Welcome to the blog of author Tricia Goyer!

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Thursday Tip...Spiritual Success

Today, let’s look at the spiritual side of the writing issue.

When God wanted to free the Israelites, he sought out Moses. We can say the same about Gideon, Esther, and David.

I'd like to think the same about my (our) writing. God has a message that He wants to get out, and so He speaks to our hearts. Or causes us to come across a bit of something we know will make a great novel/article/book.

It's been helping me to remember this—God has a message, and He's chosen ME to share it. Not only that. He doesn't leave it up to ME to do it, but He will see it through to completion.

For YEARS I imagined this as my writing, my calling—as a gift God gave me for me to unwrap and use. He was beside me, of course, helping me when I needed in.

Now I see it as something God put IN me. Jesus, too, is in me, unwrapping the gift layer by layer, empowering me to complete the tasks He’s given me.

God has messages He desires to speak to His world, and I’m honored that God has chosen me to share them. How can I claim any pride in that? Or, on the flip side how can I (like Moses) argue with God and look at my sales/success and say it’s not “good enough” and give up?

Yes, the world will go on without my writing, but what about God’s message … and my calling? More than that, what about my experience with Jesus I’ll miss out on if I’m only focused on success according to the world?

3 comments:

Jen's Journey said...

He is wonderful, isn't He? I truly believe you are correct in this realization. He uses us for His purpose and gifts us with His insight, even if we are not always aware of what He wants the message to be. We may not even be able to discern the message ourselves, but someone else may read something in the message we couldn't.

God Bless you!

ebussey said...

Well, I'm back and He is truly amazing! I love this post Tricia. It was such a confirmation of what God has been speaking to me in the past several weeks. Mother's day was amazing! God is so living and active.

If you will all keep my mom in your prayers. She will be having brain surgery on July 2nd.

Tricia Goyer said...

Jen, you're right. I've had people come back and tell me what they got out of my books ... well, okay. I didn't plan on that message, but obviously God did!

Also, I'll pray for your mom and the surgery. May God guide the surgeon's hands!