“Two or three things I know, two or three things I know for sure, and one of them is that to go on living I have to tell stories, that stories are the one sure way I know to touch the heart and change the world.” ~Dorothy Allison

Yesterday I piddled with words until something stuck. I squirmed a lot. Having not written much in so many weeks, it was time to crank the flow. Suddenly I wondered - who cares? Do our shared experiences really minister to others? Or is it self absorption? Doubts flit around like pesky flies; you swat them as you go along.

Then my focus shifted mid-stream. I realized how much God inclines my heart toward writing. I don’t drift far before I’m gazing upward and spilling words again. If I’m to continue, I have to write. God takes care of the process, revealing where I need to go. Sometimes with healing flashes of insight, long after my writing day is done, I stumble onto another spark of meaning, and He shows me where I’ve been hiding.

Yes, we write to touch hearts and change the world. But aren’t these by-products? My pressing need - my yearning - is to realize and express God’s presence with me in the journey, be it touched by pain or joy.

“I am the only one who can tell the story of my life and say what it means.” ~ Dorothy Allison

Almost the instant you decide that you want to follow God’s leading into writing for publication, the devil is right there whispering in your ear that you’d be wasting your time.” ~ Bodie & Brock Thoene, Writer to Writer

Wondering what to write? What will sell? Don’t look to the bestseller list:

“People who try to figure out what’s hot and re-create it are as close to delusional as you can get. In the first place, once a trend is actually identified it is usually too late; your work will be regarded as opportunistic, as jumping on the bandwagon.” ~Betsy Lerner, The Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers

Find your own inspiration and form; be yourself! Trust that God will guide you in the right direction. The One who calls us, equips us in the process. In Him we’re free to express our unique personalities and perspectives through the varied gifts He’s given us. No one else can write our story!

“The goal is to live creatively, not to experience individual creative events. Resist the pressure to create something artistic and perfect in order to prove yourself creatively. The goal of a creative life is expression, not perfection; you have the freedom to pour out your heart to God, regardless of how well you do it.” ~ Alice Bass, The Creative Life, pg. 84

“Dreaming about a thing in order to do it properly is right; but dreaming about it when we should be doing it is wrong.” ~ Oswald Chambers

“There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.” ~ Carl Sandburg

“Living your calling is possible only if you are willing to hear God’s summons and respond in spite of perceived risk.” ~ Kevin & Kay Brennfleck

“For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” ~ Philippians 2:13

How do we overcome inertia? The God who calls us is trustworthy, so it’s good to remember that whatever He calls us to do, the Holy Spirit enables. But first we respond, even with baby steps, and move in His direction. Faith is the vehicle; grace is the fuel.

“Our vocational calling emerges out of our relationship with God, so inevitably there is a dimension of mystery to it.” ~ Kevin & Kay Brennfleck, Live Your Calling

When God invites us to the vineyard of writing, it doesn’t really matter if it’s the morning, noon, or afternoon of our life. We may feel inadequate, ill-equipped, or just not ready. Remember, His call is, first and foremost, to Himself. Out of this vital, life-giving relationship, we begin to sense His purpose for us.

You’re in the vineyard now. Writing is your labor; the keyboard is your tool. As you surrender your fears, the Lord is undergirding you with Divine support, enabling you to write the truth in love.

Someone once said that “we cannot stay where we are and go with God at the same time.” Are we willing to labor by faith? To trust where He leads? To write in obscurity or give up frivolous hobbies to pursue this calling?

When grace invites us to write, it’s not a calling to self-fulfillment. It’s not about seeing our name in print. Neither can we write for Him, as we think we ought, but realize, instead, that we’re utterly dependent on the Holy Spirit to do a work through us. The right words and message are shaped from a life that’s intimate with His dealings.

Vocation: Latin for vocare, to call, and means the work a person is called to by God.

Praying we’ll come forward willingly, even sacrificially, to the vineyard of the scribe.