This is an article I wrote for my sister's writing newsletter back in May. It is a little testimony of my writing journey and where God has led me in it thus far.
How much does a writer need to write to become
well-equipped? If you research the question, you will find various opinions. But
do we need these opinions to answer our question, as Christian writers?
My sister, Rachel, who is more of a writer than I |
Though writing is a part of my life, writing is not "my life." I am a Christian, daughter,
music teacher and arranger, kitchen cleaner, and part of my family's musicministry. Because of this, I cannot just pick up and write whenever I feel the
writing "mood" come along. Instead, there are several things I must
check.
1) Have I spent time
with God?
"My foot hath
held His steps, His way have I kept, and not declined. Neither have I gone back
from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed the words of His mouth more
than my necessary food." (Job 23:11-12)
If God's Word is to be "more than my necessary
food" then surely it must be more necessary than my writing time! Writing
should never come before I have had adequate devotion/quiet time with God. If I
neglect reading and studying God's Word, how can I expect to write solid,
Christian books?
2) Am I actively
seeking God?
"But seek ye
first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be
added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)
Added to reading and studying God's Word, I should be
seeking God and His direction for my writing. "Blessed are they that keep His
testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart." (Psalms 119:2) Whole-heartedly following
after God means that I am daily surrendering my will to His. It means that I am
sensitive to what He is convicting me to do -- if He says to toss out my
"pet story," then I must toss it; if He says to change directions, I
must change; if He says to stop writing, yes, I must stop. My all must be fully
laid on His altar and I must trust that He knows best.
3) Have I neglected others?
"Look not every man on his own
things, but every man also on the things of others." (Philippians 2:4)
As much as I
would like to convince myself that writing is "looking out for the things
of others," (after all, what about those who need to read this?) I know that when I write, I am tempted to
ignore the needs of those closest to me. If my family has a need, my writing should
always be set aside. Better than that, I should be sure that I have fulfilled
all of my responsibilities before I even begin to write. If I am "stealing
time" from others so that I can write, I will not get the fulfillment and
joy in writing that God would have me to receive.
4) Now can I write?
When should I fit writing into my schedule? If I follow the
first three points, will I even have time in a day to write? There are many days
when my brain is just reeling to write. However, if my devotions are unfinished,
dishes unwashed, house a wreck, and my family needs me, my writing must be placed
last. And many days, "last" means "not at all." Though this
sounds like a pitiful schedule for a writer, it is a guilt-free schedule! I can
sit down and write without the nagging thought of, "I really should be cooking but . . ." And on those days, when I actually do have time
to write guilt-free, the Lord gives me such peace and productivity that I would
not exchange for even the most rigid writing schedule.
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