“I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.” (Rev. 3:8 NKJV)
What if the only thing stopping your advancement is you?
Yikes. Wow…
I was just cleaning my desk and God brought me this question. I might be procrastinating right now. I might. You tell me. The dusting spray is out, the right side of my desk is dazzling, and the left side? A manual on how to make that book proposal sparkle.
Ugh.
First, I need a little company here in my procrastination pool. Raise your hand if you love writing proposals… Anyone? Hmm. That’s what I thought. Oh, wait, I see that hand in the back. *wink* Good for you. I hate it.
Why?
For the same reason I procrastinate, I think, because it means I could actually break in this time. Or, what if I don’t?
I just came from the big ACFW conference in Missouri. And I had some great meetings. And requests for proposals. So, like a faithful little writer, I’m trying to get my act together, learn what these different agencies and houses want in their proposals, and get them sent. Right?
Or maybe I’ll just work a bit more on clearing off my desk. After all, this little corner was a hotbed of preparations just a couple of weeks ago, prior to conference. And I have things strewn all over that I haven’t had a chance to pick up, or file. And then there’s the dust… Oh, the dust. And then, there’s…
Well, there’s the proposal I need to polish.
So, there I am when God asks me: What if the only thing stopping your advancement is you?
Did you feel that all the way over there? Yeah, me too.
So, I’ll research, and I’ll polish. (Say it with me now.) And I’ll follow. Through. (C’mon, say it… good job!)
I made a new friend at conference. She lives locally, but we met at the airport. (Don’tcha love that?) She relayed a story where an editor asked every single person around the lunch table (what is that, ten, besides the editor?) to send her their proposals. All ten of them. And how many followed through? Can you guess? I mean, here’s an open door. An. Open. Door. How long do we writers wish for, beg for, pray for, fast for, search for an open door? And they all had one. Now, I’m not saying there were any guarantees, we know that’s not possible in this biz or any other, but they all had the same invitation. And guess how many took this editor up on it?
ZERO.
Not one.
What if the only thing stopping your advancement is you?
What if your lack of following through (believe me, this hurts me as much as it does you) is what’s keeping you from breaking through??
God has heard your prayers.
God has held your hand.
God has given you open doors.
WALK THROUGH.
Follow through.
Don’t be the reason you don’t advance. Don’t do that to yourself, to your dreams, to your future. Buck up. Settle down. Forge ahead. And follow through.
And we’ll be here cheering you on.
~Annette
