsma.)
TWEETABLE
In
addition to online magazines, Katy’s writing can be found at CBN.com, thoughts-about-God.com, and three blogs on writing. Her
Bible studies for women focus on winning life’s spiritual battles.
Katy
loves to spend time with family and friends, draw landscapes in her sketchbook,
and do yard work in the morning sun. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter and through The
Lighthouse Connection,
a monthly writers’ newsletter.
Thank you for this.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate this very much.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad it spoke to you!
DeleteWonderful post, Katy. A much needed reminder for us all.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteSo good Katy! "I-Am-My-Writing Syndrome" is a bit like the flu however. In some seasons it seems to be far too easy to catch. I've been gripped by it far too often.
ReplyDeleteI hope it doesn't find you again. :) Thank you for reading and leaving a comment.
Delete