By Jennifer Heeren, @HeerenJennifer

It’s easy to wonder if you are wasting your time with this writing nonsense. Does anyone care? How can your humble words be helpful to anyone?

Wait! Before you fall into this deep trap of despair, go to God in prayer. Pray earnestly to Him about your decision. Be like the persistent widow in Luke 18. She kept asking until she got an answer. And she was petitioning an unjust judge. We are petitioning a God who is full of grace and truth. Also, consider Hannah in 1 Samuel 1. She cried out for what she wanted and offered the results back to God. 

Pour out your heart to God. He might bring you back to the “why” that began your writing journey in the first place. You probably wanted to serve Him by encouraging His people. This is a great “why.” You probably desired to write His answer and make it plain so that the reader might run their race better (Habakkuk 2:2).

Once you remember your “why,” make sure that it aligns with God’s “why” for your writing, as much as you can. Pray to see more of God’s version of fruitful writing. His idea may be that your writing reaches enough people to make a best seller’s list. But it also might be that it simply reaches one person at a time when they desperately need to hear it. In God’s economy, one person reached means a lot. After all, He left the ninety-nine to reach the one. 

Keep writing because someone needs to hear what you write.

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. ~ Galatians 6:9 NLT

---

Runaway

A novella memoir that dreams of a time where all people are equal.

Callie Brandonfeld once lived on a beautiful plantation in southern Virginia, where tall oak and magnolia trees offered shade. In the spring, blossoms perfumed the air. Yes, it was an idyllic place to grow up, except when it wasn’t.

It was early summer of 1858 when eighteen-year-old Callie ran away from her family home. She was desperate to find a place where all people are treated like people, not possessions. Would she ever find such a place? And could she survive the long journey to get there?

Jennifer Heeren wants to live in a way that her writing and her attitude encourage people. She loves to write devotional articles and stories that bring people hope and encouragement. Her cup is always at least half-full, even when circumstances aren’t ideal. She regularly contributes to Crosswalk. She lives near Atlanta, Georgia with her husband. Visit her at her website, on Facebook, and Amazon.