Before
turning in the other night, I read my daily devotional from Living Faith
magazine and the theme for that day smacked me right between
the eyes. I could literally feel God’s spirit—and conviction—in the air around
me. The day’s topic? Wait and
see.
As far as I'm concerned, when streamed together, those are three of the toughest words in the dictionary.
The
Scripture passage was taken from Acts 5: 34-35. There, the wise Pharisee
Gamaliel, states his case about the Apostles and Christianity in general. To
paraphrase the passage, Gamaliel says: If the mission of Christ is of human origin,
it will come to nothing. But if it’s not of human origin, the world will find
itself fighting against God. In essence, he’s saying, “Wait and see.”
I feel
like I’ve been doing a lot of that lately in my writing life. Waiting for my
stories to catch on to a wide, broad audience so the messages God gives me to
share might help encourage, affirm, and bring about a Christian sense of love
and honor to as many readers as possible. Waiting for story ideas to work their way from heart to head to
computer keyboard. Waiting for what God truly wants next from me when it comes
to my ministry as a writer.
It’s hard
to do. I get impatient. I feel like ideas are wasting and can't fully formulate because I
don’t seem to have enough time and energy to do and be everything I feel called toward. Then, there’s the wickedest thought of all: I’m not
successful like “Author Spectacular” so my work must not be as ordained, or as
blessed.
Such circumstances make writing a tough proposition. On one level, I know the concerns are of my own very human creation.
Meanwhile, God asks me to keep moving forward. To keep faith in the path He has
laid out for me even when I don’t know the steps, and even when the path is
uncertain.
Is my writing of my own origin/creation, or does it come from God, to serve God?
So often
in life (and in our writing careers) change is gradual. We yearn for the speed
of instant gratification and sure answers but life is evolution, and evolution
doesn’t very often happen rapidly. It’s slow-moving, gradual, an unfolding that
God uses to move us from spot to spot.
At this
point, to be honest, I’m not sure of all the answers I seek when it comes to
moving forward as an author, but I’m promised this: I was given gifts. In return for those gifts, Jesus wants my love and trust. I need to let Him have control and remember that even when I doubt, and even
when I fail, He’ll use everything for His good.
Are you facing a 'wait and see' in your life? I'd love to hear about it, and share the journey! Until next time, blessings, friends!
~~~~~
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| Nobody's Baby But Mine |
~~~~~
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| Marianne Evans |
Marianne
Evans is an award-winning author of Christian romance and fiction. Her hope is
to spread the faith-affirming message of God’s love through the stories He
prompts her to create. Readers
laude her work as “Riveting,” “Realistic and true to heart,” “Compelling.” Her
Christian fiction debut, Devotion, earned the Bookseller’s Best Award as well as
the Heart of Excellence Award. Her follow-up novel, Forgiveness, earned Christian
Small Publisher Book of the Year honors as did her book Hearts Communion. She is
also a two-time recipient of the Selah Award for her books Then & Now and Finding
Home. Marianne is a lifelong resident of Michigan and an
active member of Romance Writers of America, most notably the Greater Detroit
Chapter where she served two terms as President. You can connect with Marianne at
www.marianneevans.com.
