Do you ever feel discouraged by what is not happening…or by what is? Do you feel overwhelmed by moments whose sole purpose seems to be to steal your peace?
Recently, I spent most of a day wallowing in doubt. I fretted and worried and forgot all I knew about trust, allowing stomach acids to gnaw me hollow. Why? Because….because…. I haven’t a clue why, except that somehow I let circumstances dictate my feelings.
And what were those circumstances? Heat? Exhaustion? The niggling voice whispering, “You can’t write, you’ll never be published, you might as well give up?”
Why does it sometimes take hours to recognize the voice that whispers in our ear? The author of discouragement is not our God. I’m sorry, Lord, that sometimes, after all these years of following You, I give the enemy an inch. I let him wander through my head.
Instead, help me remember I can stop him at the first hurtful word. I can speak truth to myself and remind him of the One I serve, the One Who has already bought my peace.
Instead of discouragement, I choose discipline. Instead of fear, the courage to walk forward, no matter what happens.
Terry Burns once said that if his stories touched one heart, turned one person toward the Lord, that was all that mattered. He didn’t need fame or fortune.
I’m holding on to that. Lord, make me content merely to write. Merely to lift my heart toward You. Merely to listen to the still small voice that is Yours, which whispers love songs through the universe You created.
Thank You, Lord, for everything: the heat and the bees and the days that lack affirmation as well as the days that overflow with joy. Let me be so full of Your grace that it will flow out and touch hurting souls.
And help me, please, to keep my eyes on the beauty, looking outward, because I am so privileged to have such scenes in my backyard.
Keep repeating, I am a female John Grisham. Only a writer with God at the helm. You WILL be published…
Linda, thank you. I knew you'd recognize that particular day! It took me until now to be able to write about it.God is good. He will prevail. That reminds me of a made-up song I used to sing to my children — they got those a lot from this mother who can't remember words to songs and who can't carry a tune. But God IS so good. And I am so glad.
Normandie, the third D is "discernment." How to figure out whether the reason we're not getting anywhere is that God doesn't want it to happen just yet. Sometimes it's not the bad D-guy getting in the way as much as it is that God knows the good thing we want isn't actually good for us at this time in the form we're asking for it. And the process of discovering that is a little discouraging too. I'm not saying that pertains to you, but I'm not convinced we always know what we should want. Now discipline: yes. The enemy hates discipline because when we're self-disciplined, God will harness that and use it to bring us to a place we need to go. At times when the whole process feels discouraging, I just shorten my view and do whatever it is I need to do TODAY, whether that's edit a chapter or send a short story to a magazine.
Wisdom, Jane, as usual. I rarely have the really bad days, but I had one recently, and it wasn't hard to figure out whence the whispering emanated. But I certainly agree that we always need discernment. I should have thought the process through, but I was merely venting, which I suppose does no one any good except me. In my sane moments, I praise God for His timing, imagining the blushes I'd have if some of my early work were out there garnering criticism.My writing is improving, and for much of that improvement I thank you, madam editor par excellence. The thing is, I'm usually a very up-beat person, always willing to let God off the hook for those "no" answers because I'm pretty sure He knows better than I what I need. So when I start hearing the sort of words that suggest I can't write, I'll never be able to write, I ought to pull up stakes and call it quits and go learn to macrame, then I need to grab hold of myself and go write. And remember how to praise. Blessings,N
Normandie, The Lord is waiting for just the right moment to send your work out into the world. In the meantime, He glories in the knowledge that you trust in Him. I can't wait to see what He has in mind for you! (And to know that Satan is cringing, once more, at his utter, desolate, and eternal defeat.) Keep up the good work! The world needs you and God knows that. Many blessings, my friend… Deb
Deb, Thanks so much for that. I love being part of the Body, don't you? Leaning on one another, encouraging one another. Every one of you who has commented has been that for me at one time or another. May I lift up your arms as well, and send encouragement back to each of you. I'm just so glad that the day of whisperings lasted only a short time. And then, as promised, the sun came out, and I could praise the Son. Perhaps next time I'll remember to shush the voice sooner rather than let it intrude at all. Because, as Max said on the group today, the enemy rallies when there's something to fight against, not when we're lined up in his camp. I love some of those spiritual warfare songs. I can hear one in my head right now; if only I could sing it!(Thank you, Lord, for the voice I will have in heaven!)Blessings,N