Be True to Your Writing Self. Say No. And Sometimes Yes.

By Lori Hatcher @lorihatcher2

The offer I received was a writing dream come true. A major publishing house had read my book on homeschooling and invited me to submit more material. “We’re considering expanding our audience to include homeschooling moms. Would you like to audition for the opportunity to write regularly for us?”

When I saw the company name, I squealed.  It’s true. It’s true. God does open doors in miraculous ways. Writing for this company would provide income, a prestigious credit on my resume, and a wide open door to other opportunities. 

My heart leapt.

Until it didn’t. Over the course of a few days, the butterflies in my belly began to feel like a five-pound burrito.

To help me diagnose what was wrong, I did three things. While I don’t apply this litmus test to every decision, the process is very helpful when I struggle with a major decision.

Prayed.

Talked with my husband.

Sought additional wise counsel.

Pray

James 1:5 is my life verse. 

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

It’s my life verse because I need God’s wisdom so much. If left to myself, I often make impulsive decisions or decisions based solely on logic. Both typically leave out God. So I prayed, “Give me wisdom, Lord, and show me your will.” 

Ask Your Closest Confidant

When I talked to my husband, he congratulated me on the offer, knowing how hard I’ve worked and what an honor it would be to write for this publisher. “But you’re the one who’d have to do it,” he said. “How do you feel when you picture yourself spending a lot of your writing time this way?”

His question helped me identify my struggle. What I saw when I looked deeply into my heart, I saw lots of happy memories of my homeschooling years, a fair amount of practical insight I could share, and a profound sense that I’d moved on to other things when my last daughter graduated. I realized, in addition to the time I’d spend writing the material, I’d also have to invest hours researching to be able to create relevant, up-to-date content.

Seek Additional Wise Counsel

The final step was to seek wise counsel, so I called the wisest counselor I knew in the writing world, my then-agent Les Stobbe. I was tempted to skip this step, because I knew what he’d say. “That’s terrific. This is the break you’ve been waiting for. It’ll pay well, look good on your resume, and open other writing doors.”

I was right. 

So I knew I had to come clean. “When I think about doing this, my heart sinks. I’ve already begun to dread it. If the offer had come ten years ago, when I was in the middle of homeschooling, it would be a dream come true. I could easily create content because I was in the trenches. As much as I loved homeschooling, I feel like I’ve graduated and moved on.”

I held my breath, waiting for him to scold me for thinking about declining an offer like this.

When he opened his mouth, he spoke the wise words I’d come to expect from him.

“God doesn’t call us to walk through every open door. If you’re not excited about it now, it’s not going to improve after you say yes. Sometimes he allows opportunities to come our way to help us define who we are and where we’re going. If envisioning yourself as a homeschool blogger makes your heart sink instead of leap, that’s a pretty good indication of where Godisn’tleading you.”

So with grace and gratitude, I declined the offer. I’ll never know if the decision harmed or helped my writing career, but I’ve never regretted saying no. The burrito in my belly vanished and my spirit soared. I felt free.

Since then, the Lord has opened other doors which I’ve been thrilled to walk through (after praying, checking with my husband, and seeking wise counsel). One of the most recent was a write-for-hire opportunity with the very same publisher I declined—on a project that made my heart leap.

This experience taught me to be true to myself, even if it means saying no to a great opportunity. Like the red sequined shoes I considered buying recently, if it looks lovely but doesn’t fit, it will only bring pain and regret.

If you’re at a crossroads in your writing journey, I encourage you to pray, talk to a trusted confidant, and seek additional wise counsel. If an opportunity doesn’t resonate, be true to yourself and the calling God has laid upon your heart. Just say no. You can trust God for what comes next.

Now it’s your turn. Have you been given an opportunity that looked great, but you chose to decline? Leave a comment below and join the conversation. 

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Be True to Your Writing Self. Say No. And Sometimes Yes. - @LoriHatcher2 on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

When you rind yourself a #writing crossroad, stay true to yourself - @LoriHatcher2 on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Lori Hatcher is the editor of Reach Out, Columbia magazine and the author of several devotional books. Hungry for God … Starving for Time, Five-Minute Devotions for Busy Women won the 2016 Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year award. Her most recent book, Refresh Your Faith – Uncommon Devotions from Every Book of the Bible is due out in the spring of 2020.A blogger, writing instructor, and inspirational speaker, her goal is to help women connect with God in the craziness of life. You’ll find her pondering the marvelous and the mundane on her blog, Hungry for God. . . Starving for Time. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter (@LoriHatcher2), or Pinterest (Hungry for God).