Remember your goal
Writing is not about you. When we constantly worry about what readers think of us or how many people our writing impacts, our words become a means of self-promotion.
While our writing can have various purposes (e.g. to encourage, to instruct, to apologize, to teach etc.), its ultimate purpose should be to point others to Jesus.
Through our writing, we can help people fall more in love with Jesus, not ourselves. This frees us to write outside of the control of man's ever-changing opinion.
Whether or not people like our work, our happiness is rooted in God's glory.
Before you begin writing, ask God to reveal any selfish motive. If God's glory is our aim, our writing will reflect that and no feedback will bring us down.
While our writing can have various purposes (e.g. to encourage, to instruct, to apologize, to teach etc.), its ultimate purpose should be to point others to Jesus.
Through our writing, we can help people fall more in love with Jesus, not ourselves. This frees us to write outside of the control of man's ever-changing opinion.
Whether or not people like our work, our happiness is rooted in God's glory.
Before you begin writing, ask God to reveal any selfish motive. If God's glory is our aim, our writing will reflect that and no feedback will bring us down.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14
Don't Worry About Being Extraordinary
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12Everything we create can be used for God's glory. It does not have to be some mind-blowing thought. Be encouraged that nothing is new under the sun. Everything has already been written about or talked about. However, that does not mean we shouldn't write about what God has placed on our hearts.
God will use what you have to say to speak to those in your sphere of influence, even if it just serves as a reminder.
If it's not a brand new idea, sometimes we hold out for a crazy, spectacular story or epiphany. However, the everyday, routine parts of life make up the majority of our time. Fortunately, God works in and through those seasons just as much as the out-of-the-ordinary ones. And when we write about "the norm", readers will better relate to our experience.
God can use our ordinary to do extraordinary things in others.
Keep your writing spirit-filled
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace. 1 Peter 4:10The Holy Spirit wants to be involved in your writing. Writing is not just a skill or a hobby. Through His Spirit, God wants to transform our writing to bring Him glory. He calls us to steward our words well; don't let Satan convince you otherwise.
Satan will tell you that you aren't good enough or talented enough. He will tell you that you have nothing to offer to others. He will whisper lies as you read other people's writing, "They're better than you." He will tell you your ideas are not worth writing.
Fight these lies by inviting the Holy Spirit into this significant part of your life. Pray before you write. Humble yourself before Him, confessing that you aren't good enough to write. Then, trust that He will use you to share His message with the world.
When we surrender our words to the Lord, humility will flow out of our writing and He will get the glory.
* * *
Ask the Lord to reveal how He wants to use writing in your life and the lives of others. Jesus wants to meet you in your writing, and he wants to meet your readers through your writing. Writing is another way we can encounter the Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment