Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Rock Star or Seed Sower? by Camille Eide

Camille Eide
Have you ever reached a point in your writing journey where you wondered if what you were doing even mattered?

Are you there now?

I’ve attended too many funerals recently. Although none were famous Rock Stars, I found out each person was uniquely gifted at something. One quiet little saint was remembered for her unconditional love. She had unique ability to forgive and forget flaws and to see and encourage the best in people. She didn’t have a record label. She never hit the NYT Bestseller list. But she performed like a Rock Star at encouraging people. She used her gift so faithfully and so well that it left a lasting imprint on countless lives.

Maybe you’d never make it on American Idol, but you have a knack for baking and are a meticulous housekeeper. That’s a God gift! A struggling neighbor might be forever changed through your kind act of cleaning their house and leaving a warm loaf of bread. You never know when the simple act of doing what you’re good at plants a seed.

Perhaps you’re a writer who wonders if you’ll ever be published. Perhaps writing friends who began with you are passing you by and sometimes . . . you wonder why you’re still trying.

Let me ask you this: Do you have a way with words? A knack for communicating through story or writing style? If you do, it’s a God-gift. Keep at it! Look for daily opportunities to use it. Send an encouraging letter. Tweet a beautiful truth. Write someone a poem. Like tiny seeds, the words we plant have potential that we may not see.

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.” 1 Corinthians 3:6,8

Sow the seeds God entrusted to you. Let Him worry about the outcome. You may become a household name, or you may not. Does it matter? God gave you a gift, but your name wasn’t on the tag—His was. What matters more than a contract or accolades is that faithful thing you do with your gift, day after day. If the only thing you can do well is bake a lovely loaf of bread, then bake bread like a Rock Star and share it with the hungry every chance you get.

If you’ve been given the gift of words, then the writing or plotting or researching or blogging or whatever wordy thing you are doing today MATTERS.

Even if your friends are bypassing you with contracts and awards.

Even if no one is raving about your work.

Even if your Amazon ranking can’t see the light of day.

Because even if no one else is applauding, what you do faithfully with the gift God has entrusted to you matters to Him.

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If you’ve been given the gift of words, then ... whatever wordy thing you are doing today MATTERS. @camilleeide http://bit.ly/1AbBwDO 

Your Turn: What first prompted you to write? What did you hope to gain initially, and have you attained it? What have you gained from writing that you didn’t expect?

About the Author
Like a Love Song
by Camille Eide
Camille Eide writes heart-tugging tales of love, faith, and family. She lives in Oregon with her husband and is a mom, grammy, bass guitarist, and a fan of muscle cars, tender romance, and Peanut M&Ms.

Camille’s latest inspirational novel, Like a Love Song, releases April 30 from Ashberry Lane Publishing. It received a 4 ½ star “Top Pick” review from Romantic Times (May).

Like a Love Song
When she finally surrenders her heart, will it be too late?
Susan Quinn, a social worker turned surrogate mom to foster teens, fights to save the group home she’s worked hard to build. But now, she faces a dwindling staff, foreclosure, and old heartaches that won't stay buried. Her only hope lies with the last person she’d ever turn to—a brawny handyman with a guitar, a questionable past, and a God he keeps calling Father.

Like a Love Song is a romantic drama about a fiercely loyal woman, some cast-off kids, and finding the courage to believe in a Love that never fails.