God's Two Incompatible Tasks

Peter Leavell

Her hands shake. Black, swollen eyes are covered by hurried strokes of makeup, and I worry she’s been beaten. I ask. She says, ‘God told me to write. Then He gives me four kids and a husband who doesn’t earn enough for me to stay home. I’ve no time to write.’ It rips her heart into six pieces.

At the same conference, I discuss the problem with a man. His arms are crossed, and his fingers work as if squeezing a stress ball. ‘If I don’t write, I die. But I can’t get a moment to myself.’ He hunches over and his face contorts. He cries.

These are writers. They care little for being published, for fame, for perceived money. They must write. But there is no time to set aside.

We’re in the trenches. This is war.

We can’t be normal writers. No one will give us time to write, so we take it from the day’s hands like an open knife from a toddler. When we do, fifteen minutes opens like sunshine through a misty morning. We snatch our laptop and write. Five sentences, and it carries us through to our next fix.

Our families are our life. They are the few humans who try to understand us. So we bask in the love of our people. Quality minutes. Quality hours. And when they lay their heads down on pillows, we write as if Satan were on our heels and the click of the keyboard is the shield that keeps the devil from ripping our hearts out.

While other writers suffer from writer’s block and low energy and broken self-esteem, we suffer from fits of jealousy that someday we might have battles so time consuming ourselves. God reminds us it’s all wasted emotion, and we wonder what our characters would do when as depressed and frustrated as we are, because our characters are heroes. We listen to our imaginary friends and we take their advice, because it is good advice. They read their Bibles more than we do,

Credit: PhotoDune

so they know…

And our phones are connected to social media 100% of the time, because publishers and God want us to talk about our adventures, and we do, and we answer our fans and their questions, but we do it in the bathroom (don’t judge), or walking across the street (walk around us, please), but never driving, because we’re not stupid.


We’re not locked away in a study typing all day, and we’re doing all we can to not destroy our family’s lives by writing—but we know this is God’s calling. And we're learning that God has not abandoned us by giving us two incompatible tasks—life and writing—but we're learning our writing reflects life. Because we’re living our lives to the fullest. And one day, despite swollen eyes and stressed bodies and fragile minds, we wake up, look at our lives, and realize we have become a spokesperson for our God.

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Peter Leavell is an award winning historical fiction author. He and his family research together, creating magnificent adventures. Catch up with him on his website at www.peterleavell.com, or friend him on Facebook: Peter R. Leavell. 

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Why Do We Doubt God? by Lisa Jordan

Several months ago, I had to renew my family childcare provider license. I set it aside because I was in the middle of final edits for Lakeside Family, which released this month, child assessments and preparing for an upcoming writers retreat.

Then I received a 30-day renewal reminder. I dug out the paperwork, filled out the application, had the required physical and had my son's clearances done.

Once I received his clearances, I could mail everything. The days slipped off the calendar at an alarming rate. I kept asking my son if he received the clearances in the mail.

"Nooo, Mooooom."

Moms of teenagers, I'm sure you can hear it in your head. Then he realized I wasn’t talking about something for college, but for my business. He had received it, but couldn’t find it in the abyss of his bedroom. He started cleaning right away, but I needed a miracle.

I prayed and asked my writing support team to pray.

I had 7 days. Without my renewed license, my business—our primary bread and butter at the time—would close. My stress level was through the roof.

Then, I came to the realization—would closing my business be so terrible? I could work part-time and write a lot more than I do now. God must have a reason for all of this, right?

Maybe I needed to understand He could be sending me down a new path. Maybe I needed to be better organized.

Maybe I simply needed to trust.

I surrendered my fears and anxiety to Him. Whatever happened, I would embrace and move forward.

I mailed what I had with a note explaining the duplicate clearances had been mailed. After receiving my application, my rep called to say she was giving me an extension since she knew the documents were on their way. When I received them, I needed to fax her a copy.

I received the clearances in record time, faxed and mailed copies, and received my new license by the original date. No extension needed.

Why? All because of God.

When I opened the envelope containing my license, I laughed.

Why did I doubt God?

He always answers our prayers, but sometimes we may not like hearing Him say no. No means change. No means pain. No means uncertainty for the future.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 promises "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

What an incredible Life Compass. Even if we have change in our lives, we're not walking toward it alone.

Your turn: Share a time in your life where God provided or pulled you through a situation in a way only He could.

Married 23 years to her real life hero, Lisa Jordan knows a thing or two about romance. She and her husband have two college-aged sons and will be facing an empty nest soon. By day, Lisa is an early childhood educator, and by night, she is a contemporary romance novelist with Love Inspired. Lakeside Reunion, her debut novel, is a 2012 Carol Award Finalist. Lakeside Family, her second novel, releases in August 2012. She is represented by Rachelle Gardner of Books & Such Agency. In her free time (ha!), Lisa enjoys good books, chick flicks, crafting with friends and feeding her NCIS addiction. To learn more about Lisa, visit her website at www.lisajordanbooks.com.

Lisa is celebrating Lakeside Family with a month-long party of giveaways, including Coffee Lovers and Tea Lovers baskets. For more details and to join her party, click here.