I was pleasantly surprised to be one of the finalists of the Caleb Awards last year, in the fiction category. Before I continue, I must take this moment to thank the judges and organisers, and to congratulate all the participants and winners. What a great highlight from such a crazy year!
The process of
entering the Caleb Awards had a truly positive effect on me, and not just because it pushed
me to finish my novel! Deadlines are something I work well to, and often having
the pressure to get something finished is the motivation I need to stop binging
Netflix, or reading someone else’s novel, and work on mine. That being said, I do
recall having a bit of a chat with God about the awards, after becoming
slightly cranky with him about the pressure to get things ready before the first
deadline. It was a very short conversation, and went like this…
Me: I don’t know how to fix this part! It’s too hard, God, why did you ask me to enter the awards?
God: I never asked
you to, Helen.
Me:….. {awkward
silence}
He was right, of course. I had made the choice to submit my manuscript, not once stopping to ask God if it was the right timing or something he wanted. I returned to God, repentant, and humble, and asked him, “Lord, do you want me to enter the awards?”
His answer was
so beautiful - “Yes, enter them if you want to, but Helen...do not lose the joy
of writing.”
There it was. There
was the problem. I had stopped writing for the love of it, and had exchanged
the joy for the pressure, for the need to be perfect and score highly, rather
than because God had asked me to write the novel, and because I loved the characters
and the storylines and the very process of writing.
I truly believe
that God calls us to do what brings us great joy. I remember the day in September
2019 when God told me to write again, having been running a photography
business for four years, I was so excited; as I twirled the pen I was journaling
with in my fingers, I noticed with surprise and gladness the words written along the barrel: Ink Joy. Sitting in McDonalds, sipping my half strength extra
hot cappuccino, I beamed so brightly that day.
I never want to
lose that joy of writing for God, whatever the content might be; a novel, a journal
entry, an Instagram or Facebook post, a message to a friend, or a blog post for
fellow Christian authors to read. And I always want to be thankful that I have the opportunity to write in places that bring me joy, such as the beach in the image above, usually with a coffee in hand; I am a 'regular' in many cafes nowadays!
And so, dear
friends, I would ask each of you, are you writing with joy? Or have you become
bogged down in the process, the need to dot your I’s and cross your Ts, the
need for perfectly polished prose or the best possible concepts and ideas? Have
you lost the joy of the calling to write? If not, then I celebrate with you and
look forward to perhaps reading your words in the not-so-distant future. But if
you can honestly say that no, you do not feel the spark of joy anymore, then my
prayer for you is that you would return to God, as I needed to, and ask him for
a fresh blessing on your writing and creativity. He is such a loving God, and he wants to bless
us in so many ways; I know that when we come to him in humility, he is quick to
embrace us and bless us beyond what we could possibly ask or imagine.
Colossians
3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the
name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New
International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica,
Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The
“NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United
States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
What a great revelation, Helen. You clearly do work extremely well to deadline pressure. ;) Although, as someone who is personally deadline averse, I can appreciate your frustration when things fail to fall into place.
ReplyDeleteI've certainly felt bogged down while upskilling for indie publishing and have, on the hard days, questioned why God led me (and he very clearly has) down such a difficult path. As I read your words, "I truly believe that God calls us to do what brings us great joy" my heart thrilled with understanding. Yes, I love writing, but I've also enjoyed the precision of creating my book's internal layout in inDesign (a program I had to learn from scratch) and taking photos and discovering again how much I enjoy creating and designing images and illustrations - those arty things in which I feel inadequately skilled but thoroughly enjoy spending hours and hours creating - while designing the cover. I smiled with God as I realised he's taken me on a journey which allows me to enjoy even more of those things that bring me joy. So thank you for enhancing my appreciation of God's love and goodness towards us and his commitment to our joy today.
How wonderful, to be using so many creative outlets! Although yes, the learning curve is steep, especially with some of the Adobe programs, but they are great to use in the end...once the tears have stopped! I have memories of learning Photoshop at TAFE, there was not much joy to begin with! Thanks for sharing a bit of insight into your world with us, I am delighted this encouraged you :-D
DeleteThat's a great call for the start of a new year, Helen! Well done for being a CALEB finalist, but far more for figuring the truth of what you've just shared here. I wrote my 9 novels with great joy, but had a bit of an attitude setback around 2016, which made me retreat from the picture for a few years. But writing my book blog gives me that same joy, which I take as a green light to keep going, even though it isn't perhaps as 'high profile' as a writing a book, haha. It's so easy to get caught up in such considerations which don't mean a thing. Blessings this year, for whatever you write.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Paula. I love reading your reviews on Instagram, they are always so well thought out and very insightful. It's great you could have a break for a while, do you think you'll write another novel? I'd so love to have another Adelaide meet-up, I think we're all way overdue...now that would be a cause for joyous celebration!
DeleteSuch an excellent, thoughtful post, Helen - thank you. I can almost feel the joy through what you wrote, so keep writing like that! And my congratulations too for being a CALEB Awards finalist. A few years ago, when I mentioned I might write another novel to someone, she made some comment about only doing it if I still found it enjoyable, and I've never forgotten that. It's a question I still ask myself even now, several books later, whenever I am thinking of tackling a new writing project. Yes, there'll be days when writing is hard, but I think if we're not enjoying it on the whole, then that will show. And beyond that, I think, as you say, we need to make sure, to the best of our ability, that we're doing what God wants us to do.
ReplyDeleteOh I am so glad my joy came through, thank you! It is a balance isn't it,reminding ourselves to enjoy the work, and yes some days are very taxing on our minds! What an amazing privilege it is to write, and bring Glory to God in all we do. Blessings for the year ahead Jo-Anne.
DeleteHelen, I love what you wrote. Thank you. I have let writing become a pressure instead of a joy and a privilege. “I should be writing more. I should, I should, I should.......”. I don’t know when I last enjoyed writing, but it’s time for an attitude adjustment. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm in for a few attitude adjustments this year! I truly hope and pray that you can find your joy again, Janelle, and block out the shoulds as they bombard you. Blessings for what lies ahead for you this year, Janelle.
ReplyDelete