Let My Words Be Few

by Heather Iseminger @Hiseminger

I can’t remember a time when my pencil didn’t scratch across paper or my fingers didn’t tap, tap, tap on a keyboard.

Writing is part of the air that fills my lungs and allows me to breathe. Crafting sentences into ideas is the way I express my most authentic self. I’m sure you can relate.

So what happens when God whispers, stop?

When you no longer have words to string together? When it’s not stress or busyness staving off the flow of creativity? When you can’t push through the mental blank space? When you try all the tricks to inspire but the tricks don’t work?

What happens when God says, your words will be sparse today, this week, this month, this year, and maybe longer? 

I’ll tell you what happens.

The writer panics. Or at least this one does.

A little over a year ago, God’s voice spoke those words in my heart and fear welled-up.

I went from blogging almost weekly to writing just 15 blogs in 12 months. Anxiety refused to be tamped down as I recounted all of the blogging do’s I wasn’t doing.

What would happen to my platform? How would I continue to be a voice? What was God thinking? Didn’t He know I had to write each week to keep pushing forward?

I was going to lose my audience. I was sure of it.

I questioned God at every turn.

He answered. But not with what I wanted to hear.

Let your words be few…so you can hear Mine.

His words of conviction burned deep in my soul.

I began to listen.

I stopped begging God to give back my words, and I pressed into Him. I leaned into His voice. I sank into my Creator, the Word—the master Artist. Like no other time in my life, if I wanted to write, I would have to wait on the Lord. Trust in His timing.

I’m not a patient person.

But God? He can wait for an eternity.

So when the God-induced writer’s block creeps up and camps out, maybe it’s because I’m supposed to learn more of Him—no matter how long it takes.

I have to tamp down the panic that bubbles up and sink into trust. I have to trust that God’s plan for my life is good even if it’s not my plan.

Trust.

The white space blinking on my computer? It’s an invitation to trust my Father.

Jesus, let my words be few, so I can hear Yours.

TWEETABLES
What happens when God whispers STOP to a writer - @Hiseminger on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

What to do with God-induced writers block - @Hiseminger on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Sometimes as writers we must let our words be few - lessons from @Hiseminger on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Heather Iseminger is a self-proclaimed hoarder of words and caffeine addict. She holds a BA in English Writing from FSU and an MA in Christian Education from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. She and her Prince Charming, Mike, have been married for 19 years and have two children, Ella and Caleb. Five days a week Heather’s in her high school English classroom with coffee in hand, surrounded by the students she adores. When she’s not juggling family and teaching, she’s an award-winning freelance author and blogger. You can find her heart at PetalsofJoy.org and connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.