Perfection Not Required!

by Anusha Atukorala 

 

Ever since we came to this beautiful Land Down Under, 27 years ago, our local library has enjoyed plenty of custom from all three of my family, and especially from little old me! I’d often emerge after a browsing session, carrying over 40 books. And how wonderful to know that that number was still less than half the number of items anyone is allowed to check out at a given time! Amazing! Thank You God for libraries!

A few months ago, I discovered that I had plenty of unread books in my own personal collection. The fact is, I always gave priority to my library books, since they needed to be returned by a certain date and therefore, I never seemed to get to my own. I had to do something about those unread books! Before my two cataract operations, the first in mid-January this year, I plunged into a frenzied de-cluttering and re-arranging spree of all of my books in our bedroom, and placed all my unread books (mostly gifts) on one shelf for easy access. Brilliant!

After my first surgery, I was delighted that I could SEE clearly again! What a difference good eyesight made! The titles of the books on my bookshelves were not a vague blur as they used to be … I could even read the titles while lounging on my bed, a fair distance away. I stopped borrowing too many from the library so I could concentrate on those close at hand. One of the first books that I read was Christian fiction – a long novel it was. I had no idea if I’d found this book at a second hand bookshop or if someone had gifted it to me. I mostly read secular fiction or Christian nonfiction, so this was unusual.

At first, the story seemed to be a basic plot. There was also quite a bit of head hopping … hmm … how good would this story be? And was it worth my time? As I kept reading, I decided it was. I even began to find great enjoyment in the story. Its main character Sophie became very real to me. She had a beautiful faith and a gentle heart that impacted others around her for good. Although the Christian content was perhaps too explicit for my liking, it still continued to capture my interest. I stayed with it for all 425 pages of it, finally loving the story and especially the happy ending.

And what did I learn from reading this story? That as Christian writers, perfection doesn’t have to be our aim. Yes, God calls us to excellence, and we need to do the best we can. Yes, we must take our writing seriously. We must work hard to polish and cultivate our craft. But … perfection? Now that is another matter! Perfection rarely exists on this side of eternity. 

The thing is, that if we don’t get to publish our writing because we can’t stop editing it … no one will ever read our work. If we compare our writing with other gifted writers, we might give up in frustration, hanging our heads in shame down like a child who’s been sent to her room as punishment for bad behaviour. We each have a calling from our Almighty God. Psalm 139 verse 16 says, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16 Which means that He who created us, planned that you and I would write for His glory, well before the beginning of time! Wow!

So here’s my encouragement to you today, dear friend. If you feel less than enough as a Christian writer, think again. If He called you to write (and you know He has), your best is good enough. Your efforts to write as well as you can for Jesus is enough. You can communicate the love of God, even without a perfect story. You can communicate the heart of God, simply by following the whispers of the Holy Spirit. Yes, we need to aim at excellence in our craft and with all of our being. But self-condemnation and comparison with other writers is not required.

What IS required is a humble trusting heart, a pen yielded to the God who writes our own stories and a desire to be used of Him. So ... what are you waiting for? Keep sharing the stories He laid on your heart. In the bigger scheme of things, reviews or the lack of them, the number of books you sell or don’t sell isn’t what is most important. Reaching hearts, one at a time, is a goal we can all aim at. Doing what you can, when you can, how you can, with our faithful God’s help, is all that’s needed. So keep those stories coming, dear friend and let your voice be heard. God’s created you to bless and build His world. It won’t be complete without you and your awe-inspiring stories! Keep writing!

P.S. As for our spiritual lives, now that is a tad different! Jesus said to his disciples, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48  Like our books, our lives too will not reflect His perfection, this side of heaven, but our goal is to become like Jesus. So let's work long and hard on our books, and let's work even harder to become more like our Creator, the Author of each of our stories, JESUS!

Anusha’s been on many interesting detours in life, as a lab technician, a computer programmer, a full time Mum, a full time volunteer, a charity director, a full time job chaser, until one golden day (or was it a dark moonless night?) God tapped her on her shoulder and called her to write for Him. She has never recovered from the joy it brought her. She loves to see others enjoying life with Jesus and does her mite to hurry the process in her world through her writing and through her life. The goodness of God is her theme song through each season, as she dances in the rain with Jesus.

 

Her first book Enjoying the Journey contains 75 little God stories that will bring you closer to your Creator. Her 2^nd book ‘Dancing in the Rain’ brings you hope and comfort for life’s soggy seasons. Her 3rd book, ‘Sharing the Journey’ is a sequel to 'Enjoying the Journey'.

 

Do drop in on her two websites to say G’day! She’d love to connect with you.

Dancing in the Rain 

Light in the Darkness