“Jesus isn’t going to return in Air Force One.”
This was the statement I heard as I turned on my Facebook live stream to catch my church’s Sunday morning worship. We were already into the sermon section, and our pastor was talking about making time to listen to
God.
He followed up with, “And you won’t hear him if you only listen during half-time of the Vikings game.” (actually, I was hoping that ALL the Vikings were having a come-to-Jesus during half-time. Maybe joining the rest of Vikings Nation in fervent prayer…alas…) He was jesting, of course—God can speak anywhere, anytime. But our pastor had a point.
We have to take time to listen.
To our own hearts.
To our values, our convictions, our dreams.
And most importantly…
To God.
(A shot from my writing cabin)
See, we live in a crazy world, full of too much media and
distractions and “I just need to check Facebook…”
What if we turned it off and sat in quiet, just for an hour? Asked God to dig around in our hearts and surface truths?
I sat on the tarmac going to Nashville for two hours last Tuesday, (while they replaced the wing or some other mechanical issue) and did just that. I looked through the window, my tablet/Bible open, thinking about my values, my convictions, my life…and I heard God say something he repeated throughout the weekend…
“Let not your heart be troubled.” (John 14) I looked it up and was impressed to read all the way to… “Arise, and Go from here.”
At the time, I thought God might be talking about the plane.
(ARISE, for cryin’ in the sink!)
But as it turned out, He was talking about a number of other things in my life—disappointments, hurts, regrets…things that have kept me earthbound, discouraged, defeated.
“Let not your heart be troubled.”
Jesus is basically saying to the disciples, who are heavy with worry— I promise, I am who I say I am. You wanted to see God…look at ME. Be filled with truth. Be filled with peace. I am here with you. And I keep my promises.
So, Arise.
Go. From. Here.
One of the great things about being a writer is that we can channel all our hurts into our characters. Let them deal with the pain, interact, struggle, learn…and then find freedom, leaving the past behind.
When our characters find freedom, we can too.
I know, at least, that’s how it works for me. Oddly, I see the core of my struggles best when I’m writing them into my characters. (Apparently, I have a hard time seeing it for myself, so God has gently given me examples. From inside my head.)
It all starts with getting quiet and listening to God. Finding those hurt places inside us that we can bring out onto the page. Finding those values that we can write to, and convictions that we can give our characters to give them body and substance. And then applying his truth to those wounds, disappointments, regrets…
Whatever you’re struggling with today, I encourage you to get quiet.
Listen to God. Let him surface those things that have been dragging you down. Then, let him fill you up with His Truth, to free you.
Then arise and get writing. Because your story matters. And God wants to use you to impact the world.
You can write something brilliant!
Susie May
P.S. If you’re struggling with ways to find quiet in your life, you might be interested in our planner for creatives. It not only helps you block out quite time, but we have a course that comes with the planner that talks about how to find that essential inspirational time every day. Check it out here:
My Brilliant Writing Planner. (and get $20 off until the end of October on your pre-order!)
