The Write Fight

by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. (Exodus 14:14, NIV)

It was four a.m. and I could not get comfortable on the narrow, vinyl hospital bench beside my son’s bed. The heart monitors had blared their warnings all night long, doctors rushing in and out, their voices muted as they discussed my son’s life. His life. My mother-heart matched his in its erratic pace, rising and falling with every beep, fear lurching one moment, hope surging the next. I was in the middle of a nightmare no mother ever chooses.

In the fog of my anxiety, I thought of my book. The one I had been faithfully chipping away on, word-count goal by word-count goal for months. Every one of the 35,000 words so far was an accomplishment, a victory cry. Life had not slowed down, moved over, or accommodated me since I signed the contract with the publisher. Instead life had seemed to attack, throwing obstacles at me like an enemy in a war zone. The chapter I was currently writing was ironically titled, “Instead of Broken, Healed”.

Well, we are surely broken right now, Lord. How will I ever have a minute to sit at my computer again and write?

The loud silence of the dark room, punctuated by my son’s heartbeat, was the only reply.

I eventually slipped into an exhausted sleep, my questions still hanging in the air, waiting.

As the sun tiptoed around the heavy blinds the next morning, I heard the words, “I am the Lord; I will fight for you.” Waking up with a jolt, I opened my eyes and looked around. My phone was blinking. Across the screen was a message: “ ‘The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.’ (Exodus 14:14, NIV) And He’s fighting for your son too!” My friend had sent it while I slept. The Lord had spoken it to me before I read it. Illogical peace flooded me, and it seemed a solid rock took form under my feet, steadying my world.

My son lay sleeping peacefully. His heart had stabilized just before dawn.

He was out of danger, and so was I. The Lord was fighting for him and for me.

Writing a book is no vacation from real life. The pressures and trials of living shape and mold our words, giving them form and force. The Spirit of God working in us through suffering breathes life into our writing, life that is meant to be shared. We can choose to lean into the challenge, and let it shape our message. We must not give up; we must not quit.

Are you in the write fight today? Remember that no matter what you are facing, the Lord fights for you. The book God has put in your heart is His own project, and He will complete it though you.

Lord, thank you for fighting for me. Keep my pen steady and my heart steadfast as I trust in you. Amen.

TWEETABLES
Are you in a write fight today? @AudreyCFrank has encouraging words to share on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Writing a book is no vacation, @AudreyCFrank reminds us that God will fight for us (Click to Tweet)

Audrey Frank is an author, speaker, and storyteller. The stories she shares are brave and true. They give voice to those whose words are silenced by shame, the hard things in life that don’t make sense, and the losses that leave us wondering if we will survive. Audrey and her family have spent over twenty years living and working among different cultures and world views, and she has found that God’s story of redemption spans every geography (geographical location)  and culture. He is the God of Instead, giving honor instead of shame, gladness instead of mourning, hope instead of despair. Although she has three different degrees in communication and intercultural studies, Audrey’s greatest credential is that she is known and loved by the One who made her.

Her upcoming book, From Shame to Honor, is an outpouring of Audrey’s heart to introduce others to the God of Instead. Shame is not unique to the developing world, the plight of the women behind veils, young girls trafficked across borders; shame is lurking in hearts everywhere. Through powerful stories from women around the world, From Shame to Honor illuminates the power of the Gospel to remove shame, giving honor instead. Look for it through Harvest House Publishers in the fall of 2018.

You can also find Audrey at www.audreyfrank.com, as well as on Twitter and Facebook