by Jeanne Takenaka, @jeannetakenaka
I’ve never gotten into the spooky side of Halloween. I watched Texas Chainsaw Massacre when I was thirteen, and that cured me from watching more horror and spooky things.
Even now, as a mom of boys, we watch a lot of Avengers. But we’ve never encouraged our guys to watch gory flicks.
And though I’m intentional about not inviting external spookiness into my thoughts, I have a tough time ridding myself of some of those internal spooky things . . . As a writer, especially, I’ve dealt with scary thoughts. Lies, actually.
They’re sneaky. And, unlike the one-day-a-year spookiness that comes with Halloween, these lies attempt to weave into the fabric of our beliefs. They’ll either cause us to give up our dreams in failure or become our own kind of Avengers as we overcome them to fulfill the calling God’s given us to write.
Three lies writers believe and the truths that can help us overcome:
- Lie: I’m a failure because _________ (fill in the blank)
Truth: God’s timing is perfect. He knows His plans for us. When things don’t go as quickly as we want, that’s okay. He knows what we need to master on our journeys. When we yield to Him, trust His timing, and learn from the obstacles, we are the winners.
- Lie: I’m a poser. People think I’m a writer, but I don’t do _______ perfectly. I’m waiting for them to discover I’m not all they think I am.
Truth: If God’s given you words, you’re a writer. He’s given the perfect-for-you story/book/message to share with whoever your readers are or will be. We’re always in the process of becoming. Hate to say it, but we’ll never attain perfection this side of heaven.
- Lie: My success is all up to me. How often have we strived and over-worked because we thought achieving succeeding is all on us?
Truth: God orders our steps. We have our role . . . to do the work. To get our backside in a chair and write. And rewrite. And edit. And polish. But God . . .
His role is to give us His inspiration. To open and close doors
Our writing journeys are a dance with our Father. Though He’s the lead, we must invite Him into the process. Before I put fingers to the keyboard I pray. I ask for His inspiration, that He would guide my thoughts as I work on my story. When I invite God into this journey, He shows up. He supports. He offers encouragement.
We can try to go this journey alone, and that can be spooky. It’s a fun adventure when we invite God into it. When we remember He wants to do this writing-thing with us . . .
. . . when we fill our thoughts and our hearts with His truth . . .
these lies are shown for what they are: lies . . . meant to discourage us from fulfilling the calling God has gifted each of us with.
What about you? What spooky lie have you had to overcome?
Award-winning aspiring novelist, Jeanne Takenaka, writes contemporary inspirational fiction that tackles real life issues with a heart to draw women closer to God and those around them. She lives near the mountains in Colorado with her amazing husband and two exuberant boy-men. She loves being God’s girl—always learning about His grace, hanging out with friends and enjoying a great cup of coffee. When she’s not writing you can find her with a camera in her hand, looking for #alittlebitofpretty in her days. You can connect with her on her blog, on Facebook and on Twitter.