When a Writer is Discouraged, Pause and Look to God

by Emme Gannon @GannonEmme

I often struggle to squeeze words from my soul when I write. I admit it. I ask God if I heard Him correctly. Am I wasting my time, Lord? If this is Your will for me, why is it sometimes so hard? Why do the words often seem frozen inside with no hope of escape? 

Scripture is full of men and women whose reaction to God’s call was to list the reasons He had made an error in calling them. Moses was asked to lead Israel from being slaves of Pharoah to a land of promise where they would be free. No God, you must have made a mistake. I can’t be the one. My words aren’t convincing. I can’t possibly stand before Pharoah and the Egyptians. They are mighty and I am weak.

Moses had a self-esteem problem. To save his life his family had allowed him to be raised by Pharaoh’s daughter. He grew up with two nations vying for loyalty inside of him. Living in one and belonging to another. His attempt to help a man of Israel had disastrous results and he fled Egypt in fear and ended up in a foreign land working as a shepherd, his image of himself more skewed than ever. It was this man, still hiding out in the land of Midian that God called to lead a nation to freedom. 

Be Faithful in the Little Things

In His wisdom God had allowed Moses to learn the humble role of shepherd so that he could apply his learning to God’s future role for his life. As a shepherd Moses had to provide food, water, shelter, and protection for the flock in his care. He was responsible to the owner of the sheep. As shepherd, he was entrusted with seeing that the sheep knew his voice and followed his lead. He was alert to danger so that he could lead and guide the sheep to safety. At the perfect time, God moved Moses from shepherd of sheep to shepherd of Israel. 

I envision Moses’s forty years in Midian as his pause—that time of reflection where life stands still and we live in the now, our minds temporarily free from the tasks or burdens of tomorrow and what we need to do to fix them. It’s that time when we allow God to speak to the now and show us how He has prepared us to do the thing He is calling us to do.

Who is the Hero of Your Life’s Story

The world can be a fearful place, filled with danger and entrapments. We may seem small in a land of giants. Moses knew that feeling. He knew the evil minds of the Egyptian rulers. He knew that he would have no power over them. God understood. God showed Moses that if he would allow God to be the hero of his story, everything would change. Moses would be the tool. God the power. 

Most of us are not called by God to such a task as leading a nation to freedom. No matter how small, what God asks us to do fits into His grand plan. His legions of angels are on the ready to open hearts to our words and stories, even if they are few. The key is letting Him be the hero of our life’s story. 

For it is only when He leads can we see with spiritual eyes and discern the correct way through the wilderness. Fear subsides and the words miraculously come. Peace soothes our soul and we’re no longer afraid for God has spoken. We paused and listened and heard with spiritual ears the voice of God. Follow Me for I am mighty and will give strength and wisdom to your soul. 

TWEETABLE

When a Writer is Discouraged, Pause and Look to God, encouragement from @GannonEmme on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Emme Gannon is a wife, mother, and grandmother who loves to write stories that stir the heart. Her award-winning writing has appeared in Focus on the Family magazine, several anthologies, and numerous newsletters. She just completed her first novel.