Saturday, July 7, 2012

Weekend Worship—The Hard Walk of Faith


For we walk by faith, not by sight. II Corinthians 5:7
As writers, we have chosen to follow a difficult path. I remember, after a particularly hard week, my husband remarked that he wished I’d chose another career, something simple—like becoming a movie star. 
His comparison was more appropriate than he realized. Success, for both career choices appears, from the outside at least, to rely on being popular with a lot of people. Reaching the top seems to come and go with the whims of an unknown audience. We struggle and strive for numbers—likes on our Facebook pages, followers on Twitter, and ultimately sales numbers. We seek to please our readers, our publishers, even other writers. 

We are word people, caged and captured by numbers.
But when we have chosen this path at God’s calling, our focus needs to be somewhere other than those who will read our words. Our audience is an audience of One, and it is to Him and Him alone that we owe our allegiance. He will dictate, with wisdom far beyond our own, who will read our words and the reach they will have. And I for one, am well pleased to leave my destiny in His capable hands. 
So today I encourage you to seek out the joy of your audience, because I know He is well pleased by your obedience to follow His call. Let Him lavish you with praise and protect you from worry. Leave the numbers to Him and concentrate only on the words.

12 comments:

  1. So true Edie, and good thoughts to remember! Thanks!

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  2. Beautifully written! Time to refocus on my audience...

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  3. Edie, thanks for a beautiful reminder. As a pre-published writer, I daily need to remind myself to keep my eyes & heart focused on God, my Reader, and the one who inspired me to write in the first place. And as you say, leave the rest to Him.

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  4. "Word people captured and caged by numbers." Poetically worded, striking the arrow to the bulls-eye.

    Frequently I must remind myself that I am not blogging to my glory, but His.

    Good Job!

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  5. What a wonderful post! Puts writing into perspective. Thanks, Edie.

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  6. "We are word people, caged and captured by numbers."
    Yes, I feel like that sometimes.
    Thank you for reminding me I don't have to live in that cage.

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  7. Thank you, Edie. This is a powerful reminder.

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  8. Thanks Edie. This continues to ring true as my motivation for writing my blog. No need to compare with others, just a need to focus on the audience of One who called us and will continue the good work He has started. Thanks for the timely reminder!

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  9. Thanks Edie! Such a needed reminder for me today!

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  10. Edie - I love this. Thank you!

    In Christ's love,
    Emily

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  11. Yes, Edie, thank you for reminding us of the One reason we write.
    Love, hugs, and prayers!

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