As a writer, there are many times when things just don’t go right. The plot takes a wrong turn. The agent doesn’t think your story is publish-worthy. Your dog eats your only hard copy of your manuscript.

The writing life is full of disappointments. But it is also filled with glorious wins and blessings. As a writer, your words will reach untold numbers of people and will impact their lives in ways you can only imagine.

Haven’t you read a book and thought, “I can only imagine what that character felt like”, or “I wonder if the author experienced that? How else could they write about that so deeply?”

You can only write what you can imagine. And you can only imagine if you’ve felt that or something similar. Those rejections prepare you for that scene in your book when the heroine feels the depth of despair, followed by the happily ever after. Who wouldn’t feel encouraged—even victorious—after walking that road with your character?!

You have to understand and believe that all things really DO work together for good. Yes, even those gut-wrenching disappointments in your writing career where you want to sell your computer and pick up the knitting needles.

You will always go through the fire and the water. It’s a part of life but notice it said “through”. You won’t stay there and you can only imagine the immeasurable wealth of wisdom and truth you gather along the way.

Without even realizing it, you’ll share that wealth in the lines and chapters of your prose and you can’t even conceive of how much it will bless others. Walk the path. Ride the sometimes lonely road. When challenges emerge and you face what seems like insurmountable odds, know you have within you not only the ability to overcome, but to use the experience to enrich the lives of others.

What a glorious gift challenges are. What powerful emotion you can capture and put into words when you are disappointed by rejection. You don’t have to ask for it but welcome it when it comes. Learn from it. Use it to write compelling stories, all the while thanking God you know what your characters face.

If you do that, how much better will your book be? Well, I can only imagine!