Susan wrote this great post last year, but it is so good I wanted to run it again this February. I hope you'll gain as much from it as I have. - Terri
As writers we strive to weave a picture together for others to see. Our readers cannot see on page one the scope of what we are creating or the depth of the story they’re embarking on. But when they reach that last page? They’re able to see the purpose in every valley we had our characters walk through, the beauty in each moment of laughter, and the entire range of growth that occurred throughout each page turned.
Our lives are much the same. In the middle of working on our craft, we only see what’s right in front of us. Often times we don’t understand how that flash fiction piece we write may stretch us. We miss how the rejection letter makes us stronger…or perhaps softer. We don’t realize the impact a passing conversation or new connection at that conference will make on our writing lives. Sometimes we’re so focused on becoming that we miss the work God is actively doing. It reminds me of the disciples. They knew they walked beside Jesus Christ. They called him Lord. They had a hand in fulfilling the prophecies of old. And in the moment, they missed it. It was only after the fact that they could look at the entire picture and see how waving the palm branches or sitting him on that donkey Jesus rode into Jerusalem was what they’d read about for years.
Hindsight allows us the ability to see how the tiny moments we walk through assemble into the beautiful picture of our lives that God planned all along. In the moment we only see one stroke, but God sees it all and one day we will too.
Don’t miss the picture God is painting in your life today. Understand that each moment in this journey is shaping you and becoming a part of the story only you can tell.
Susan L. Tuttle lives in Michigan where she’s happily married to her best friend and is a homeschooling mom of three. She’s firmly convinced that letters were meant for words, not math, and loves stringing them together into stories that inspire, encourage, and grow women into who God created them to be. Romance, laughter, and cookies are three of her favorite things, though not always in that order. You can connect with Susan at her blog, Steps, Facebook, or Twitter.
Susan contributes on the first Thursday of each month.
