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| A boy enjoying a cherry Popsicle on a hot summer day ... |
Think back to those simple moments in childhood that brought
so much joy to summer …
It’s a hot July afternoon. Rivulets of perspiration slide
down your heated cheek. Your best friend sits next to you on the back porch
while you both lick Popsicles. The cool, grape ice slides down your throat. You
stick out a purple tongue and she displays her orange one. The two of you break
into uncontrollable giggles.
***
The garden hose has been lying in the hot sun all afternoon.
So when Mom says it’s okay to run through the sprinkler, the first few passes
are like taking a warm shower. Then the water turns cold, refreshing,
stimulating, breath-snatching. Fun.
***
Standing in front of the plate you grasp and swing the bat
into position. The pitcher winds up, releases the ball, and it speeds toward
you. The bat makes contact and the ball sails into the air. Your heart pounds,
your team cheers, and your legs push a fast as they can. The base is ahead. You
slide in just ahead of the ball. Your first home run! A grin spreads across
your father’s face, and he stops clapping to give you two thumbs up. It’s the
best day of your life.
***
Child-like joy. Honest. Carefree. Bubbling up from beneath
the surface. When was the last time you experienced it?
We take precautions so no one robs us of our identity . . .
our possessions . . . our time. Why are we willing to let things or people rob
us of our joy? Sometimes we even make it easy. We hand it over without a fight.
When it comes to your writing life, are you still
experiencing the joy you once felt at putting to paper the stories that flow
from your imagination?
If we take writing seriously, of course we work at it. But
has the process become only just that—work! Are word counts merely to
be conquered? Do we worry about meeting deadlines, rejections, or who is
drawing more attention? Has the writing life become a frustrating, vicious
cycle of trying to do it all—submitting, networking, promoting, writing, social
media—with little time left over for writing?
Add to that self-doubt, unmet expectations from family or
friends, discouraging feedback from critique members . . .
Pursuing writing goals is like any other career in the arts.
The competition is stiff, rejection is common, and the path in general is
difficult. Yet, we can’t give it up, can we? Something inside us still stirs as we stroke the keyboard and our thoughts and emotions pour out.
Our joy shouldn’t be dependent on our circumstances or how
well our writing pursuits are going. God took care of that when he sent the
Holy Spirit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace, forbearance,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22
NIV).
Is anyone . . . or anything . . . threatening to steal your
joy of writing today?
If you’ve lost your joy, what can you do to reclaim it?
Your
challenge: This summer, take time to embrace carefree and
joyful moments, and bring those exhilarating feelings to your writing.
Tweetables:
Child-like joy.
Honest. Carefree. Bubbling up from beneath the surface. When was the last time
you experienced it? Click to tweet.
Why are we
willing to let things or people rob us of our joy? Sometimes we even make it
easy. We hand it over without a fight. Click to tweet.
Are you still
experiencing the joy you once felt at putting to paper the stories that flow
from your imagination? Click to tweet.
This summer,
take time to embrace carefree and joyful moments and bring those exhilarating
feelings to your writing. Click to tweet.
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| Dawn Kinzer |
Dawn Kinzer is a
full-time freelance editor. Her own work has been published in the Christian Fiction Online Magazine, Backyard Friends, The One Year Life Verse Devotional (Tyndale), A Joyful Heart: Experiencing the Light of His Love (Guideposts),
and featured on the radio ministry, The
Heartbeat of the Home.
You can learn more and connect with Dawn at these sites:
