Dipping the Quill Deeper - Writing with Your Whole Heart

by Eva Marie Everson @EvaMarieEverson

Look at these words from 2 Chronicles 31:

…and he did what was good and right and true before the LORD his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to see His God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.

The first question you may have is this: who is the “he”?

“He” is King Hezekiah, the 13^th king of Judah. Hezekiah, unlike his father who “did evil in the sight of the Lord,” was a good king. A righteous king. During his reign he enacted religious reforms that declared only Jehovah would be worshiped in the temple, which he both purified and repaired. Then, he declared that the centralized worship would be there and there alone. He reinstated Passover. This, we read, brought “great joy” to Jerusalem.

But What Does That Have to do With Me?

You are a writer, right? And, I assume that many of you are in service to God, just as Hezekiah was in service to God. 

And, I assume, you want your work—your words—to make a difference. To be “pleasing in the eyes of the Lord,” as the Bible records the works of men like Hezekiah and not like those of his father. 

So, then, let’s look carefully at the words written about Hezekiah. What did he do that caused him to prosper in whatever he put his hand to? It’s really fairly simple.

1. He did what was good and right and true. 
2. He sought God.
3. Every work he began, he did so with all his heart.

Is this what you do in your work? How does that translate for you … to do what is good and right and true within writing and publishing? Last year I heard a prominent speaker who told that, for years, she had told a hilarious story from the stage that always got people rolling. She had, indeed, gained fame from it. The only problem was … it wasn’t true, and she told it as though it were. It had begun simple enough. She told the true story and got a laugh. Then added to it and got a bigger laugh … and so on and so forth. Oh, she said, but how freeing when she finally admitted that it simply wasn’t true! 

But what about what is good? Do you do your best when you write, or do you simply throw words on paper and hope for the best? Do you aim your words toward the kingdom or toward a paycheck? (Let me reiterate here that we earn our wages and wages are important, but are they your primary focus?)

Do you see God’s will in the work? Do you want to assure that your readers will see Him and His hope and His plan for them? And what about you? Are you seeking God more diligently based on what you write (nothing has ever effected me quite like writing The Final Race with Eric Eichinger, a book about the life of Olympiad Eric Liddell. I grew as a Christian in ways hard to describe just doing the research and the work because it forced me to stop and ponder the strength of the Lord inside us when we should be overcome by our circumstances).

Bottom Line  

Do you begin (and end) your work by putting your whole heart into it? There are bound to be things about writing that you don’t like (for some, it’s editing, for others research …). But even these things should be done with your whole heart. Give it everything you’ve got. Remember, your work is your gift back to the Giver of your talents. He is worthy of only our best.

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Eva Marie Everson is the president of Word Weavers International and the director of its two conferences. She is the multiple award-winning author of nearly 40 works and has received awards as a speaker and Bible teacher. Eva Marie is often seen at writers conferences across the States. She served as a mentor for Jerry B. Jenkins’ Christian Writers Guild for several years, and taught as a guest professor at Taylor University in 2011. She and her husband make their home in Central Florida where they enjoy their grandchildren. They are owned by one small dog and a princess cat.