God has planted within me a desire to write that I cannot deny. I've always written: notes, journal entries, stories, shopping lists, dramas, Bible studies, letters, essays, articles, and more recently, book-length manuscripts. When I write, I'm in my own little world. When I write, I'm totally unaware of time passing. When I write, I feel that this is the purpose for which I was created.
For many years my dream of making a contribution to Christian literature was put on hold. Marriage and a young family, then part-time study, took most of my time and energy, until one day I discovered that I finally had the time to write. I joined an online writing community, expecting to dazzle them with my ability. Instead I found out just how many good - in fact, very good - writers there are out there, all struggling to become published. Suddenly I realised how insignificant I was and how unlikely the chance of ever becoming published. My confidence was shaken, to say the least.
I questioned why God had given me this desire and gift to write if no one was ever going to read anything I'd written. Then one day in church while singing Jeff Deyo's song "Bless the Lord", I realised that even if I never had anything published, I would still Bless His Name forever:
And I will worship You. I will bless Your Name forever. I will worship You. Bless the Lord O my soul, bless the Lord.
Something about what I was experiencing reminded me of this passage from Habakkuk 3:17-18:
Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labour of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Once I realised that God had given me this gift and that He would use it as He saw fit, I yielded to His will even if that meant never seeing a word of mine in print.
I think it was the very next week that my first short story was accepted and published! Since then there's been a few more. Not a lot but enough to be encouraging.
However, ever since I was a little girl, I've had a dream of publishing not just a short story or article, but a book. Many many times it has seemed that the dream was just that - a dream. I know the 'statistics'. I know that only a small number of books are published each year. I know how hard it is to break into the publishing world and particularly the Christian publishing world. Who am I that I would imagine for even a moment that I might be 'different'?
And then the Lord led me to this verse:
For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry (Habakkuk 2:3,KJV).
It was a promise to hold onto. I knew that if God wanted my book to be published it would be and that it would happen in His time. I was prepared to wait however long it took. When I started to doubt, I would read this verse again and remember that the Lord is faithful.
Just over three months ago I sent off a manuscript. The publishing house I chose publishes only about two percent of all manuscripts received but since this was the only publishing house that fitted my criteria, I decided to start there. I prayed and allowed myself to dream a little but I didn't expect the vision to come to pass just yet. And yet, it would now seem that's a very real possibility.
I feel undeserving.
I feel shock.
I feel thankful.
God is good. So good.
And I will worship You. I will bless Your Name forever. I will worship You. Bless the Lord O my soul, bless the Lord.
For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14, KJV).
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His Name (John 20:31, KJV).
Bless the Lord O my soul, bless the Lord.
For many years my dream of making a contribution to Christian literature was put on hold. Marriage and a young family, then part-time study, took most of my time and energy, until one day I discovered that I finally had the time to write. I joined an online writing community, expecting to dazzle them with my ability. Instead I found out just how many good - in fact, very good - writers there are out there, all struggling to become published. Suddenly I realised how insignificant I was and how unlikely the chance of ever becoming published. My confidence was shaken, to say the least.
I questioned why God had given me this desire and gift to write if no one was ever going to read anything I'd written. Then one day in church while singing Jeff Deyo's song "Bless the Lord", I realised that even if I never had anything published, I would still Bless His Name forever:
And I will worship You. I will bless Your Name forever. I will worship You. Bless the Lord O my soul, bless the Lord.
Something about what I was experiencing reminded me of this passage from Habakkuk 3:17-18:
Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labour of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Once I realised that God had given me this gift and that He would use it as He saw fit, I yielded to His will even if that meant never seeing a word of mine in print.
I think it was the very next week that my first short story was accepted and published! Since then there's been a few more. Not a lot but enough to be encouraging.
However, ever since I was a little girl, I've had a dream of publishing not just a short story or article, but a book. Many many times it has seemed that the dream was just that - a dream. I know the 'statistics'. I know that only a small number of books are published each year. I know how hard it is to break into the publishing world and particularly the Christian publishing world. Who am I that I would imagine for even a moment that I might be 'different'?
And then the Lord led me to this verse:
For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry (Habakkuk 2:3,KJV).
It was a promise to hold onto. I knew that if God wanted my book to be published it would be and that it would happen in His time. I was prepared to wait however long it took. When I started to doubt, I would read this verse again and remember that the Lord is faithful.
Just over three months ago I sent off a manuscript. The publishing house I chose publishes only about two percent of all manuscripts received but since this was the only publishing house that fitted my criteria, I decided to start there. I prayed and allowed myself to dream a little but I didn't expect the vision to come to pass just yet. And yet, it would now seem that's a very real possibility.
I feel undeserving.
I feel shock.
I feel thankful.
God is good. So good.
And I will worship You. I will bless Your Name forever. I will worship You. Bless the Lord O my soul, bless the Lord.
For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14, KJV).
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His Name (John 20:31, KJV).
Bless the Lord O my soul, bless the Lord.
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