One of my prayers has always been that my life would be an act of worship to my God. When I was a stay-at-home mom, I viewed keeping my house and caring for my family to be worship. By extension, my writing is also an act of worship.
I’m inviting you to see your writing as worship. Consider the urge to write and the talent for crafting words in sentences, paragraphs, articles, and books a gift from God. Pray before your hands hit the keyboard, nurture your craft, and be faithful with your writing time.
To prevent us from getting too pride-filled, here are a few thoughts to ponder:
Don’t confuse stewardship and ownership. Go and read Matthew 25:14-30 (the parable of the talents).
God has given us talents and expects a return on His investment.
Don’t love the gift more than the Giver.
Humility is submission to the will of God.
A few years ago, I got an email from a reader that delighted my heart. She said: "It is a great book. It just amazes me how you can write in such an entertaining way and at the same time hit the nail on the head. I gained so much from Out of Her Hands."
I appreciate the kindness and encouragement readers give, but I keep perspective by remembering words from scripture: Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing: 'May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.’ Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them.” Number 6:23
God initiates the blessing. It is God who blesses, not us—we are the vessel.
I fully understand that it’s not all about me. I am the vessel. I write words that have been given to me. My prayer is that I’ll be blessed with words, and sometimes when praying, I visualize beautiful words falling from the heavens for me.
Own up to your gift (your God-given talent), nurture what you've been given, and then use it to the best of your ability as an act of worship. Being a writer is a wonderful, awesome occupation, and I’ve found it to be a journey of self-discovery. However, remember that it's not all about you. It's about the Giver of gifts.
Lord, bless us with words and vision. Keep us from distraction. Thank you for the blessing of You, perseverance, creativity, and the desire to do our best. Amen.
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