Why don’t you write about it?
Me? Write?
Yes. Put it down on paper.
So I started. As I started writing, it became really
interesting, then it became a booklet.
Why don’t you get it published?
Publish? Me?
I foresaw a life of camping, boating, jigsaws,
sailing, meeting friends, bush-walking. But writing?
Out Of My Comfort Zone, you ask? No, not really
OOMCZ so much, as about two planets away. And my feet remain firmly on earth.
So now that I have just published my first booklet,
I think back over the journey. Was I stretched? Yes. Uncomfortable? Yes.
Overwhelmed? At times. Stressed? Yes! Especially when it was two weeks before
my ‘book spot’ at the Christian Writers’ Conference and I still didn’t have a book
to show anyone!
Did God come through? Yes, yes and yes.
Often when we listen to God and obey, we are
stretched. Do I see you reaching for the ear-plugs? Well, before you pop them
in, just think about what you may miss.
Apart from the joy of obedience, and learning to
persist, and striving for excellence, I discovered I can do way more than I
ever thought through Jesus.
I also discovered God could do way more than I ever
thought with me.
Both these things have increased my faith in God and
my confidence that He will enable me to do what He asks.
And it has been exciting!
So the next project? Well, it is not a writing
project, but it will have writing and planning in it. God has been prompting me
for two years to work towards this, and reluctantly, I am taking steps. This
project is on my all-time list of ‘Things I Never
Want to do’.
Will I be stretched? Yes. (Painfully, I expect!) Am
I scared? Yes. Puzzled? Totally. Can I trust God to take me each step? Ummm…
I related this to Anne B, a lady I worked with many
years ago, to whom I dedicated my booklet. We met in Adelaide the week before
the Christian Writers' Conference. She told me about her experience when she started a new job in an area
she felt totally untrained for. She complained to God, ‘I have no idea why I am
in this job, or what I am doing?’ And He said to her, ‘Go to work, put down
your bag, and pick up a pencil.’ So, she went to work, put down her bag and
picked up a pencil. And God gave her so much information, she could barely
write fast enough.
Can I trust God to lead me each step?
I’m sitting here with my pencil poised …
Pamela writes mostly non-fiction including
devotions, and has had a number of short articles published. She is passionate
about promoting awareness around hearing loss, and is just finalising
publication of a booklet on this topic. An Allied Health worker, she is
currently working with people with a disability. She is a jigsaw addict, and
enjoys embroidery, art and sailing.
Blog site: http://pgheemskerk.blogspot.com.au
