 |
| Image courtesy of Morguefile.com |
He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Ezekiel 37:3
As a writer, this verse remains close by my side for two big reasons. The first is for all those moments when I stare at a screen and nothing comes. You know what I mean, right? No words jump forth, and the ones you do manage to squeak out feel drier than a mouth full of cotton.
Dry spells. We all have them. It’s what we do with them that makes the difference. If you’re struggling to get the story that once seemed so alive in your head down onto paper, make sure you’re first digging into The Word. God is the creator of all things, including the tale he’s got for you to tell. He knows how to make it come alive, leaping off of the page and into the heart of your reader. But he can’t give it to you if you’re not communicating with him. I find when my writing time is the driest that my quiet moments with him are at their fewest. Don’t sacrifice your time with the ultimate Author so you can work at being one. When you place him first your writing grows stronger, your story more creative, and he multiplies your time. I don’t know how he does it, he simply does.
The other reason that verse stays close by is for all those stories I’ve written that sit in a drawer while rejection letters pile up. See, there are moments where this dream of writing feels completely dead. Stripped bare of all meat and muscle, there’s simply no life left in it. Countless rejections can do that, right? Yet God has a purpose and a plan for each of us. And he is the giver of life. Our physical life, yes, but the life of our dreams too. It doesn’t matter what state your dream is in or how often the word “no” has been lobbed against it, if God can breathe life into a valley of bones, he most certainly can do the same with your writing career.
So today if you’re struggling with another rejection or a blank screen in front of you, I challenge you to speak this verse out loud. Read the whole chapter. Remind yourself of all his promises and abilities. Because he can take your dry writing bones and bring them to life in an instant. Believe it.
 |
| Susan Tuttle |
