When I get email from readers, it’s because something struck a chord. I receive messages with questions, with gratitude, and some sharing painful stories. It’s an honor to pray for those I don’t know from around the globe. I could never have have anticipated conversations with people in various African countries, the UK, Thailand, and more.

In this amazing online world, I get to share the love of God with others who just want to love and be loved too. This kind of connection reminds me how God sees each of us and believers make up one large and hugely diverse family. I smile with tears.

As a writer, it’s easy to get caught up in all the tasks and to dos. For those who don’t know, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes of a writer.

There are the words to write, the technical things to know (to get the words out there), the email lists to work on (which include setup and all kinds of management details), images and graphics to prepare, social media to engage in and more, depending on what you do. Video, audio, editing video and audio, and numerous forms of content add to the task list of sharing content so people know it’s there.

The Writing Life Christian Communicators Part One

Some Days are Great and Some, Not So Much

Some days are exciting and you feel like you’re knocking things out. You’re thrilled to do this because it meets a need and it’s in your wheelhouse. Chad Allen often shares a quote by Frederich Buechner that captures this feeling so well.

The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.

Have you ever felt that place? Is it something you long for? I feel it when my work serves the audience I was designed to serve. I offer words and content for Christian’s who want to heal from hurts, grow in faith, and live emotionally healthy and free.

I also serve Christian Communicators who feel called to rise up in their unique spaces and places through words. Communicators who deal with the tension of gaining followers as a follower of Christ and they want to do this thing without losing their soul in between. We call ourselves Rise Up Writers.

Serving in this place doesn’t always feel good and it certainly isn’t always easy to do. Some days are just plain exhausting. Some are frustrating and more, they can bring you to tears because part of you wonders if it’s all worth it. The enemy does his darnedest to get Christians discouraged and disbelieving. And when you lead in some capacity to spread hope and healing, you’re going to face a heap of challenges.

It’s hard for others to understand why writers do what they do.

There’s an interesting need that comes up frequently when I hear writers conversing about the writing life. Writers need writers in their lives just as much as they need non-writer friends. A lot of writers don’t get the support they desire from those who are closest to them, it usually comes from others who are farther away. It can feel even more isolating when this happens.

Sadly, some lose friends and connections because of misunderstanding and a high level of relational expectations.

I know many Christian communicators who want to love where they are and love others far away too. Something propels them to keep going when it just doesn’t make sense or it gets too hard to do. They persevere even when they feel stark naked and afraid to keep revealing the words that need to be released.

God is at Work Even When You Can’t See it

Suddenly, you get a glimpse of confirmation from God somewhere in life. It could be a word, an image, or something someone said.

Or, it could be the email you receive from a reader that comes out of the blue. Then your heart remembers, the todos are important. Like anything in life, there is a level of things that need to get done. But, it’s not the end goal.

If we focus only on the things, we’ll miss the people in between. It’s about letting God work in and through you. And it’s about the people along the way. Again, like anything in life, it’s not all easy and fun but it is a huge blessing to partake in.

Right here, I smile with tears again because it’s a bit overwhelming to get to do this. It’s what I love and I don’t want to stop. I don’t want to miss the moments of beauty that come from those I love near me and those who receive God’s love through me.

Whatever it is that you love to do, may God shine in and through you as you do it. I set aside writing for years to change diapers, homeschool kids, run a library, foster children, and live a whole lot of life.

None of it was wasted.

Whatever it is you long to do and you’re not doing it yet, may God give you the strength you need to persevere right where you are. Embrace what’s right in front of you now and the bigger picture you can’t yet see.

None of it will be wasted.

Every step of faith is a step God uses, even when others don’t understand. Keep stepping with Him

 

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Whatever it is you long to do and you’re not doing it yet, may God give you the strength you need to persevere right where you are. Embrace what’s right in front of you now and the bigger picture you can’t yet see. #RiseUpWriters” quote=”Whatever it is you long to do and you’re not doing it yet, may God give you the strength you need to persevere right where you are. Embrace what’s right in front of you now and the bigger picture you can’t yet see. #RiseUpWriters”]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Every step of faith is a step God uses, even when others don’t understand. Keep stepping with Him. #RiseUpWriters #amwriting” quote=”Every step of faith is a step God uses, even when others don’t understand. Keep stepping with Him. #RiseUpWriters #amwriting”]

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Whatever it is that you love to do, may God shine in and through you as you do it. #RiseUpWriters” quote=”Whatever it is that you love to do, may God shine in and through you as you do it. #RiseUpWriters”]

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