When I was but a timid little girl, one particular book called me out of the trenches of a soul-damaging environment. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - remember that one? That story ministered a dream to me; I read it again and again with hunger. Little did I know that a writing window had opened before me.

Now, this may sound strange, but looking back, it’s like God spoke to me through the character of Jo, who desperately wanted to become a writer. Only she wrote what she thought would sell, not the things she was passionate about. I did this, too, for awhile, trying to establish myself as a freelance writer. But it neither sold nor satisfied. Today, a fictitious character in Jo’s life (the professor) echoes more truth to me:

“…you should be writing something from your life, from the depths of your soul. There is more to you than this,” he said, pointing to the newspaper story, “if you have the courage to write it.”

As I read this again, I’m encouraged to keep writing what only I can write because of what God’s done in my life.

So the story continues: How God took a timid little girl out of the soul-damaging trenches, healed her, gave her life, and set her free to write and encourage others.

If I can do this, with His help, so can you.

“Write down the revelation and make it plain…” Habakkuk 2:2

Occasionally I peruse my database of quotes, sifting for just the right encouragement for us. Here’s a few insights from Walking on Water by Madeleine L’ Engle that you’re sure to ponder. While I don’t always agree with her viewpoints, here is much to distill:

“I lived far too much in an interior world, but I did learn that I didn’t have to be qualified according to the world’s standards in order to write my stories.”

“Creativity is a way of living life, no matter what our vocation or how we earn our living. Creativity is not limited to the arts or having some kind of important career.”

“If our lives are truly ‘hid with Christ in God,’ the astounding thing is that this hiddenness is revealed in all that we do and say and write. What we are is going to be visible in our art, no matter how secular (on the surface) the subject may be.”

“The artist cannot hold back; it is impossible, because writing, or any other discipline of art, involves participation in suffering, in the ills and the occasional stabbing joys that come from being part of the human drama.”

“In a very real sense not one of us is qualified, but it seems that God continually chooses the most unqualified to do his work, to bear his glory.”

“You can inspire others by sharing the historical context of your life and your values, experiences, accumulated life wisdom, and insights. Stories also mend the rifts between generations or individuals, because when you honor what was good, you find how to forgive what was bad and reconcile your past.” ~ Marlee Ledai, Living Spaces

Are memoirs valuable? According to Marlee Ledai, yes! To create an heirloom document to pass down to our loved ones is a wonderful idea, whether it’s written or video-taped. “Writing your memoirs, particularly at a turning point, in midlife, or toward the end of a long life, will preserve the most valuable resource you can give your loved ones: the love and wisdom you brought to this world.”

What can we share? In Living Spaces, Ledai suggests memories that lie on the surface of our experience. Much comes to mind - what we’re grateful for, our favorite vacations, recipes, and movies, events that shaped our lives, family anecdotes, traditions, beliefs, and so much more. One friend self-published her memoir to give to family at Christmas. It was a lovely keepsake, treasure rich with family history and love.

Consider, too, the time capsule. My oldest son tucked one away for his daughter a few years ago. Inside a protective capsule, one could put so many things - mementos, letters, photos. . . future notes to grandchildren yet to be born.

What personal defining moments would you love to share? What do you want your great-grandchildren to know about you?

Jot this down: there is value in reminiscing. All those memories? Pass them on!

“A work of art introduces us to emotions which we have never cherished before. Great works produce rather than satisfy needs by giving the world fresh cravings.” ~ Abraham Heschel

I’ve been pondering the works of Vincent van Gogh. Long ago, I criticized the man’s work. So ordinary, I thought. I didn’t get it. Having missed his heart, I walked away, unaroused by what he shared. But it wasn’t Vincent’s fault. I was young, naive. What did I know? Now, the more I learn about the man, the more his longings speak to me. I see sorrow lurking behind his landscapes:

“There may be a great fire in our soul, yet no one ever comes to warm himself at it, and the passers-by see only a wisp of smoke coming through the chimney, and go along their way.” Vincent van Gogh

When we encounter a work of art, what do we see? Are we paying attention?

Before Van Gogh became a painter, he read the Scriptures, wanting “to sow the words of the Bible” to the working-class people, as Ken Gire shares in his insightful book, Windows of the Soul. Van Gogh said himself: “I read it daily but I should like to know it by heart and to view life in the light of its words.”

Vincent had a passion to minister to the poor and the downtrodden. He longed to become a pastor like his father, but the religious powers-that-be prevented him from pursuing a theological education. They viewed him as eccentric, fanatical, unsubmissive - and pushed him aside with a lay ministry role. But he gladly lived among the coal miners, visiting their sick, praying with them, binding up their wounds, sharing the gospel, planting hope and encouragement wherever he could. He wrote his brother, Theo, that he wanted to draw them one day “so that those unknown or little-known types would be brought before the eyes of the people.”

But his position as evangelist was soon terminated, and according to Gire, he left angered and embittered at age 27. It makes sense that he sketched the peasant woman sewing, farmers eating around a table, and women kneeling in prayer. He loved these people. Gire describes At Eternity’s Gate with Vincent’s own words: “In this print I have tried to express what seems to me one of the strongest proofs of the existence…of God and eternity - certainly in the infinitely touching expression of such a little old man, which he himself is perhaps unconscious of, when he is sitting quietly in his corner by the fire. At the same time, there is something precious, something noble, which cannot be destined for worms.”

By all accounts, Van Gogh suffered with mental illness. Over his lifetime, he grew distant and anguished and despairing. No wonder. He felt rejected much of his life and struggled with depression, possibly bipolar. Had he lived in this day and age, with medication and treatment, surely he would have enjoyed a more robust life, painting well into his old age.

“How sad life must have been for him,” Gire tells us. “To feel so deeply, to want to communicate those feelings so passionately, and yet to have people stand off at a distance, shake their heads, and walk away. Eventually his physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional states all deteriorated.”

I wish it weren’t so. But now I understand. Van Gogh’s life may not be a perfect model for us but you have to admit, he saw things in people we often miss. That, maybe more than his art, was the gift. I read each of his paintings with great interest now, searching for the man, empathizing with the longings of his soul. Whatever critics say, I’ll remember him by this quote:

“Christ is more of an artist than the artists; he works in the living spirit and the living flesh; he makes men instead of statues.” ~ Vincent van Gogh

Stumbled upon some meaty insights by Blaine Smith of Nehemiah Notes today. Hope this helps someone.

“You have an opportunity. A golden opportunity. The chance to develop a serious relationship, or to marry. Or a job opening with generous pay and benefits. Or an invitation from your pastor to direct one of your church’s important ministries.

At first you’re euphoric, stunned at your good fortune, flattered that someone believes in you so strongly.

Then, with time and reflection, come the reality checks…”

Finish reading: Golden Opportunities and God’s Will

Another good read from Blaine Smith:

“Wondering if you should take a new direction with your life, or put a dream you’ve neglected on the front burner?” Blaine offers counsel for deciding in this:

Turning the Page: Finding the Courage for Major Life Change

“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