Wisdom is one of my favorite Bible topics. I confess I get behind in other Bible reading because I linger in Proverbs. I’m convinced we would live in a different world if everyone read from Proverbs each day. But that’s another discussion!

Today, Proverbs 19:8 creates a foundation for this post. It says, “To get wisdom is to love oneself; to keep understanding is to prosper.” As with many verses in Proverbs, the reader is admonished to pursue wisdom. It’s an act of love for self. Godly love. Why? Learning to love oneself, not in the way of arrogance, but in the way of a humble servant seeking to please our master, brings us closer to our God who loves us tenderly. In turn, we are better able to navigate learning our craft and understanding the business of writing. Understanding will allow us to thrive in our calling.

What does this look like in practice? Let’s be honest. The writing life can be confusing. The publishing world shifts rapidly. We put our creative self out for public view and critique. We face both lovers and haters of our work. Moments of triumph push us forward and moments of despair threaten to make us give up on our calling. Writers must become agile, flexible, and relentless in perfecting their craft. The only way to do this is to set aside pride and submit to the learning process. We must seek the knowledge and insight of those who have gone before us or those who have expertise we do not.

We will all give account for what we did with the gift of writing God gave us. In the time we lived in flesh, did we submit and give of ourselves so He might bless others through our gift?

The answers to this question dwell in the heart. I don’t want to disappoint the God I love and I’m sure you don’t either. If you are struggling with your calling to write, as we all do at various stages in our career, I would encourage you to learn to love yourself in the way Proverbs 19 suggests. So much will follow from that simple act.

If we wish to be God’s scribes, we must get wisdom and learn to love the person we are in a godly way. When we nurture our hearts and the gift of writing impressed upon our souls, we get closer to fulfilling His purposes in giving us that gift.

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Donna is represented by Sue Brower of the Natasha Kern Literary Agency. She’s a licensed minister, conference speaker, and estate planning attorney. She also works with GenderSave, a nonprofit seeking to empower women and girls at risk from gendercide practices in India. Contact Donna at donnakrice.com.