Thursdays - Devotions forWriters
“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” (Hebrews 6: 10-12 NIV)
Who said being a writer was going to be easy?
Well . . . actually during a recent discussion I had with several people, a college student insinuated that writing is not difficult for him. Someone asked about the progress on my current manuscript. I was pleased with the word count completed that day. The student, a wanna-be writer, off-handedly stated that he could easily accomplish twice what I had during the same amount of time. I didn’t respond to his comment.
Good writing does not come easy – at least for most of us. It takes sitting down at the computer and working, even when you’d rather watch a movie on TV or go out to lunch with a friend. It takes hours of brainstorming, plotting, analyzing our characters, and research. This is followed by hours of writing – rewriting – and usually additional rewriting.
That’s only the beginning.
If you want to be published, it takes time and effort to write query letters and proposals. It takes courage to send submissions to editors and agents – and then it takes an enormous amount of patience to wait for a response. If the work is rejected, it takes determination and tenacity to begin all over again.
But – writing can also be exhilarating, liberating, and rewarding. As Christian writers, we hope to serve God and His people through our words. There is purpose in what we do.
Don’t give up – even when you become discouraged. God wants us to finish whatever He has called us to do. Be willing to wait until God’s plan for you comes to fruition - and persevere, even when you don’t feel excitement for the task in front of you.
God is a just God who sees your heart. He will not forget the labor and love you've poured into your writing. Be diligent – and God will honor your faith and hard work.
Dawn
