by Sarah Van Diest @SarahVanDiest
So,
be not hindered. Say it, email it, pray it, and by all means, if you are a writer…write!
http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/
My words rest on the page as if sleeping.
They are worn out from their journeys and struggles. The
stories they would tell if they weren’t so tired are of an epic nature, I am
sure. Where they have traveled, what they have seen and endured, how they have
suffered and triumphed, and what miseries and hopes they have carried! They are
weary, and for good reason. “The road has been long” is an underdeveloped
expression of their experience.
New life is breathed into them only with exposure to fresh
eyes. Until that transformative moment where they are enlivened once again,
they remain still and lifeless, though full of the potential energy which an
encounter could excite.
They wait for you.
Encapsulated and insulated in their hulls is the heart that
beats in me and the mind that whirrs, and imbedded further still in that heart
and in that mind is our Father’s Spirit eager to connect us all together. Those
sleeping words, lying dormant on the page, are the bottle in the ocean and our
Father’s Spirit is the message rolled up inside. I do not say this to claim I
speak for the Father, but to say the overflow of the heart spills into our
words.
Our words are a gift from the Father who first spoke creation into existence. He lives
in our words when our hearts “…have been crucified with Christ; (and) it is no
longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh
I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me, and delivered Himself up for
me” Gal. 2:20. Words live in us and in the Word we have life. Beautiful and
graceful, ethereal in nature, yet more solid than the foundations of the earth,
words are our essence and very existence.
I write them for you. They wait for you.
But here I turn and twist to see another view of the words
on my page. If I look closely, with stillness in my breast, if clarity and calm
define as my eyes fall upon the resting words, I see the life within them
rising, and their weariness dropping off, untethering them from the page. The
Spirit that lives in me infuses them with life and I love them once again. My eyes have become fresh and so I see their
newness myself.
How kind the Father is. My words do not just wait for you,
but wait for me as well. They hold within them the Spirit that lives to bring
life; to bring comfort; to bring joy and peace. I say again, how kind the
Father is.
Now I turn the eyes of my heart to you, dear reader. Your
words. Your heart. Your mind. The Father lives there. The Father loves there.
With all I have within me, I urge you to write, to speak, to use your words to
bring life. As you keep them to yourself, hiding them in your fears as we all
do at times, they push against the walls of your heart, longing to find their
next landing place. They landed first in you, but there are other hearts they
need to find as well. They came to bring comfort and hope, and that’s what
their purpose is. Share them. Please. Our world needs life-giving words.
That’s how we first came about:
“In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He
was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and
apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was
life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness did not comprehend it” John 1:1-5.
Our words may seem tired. They may lie lifeless on the page,
but as the Spirit works, they quicken and live. The darkness cannot comprehend it. The darkness cannot overtake the
life the Spirit brings.
Educated as a teacher, Sarah taught school for nearly 20 years. As a young woman, she lived in China amid the rice paddies and water buffalo near Changsha, and then later taught English in Costa Rica for four years and raised her two sons.
Sarah is married for the second time, the mother of 2 boys and the step-mother to 3 more. She and her husband, David, work together in their agency The Van Diest Literary Agency. Her full name is Sarah Ruth Gerke Van Diest. She’s 5’5” and cuts her hair when stress overtakes her.
She is a freelance editor (including a New York Times and USA Today bestseller), blogger (The Write Conversation) and writer for hire. Her first book releases with NavPress in 2018.
Sarah, I had a discussion yesterday about words bringing life. He was speaking negative, proclaiming doom for his future. I encouraged him to proclaim the promises of God. I will read this to him when he wakes. Thank you so much for your timely encouragement.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Cherrilynn. Thank for you sharing your story with me. I am honored.
DeleteYou speak words of life to me every month. You are a blessing!
Sarah
Oh, such beauty in your words. Lyrical, musical, powerful words that stirred my heart, soul, and mind this morning. Thank you, Sarah!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Vonda! You personify this idea, you know? You are a life-speaker. Thank you for being who you are!
DeleteMuch love,
Sarah
Vonda voiced my feelings for your beautiful post, Sarah. I have been blessed by your encouragement. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dee Dee. I know you understand this. I've read it in your work and words, as well.
DeleteBlessings as you bring life to many!
Sarah
So beautifully said. I feel like God lives through us everywhere we go. So, though I’m an introverted soul, every person I come in contact with, smile at or speak to, can be encouraged, even changed, because of the God who lives in me. 😊
ReplyDeleteAmen! I love this. How many of us writers are introverted souls? Many. And yes, the Lord works through our quiet ways, too, often with great volume!
DeleteBlessings, Jennifer!
Sarah
So beautifully said. I feel like God lives through us everywhere we go. So, though I’m an introverted soul, every person I come in contact with, smile at or speak to, can be encouraged, even changed, because of the God who lives in me. 😊
ReplyDeleteSarah,
ReplyDeleteAs I read, your words rose within me. Thank you for your up lifting encouragement. Yes, "Our world needs life giving words."
Thank you, Sharon. I love the way our Father works! Thank you so much for sharing it with me.
DeleteBlessings,
Sarah
You wrote this just for me.
ReplyDeletexo
That's awesome, Julie! Isn't that just so much fun to see how the Lord works. Much of the time, I believe, we don't know what His hand is doing, but to get a glimpse is amazing!
DeleteThank you and go speak life!
Sarah
Beautiful and poignant. Thanks, Sarah! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Andrea. I hope we all find ways today to speak life.
DeleteBlessings!
Sarah
I so enjoyed this, Sarah. I actually read it while at the OCW conference--appropriate timing. Sorry I didn't meet you in person there. Next time!
ReplyDeleteHey there, Kit. Thank you for these words. My husband and I were at OCW for only a short while to see my brother and one of our authors. Congratulations on your award! Keep it up! Blessings and thanks,
DeleteSarah