WRITE WHERE I AM| Beyond Writing, Part 3 of 3
Jogging jogs my brain and offers some of my best thought
space. It was on a neighborhood run while reflecting on writing that I thought,
“Write where I am.”
I was in a "babies and bottles" season. Exclusively pumping milk for a little one because of
feeding challenges, it was all I could do to keep my head above water and my
older four children afloat. I’d written a book a few years back that had been immensely
helpful to me personally in getting perspective on how to apply the gospel to
every day motherhood, but because of a number of challenging life
circumstances, writing sat in the backseat of my mental minivan.
I’m learning that my capacity for work and ministry that
extends beyond my family ebbs and flows, expands and contracts. During an
intense season of care for our children, my primary calling clearly has been
directed to our home. Any extra energy has gone to serve my local church. I’ve
sought to understand what it means to “write where I am,” whatever that place
looks like and however its boundaries are defined for me.
Writing has always been a valuable way for me to process and
consider truth and ideas. It’s both an avenue by which God delivers grace to my
heart, helping me digest and absorb the nutritional content of his word, and a
way he’s allowed me to serve others in my family and in my church. But how much
time and energy I devote to writing is a fine balance among the other
responsibilities to which God calls me. The reality is that:
We all have limited time. We each get the same
amount—24 hours a day.
We have finite resources. These vary from person to
person, life season to season. They include money and possessions, physical
energy, and emotional capacity (among others).
We have specific talents and skills. Some talents and
skills are more developed than others, depending on our degree of talent and time
investment to practice them.
We have spiritual gifts. In the Body of Christ, we
all have gifts and are instructed to use them for the good of the Body.
Writing happens to be on the forefront of my mind, but what
I’m about to say can be applied more broadly. When I thought, “Write
where I am,” I was rarely even journaling. My “writing” was as basic as grocery
and to-do lists with an occasional thank you note or birthday card to a friend.
It was really basic, things that many can do, no special talent or skill required.
But there was great pleasure in the idea of redeeming an otherwise mundane
activity and infusing it with meaning. Those lists are important because it’s a
practical way I’m thinking of and caring for my family. Even in a to-do list, I
can serve others and serve Christ with writing.
I sensed the injunction to write, no matter how basic the
application, in whatever season of life I find myself.
For all of us, how will we use our time, resources,
talents, skills and gifts to serve Christ and advance his Kingdom right
where we are?
In the recesses of my brain, I remember reading a book that
encouraged adding beauty to everyday life for our own pleasure, the joy of
those around us, and God’s glory.[1]
Maybe add a flower sketch to that grocery list? How can we apply our creativity and unique skill set to beautify whatever mundane task is set
before us?
Whenever I wean a little one, it seems like my heart starts searching
for the next project. Anyway, I started 2019 reading my mother-in-love’s copy
of Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman by Anne Ortlund. As I read, I
asked the Lord again, “How can I best use what you’ve given me, for your Kingdom?” Through prayer and the prodding of a number of friends, I’m
taking baby steps to offer more of my writing in the vast unknown of the Internet. Thus, a blog and a handful of articles are born.
Whatever our situation or circumstance of life, how do we
use the talents God’s given us? Whether we’re one, two, or five-talent
people, how do we best invest our resources for his Kingdom and not simply bury
our talents in the ground?[2]
I’m learning that it’s all about faithfulness.
What does faithfulness look like today? How can we most fruitfully apply our gifts, talents, and
unique experiences to whatever we do?
Faithfulness springs from faith. It’s something we do by
faith. When we’re faithful, we imitate God who, even when we’re faithless,
is always faithful.[3] It
isn’t about self-promotion or puffing ourselves up, but rather pointing to God.
We’re saying that he is worthy of our faithfulness. In its essence, faithfulness
is obedience even when it’s unpopular or uncomfortable.
True faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit.[4] It’s
a matter of worship that puts pride in its place and glorifies God. We receive deep,
abiding joy—another fruit of the Spirit—in the process.
When we're faithful, we're also prone to particular temptations. What keeps us from
using our gifts and talents in a God-glorifying way? Is it fear of
vulnerability, criticism, slander, or some other harm? Is it self-doubt?
When the goal is faithfulness, we’re not focusing on
numbers. We’re not comparing ourselves or our accomplishments with those of others.
Instead, we make ourselves available and—with prayer and humility—practice our
gifts.
The secret is found in John 15:4-5:
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit
by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in
me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he
it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
Apart from God, we can do nothing. Everything we have comes
from him. Our personhood itself is a gift from God. We bring nothing and are
nothing apart from him. But if we abide in him, he says we’ll bear much fruit.
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not
for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your
reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24
For more about Katie's book, Loving My Children, click here.
Email Katie at lovingmychildrenbook@gmail.com.
[1] The
Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer
[2]
Matt. 25:14-30
[3] 2
Tim. 2:13
[4]
Gal. 5:22-23