Starting Somewhere

I have felt called to write for many years. I often find myself with a blank sheet pulled up on my computer…an empty page blinking back at me. This empty space feels both exciting and daunting. 

(…taps fingers on keyboard) “What to write”…

While the potential to start creating in this abyss with sheer open ended freedom is welcoming, the unknown of where to begin or what to say throws me back into discomfort and a sea of questions:

“What do I write?”

“What do I have to say that hasn’t been said by someone else before…and said better?”

“What if I sound stupid?”

“What if no one understands what I am saying?”

“What if no one likes what I have to say?”

“What if I don’t fully understand what I want to write about because I am still learning?”

“What if I don’t ‘have it down’ yet…does that discount me?”

I find myself discrediting my words before they are even recorded. And, if I'm correct in the analysis of these thought patterns, I think I choose to not write (or not to publish my writing) because I want to avoid rejection. 

You see, if I put my words out there…if I share this thing I love to do, this thing I feel gifted at, this thing I feel called to do: what will I experience?

(goes back to edit sections…to reread)

Will people judge my writing? (I’m sure they will.)

Will people like what I have to say? (Perhaps.)

Will my writing bless others or simply be white noise? (I pray it’s the former)

Will people disregard, create assumptions, or sneer at me? (I imagine so.)

 

But deeper than these questions that could potentially lead to feelings of rejection, is the Truth: the Truth that I am not defined by what others think of me; the Truth that I am gifted to write and I am called to share it; and the Truth that the only One that defines me is the very One who gave me the gift and the call in the first place. So, if my words are only written and published as an act of obedience, then that will be enough.

(edits…adds…erases…copies and pastes…rewrites…moves on)

Written words can become an avenue for communication, connection, and imagination where word and world pictures are created, where people discover, “I’m not alone,” and where eureka moments sprinkle our lives with unexpected clarity. I pray that the following blog posts become avenues through which God speaks to you: 

where He reminds you that He sees you;

where He reminds you that you are His;

where He reminds you that you are not alone;

where He helps you uncover spaces you didn’t know needed tender care;

I believe that God wants to use me for His glory. I believe He wants to use you for His glory. I believe He wants to use us in spite of our weaknesses, in spite of us not having it “all together.” In fact, the Bible says that in our weaknesses He is strong, so we can boast all the more gladly in our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). 

So why don’t we meet here, in this space, to share in His glory? 

         to revel at His power and

         to share our weaknesses? 

Why don’t we meet here to share stories, truths, transformations, and other bits of life?

No matter what walk of life you come from, no matter where you are right now or where you have been: you’re welcome here. I’d love to share some life with you. Shall we begin?