“When is
something finally going to break for me?”
I was on
the phone to a good friend. We were rehashing a familiar litany. When was he
going to find a publisher for his novels? When was I going to find a producer
for my screenplays? We discussed how our questions reflected our impatience
with God.
Both of us
had sensed His call to creative communication. We had both received
confirmation through wise counsel, had worked and studied diligently, and
received acclamation for our early work. In our hearts we were wondering,
“Lord, you have brought us to this door. When are you going to open it?”
During our
conversation, I remembered a scene from a movie in which a line of archers
stood with their arrows nocked, bow strings taut, muscles straining. The enemy
advanced but the archers’ leader shouted, “Hold!”
Among the
archers was a veteran of many battles. For him, the enemy was already within
range, but he waited, calm and assured. Next to him was a young man, fresh out
of training, fingers trembling on the bow string from a mixture of nerves and
eagerness. The wait for him was excruciating but he trusted his leader and
stood ready for the command to “Loose!”
Fired in
unison, the arrows took a devastating toll.
My friend
and I felt like we were somewhere in between the veteran and the rookie, having
been victorious in a few minor skirmishes. We had trained hard, proven
ourselves competent and were chafing for more action. This scene held a
powerful reminder: It’s not about us.
Yes, we had
been enlisted, honed our skills and been placed on that line. Our Commander had
been with us at every step. He knew our capabilities, our temperament, our
desires. But when He said, “Hold,” regardless of our individual opinion, we
needed to trust that He understood the field of battle. His strategy was sound.
With Him, we would ultimately be triumphant.
In His
timing, our efforts would be far more effective.
By the end
of the conversation, we had changed the question from, “When is something
finally going to break?” to “Will I be ready when He gives the command to
loose?”
Do you
stand on a similar line, wondering when God is going to release you? Or maybe
you’re a veteran who can share some words of wisdom for those of us who are
still waiting to be called up to our first major battle. It would be great to
hear your thoughts.
____________________
Through his involvement in Omega Writers, Simon is committed to seeing Christian writers aim true and hit their mark. His "victorious skirmishes" have included national short story and poetry prizes and placing as a finalist in an international short film competition. His YouTube channel, Songs with Simon, has almost 750,000 hits. He is actively waiting for feature film and television scripts to be accepted for production... all in God's time.
