Thursdays – Dawn’s Devotions for Writers“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God. And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)
It’s been one of those weeks—no, I take that back—it’s been two of those weeks. Most of us have them at one point or another. We begin to feel overwhelmed because it feels like there are so many things to do, and not enough time to get them all done.
Feeling overwhelmed is partly my fault. I’m not a last minute person, and so for me to feel on top of things, I need to be ahead of schedule.
I also have a tendency to think I can accomplish more in one day than what is feasible. Add to that a multitude of interruptions, and by the end of the day, my “to-do” list has become longer, not shorter. I begin to feel further and further behind and when Thursday rolls around and Monday’s “to-dos” still aren’t crossed off, I begin to feel overwhelmed—and not in control. I kind of like feeling that I’m in charge of my day. (Yep! It’s one of my flaws.)
As writers, we’re daily faced with trying to take care of our children and give our spouses the time they deserve—not to mention the laundry, shopping, cooking, volunteer responsibilities, errands, and day jobs outside the home. We’re supposed to create balance in our lives, which includes personal time and time with the Lord, while accomplishing all the many tasks assigned us.
But … have you noticed … I have yet to even include spending time writing?
As writers, time isn’t only spent at the computer fleshing out characters for our latest novel. This career also involves researching, marketing, networking, developing a platform, speaking, blogging, attending conferences, submitting work, answering e-mail, attending writers meetings, critiquing for other writers, and reading books on craft—as well as those written in our genre.
No wonder we can feel overwhelmed!
But, we don’t have to …
We don’t have to feel anxious. Instead of trying to do everything on our own—we can trust God to work things out in good time. Then we can let go of our desire to control, and we can accept the peace that transcends all understanding … God’s peace.
