Tuesday, June 16, 2020

He Restores the Writer’s Soul by Candyce Carden

It's my pleasure to welcome inspirational author Candyce Carden on Aspiring Tuesday. She learned a powerful truth while at the beach. No doubt her experience will inspire and encourage you in what might be a difficult season of writing. ~Mary A. Felkins 

 ✏️☀️πŸ–✏️☀️πŸ–✏️☀️πŸ–✏️☀️πŸ–✏️

On a trip to Florida’s Gulf Coast, I witnessed a beach restoration project. The beach, seriously eroded by high winds and surging waves caused by tropical storms, had all but disappeared. 

The Atlantic Ocean that stole the sand then released it in a nearby waterway. So much sand had been dumped there that the depth of the waterway was reduced, threatening the safe passage of ships and fishing boats. 

The restoration process was fascinating to watch. A dredge, situated on the water, sucked up the displaced sand and flushed it through connecting pipes back to the beach. Workers on Bobcats then spread it, widening the shoreline. 

My soul felt like that beach, seriously eroded. 

Following weeks of disruptions to normal life and routines because of Covid-19, I’d slipped away from God, just as the sand had slipped from the beach. Not that noticeable to begin with because I put up a good fight. When the pandemic first struck. I made sure to keep some structure to my days. 

But as the days wore on with no clear end in sight, I grew weary. Impatience, worry, irritation, and even anger stalked me. The already loose structure of my days crumbled to the ground, former good habits tumbling into the debris. Stripped of words, I couldn’t write, although I became a Words with Friends champ. The online game was one of the few things I could control.  

I thought the beach would remedy that. But instead of writing, I spent hours contemplating the quiet. This brought on the guilt. Why didn’t I have the perseverance to stick to a regular writing schedule as most of my writing friends did? 

I laid out my failures before God. As I lingered in His presence, I heard Him say, “It’s far more important to cultivate a relationship with Me than it is to write.” A peace swept over me, and I found the remedy needed to write again. 

As I watched the glorious sand shoot out of those pipes bringing the beach back to life, I realized God was restoring me, too. 

“He restores my soul.” Psalm 23:3 NKJV. 

Psalm 23 indicates three components needed for restoration: rest, reflection, and replenishment. Three readily available gifts from God if we choose to accept them. According to an old testament dictionary, the word restore suggests a “movement back to the point of departure.” 

That’s where the sand was headed with the help of the dredge, back to its original point. That definition applied to me too. God brought me back to my point of departure before the pandemic: firmly in His presence.

Rest assured, God always welcomes your return. He desires to bring you back to Him, no matter how far you’ve strayed. Hear His promise in Hosea 14:4... 

“I will heal their waywardness and love them freely for my anger has turned away from them.”
   
How has God spoken to you about your writing in the midst of the unrest and upheaval? I'd love to hear from you!
A peace swept over me, and I found the remedy needed to write again.@CandyceDeal @MaryAFelkins #amwriting #seriouslyWrite

God brought me back to my point of departure before the pandemic: firmly in His presence. @CandyceDeal @MaryAFelkins #restoration #SeriouslyWrite

Psalm 23 indicates three components needed for restoration: rest, reflection, and replenishment. Three readily available gifts from God if we choose to accept them.@CandyceDeal @MaryAFelkins #restoration #SeriouslyWrite
Candyce Carden is a writer and teacher in north Georgia. She’s worked with students from kindergarten to college and also served as Director of the Preschool Program for her church. Candyce has published a variety of essays, teaching and parenting articles, and historical narratives. In addition to writing curriculum for Lifeway, she’s written for The Quiet Hour, Reflections, Today's Christian Living, Chicken Soup for the Soul, North State Parent, and Georgia Backroads Magazine. 

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