It Will Be Written - Thanksgiving 2018 Part 3

The written word is powerful. It has longevity. Look at the existence of the Holy Bible since the Apostles first began writing down the message. The ancient scrolls containing the words of Isaiah and David. God breathed into these to bring forth the Holy Bible. When Christ rebukes the Devil's temptation he says, "It is written" not it is said. The Ten Commandments were written in stone and are still with us. Something about writing is powerful and long lasting.

Do not fear, I am not trying to spiritualize my writing or mark it as holy. I simply want you to see the awe I have for writing. From the Bible to the Constitution, from a sermon to a blog; people are influenced by what they read. It impacts their spirit, their mind, and their heart. 


I am a writer. 

I started writing stories as soon as I could form sentences and write them down. I have talked about writing a book since elementary school. (What 3rd grader dreams of writing a book - weird right?) It is my most natural form of expression. When I question things, I riddle them out by writing about them. When I need to deal with a difficult situation, I write it out. I have a busy, creative mind - writing focuses my thoughts.

Darkness to Light

My Mom first took notice of how important writing was to me when I was a teenager. Classmates were murdered, committed suicide, were hospitalized for mental issues, removed from homes due to abuse, girls were getting pregnant, and being bullied was part of life. People smoked, did drugs, and drank...sometimes at school. It was a confusing time for me. My parents did not shelter me, but they could have never imagined the things that would happen around me in my teen years.

I struggled with anxiety and depression as a result of the storm around me. Writing was my diary, my escape, and my personal counselor. I largely wrote poetry during these years. Dark poetry that might have given Edgar A. Poe a shutter. I was trying to figure things out. My Mom eventually had some of my poetry bound for me. She was disturbed by how dark it was, but knew, even then, that there was something to my writing.

I tinkered with a novel for years. I would stop due to feeling like it was inadequate, then restart because I had to write. I needed the outlet for my emotions. I needed to figure things out and writing is where I found that need met. I have found many quotes over the years telling me that if I can't stop writing, you are a writer.
The above quote is true. There is a measure of astonishment in how I see the world. I can see it when I write my blog. I often astonish myself, at how I can miss a point completely. I am astonished by the actions of people and engaged to learn their motivations. People are a riddle. Do not confuse astonishment with judgment, I have always asked "why", about...well everything. (If you don't believe me, ask my Mom.) Why do I do this thing or that? Why do people react this way or act that way? It is a curiosity to me.

This is where my blog brings me so much peace. It is exhilarating to receive positive feedback. To have people tell me that something I wrote impacted them is highest praise to me. I write my blog to bring clarity to myself and to others. To riddle things out. To share an experience, a testimony of sorts. I do it so you and I know, there are at least two of us going through similar triumphs and struggles. I write because the questions I find myself asking, are sometimes questions others are afraid to put out there in the public. 

It comes easy for me to share my story. Sometimes, I have to start sharing in writing before I can bring myself to say things aloud, but one way or another...I probably tell people more than they ever care to know about me. (#overshare) I have always been more open with my life than most, but now I try hard to live transparent. I don't share for sympathy - I share to sharpen others and to have others sharpen me. I share my struggle, so I can show God's faithfulness. I share so I can remind myself of God's faithfulness.
I am again working on a novel. My goal is to complete the story in 2019. I will worry about publishing later. I have goals set for the novel. Not only to complete it, but that it will give provision to pay off my student loans after tithe. Anything above and beyond that I want to dedicate to a ministry. Even as I write my novel, I ponder the actions of others. Writing almost always comes from your experiences. Whether your personal experiences or the things you have observed, the story or the character might be imagined, but there always remain elements of real life in any work of fiction.

I am thankful God gave me a gift for writing. My thanks is amplified as now I can use that gift for God's purpose, instead of just using it for my own desires. Whatever gift God has given you, USE IT for HIS glory. It will make that gift that much sweeter. 



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