Walking Through the Valley of Writing Decisions

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

Before one school year, the headmaster emailed, asking which teachers wanted an iPad. Since the school had already given us laptops—and I used this to portray information on the overhead—I didn’t see a need for an iPad and declined the offer. 

My wife had owned an iPad for some time, having won one in a raffle. I used it occasionally, but most of my work required a keyboard and a word processing program—two things the iPad made inconvenient. Then one day, I broke down and bought an iPad Mini. I used it mainly to surf the Web—until it locked one day while I was at the hospital and became what techies call a “security block.” 

Later in the school year, I decided I wanted an iPad. But I decided too late to get one, so I investigated buying one from our cell phone provider. Between the monthly cost and adding it to our data plan, we would pay an extra thirty dollars on our phone bill. No thanks. We had just paid off our phones. 

Then, students began quarantining because of COVID, and we needed to record our class sessions. I needed an iPad, after all, and the school ordered more. I got my iPad, after all, free of charge. 

Deciding not to purchase an iPad when I suddenly decided I wanted one might seem like a small decision in the realm of decision-making, but doing so entailed some of the same elements accompanying life’s more important choices. 

Joel warned God’s people and those who weren’t about impending judgment because they had disobeyed or refused God: “Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision” (Joel 3:14 NLT). Millions would find themselves walking the valley of decision and deciding whether they would turn to God. 

But the spiritual realm isn’t the only life area where we must decide. We writers often have decisions coming at us like ants to cracker crumbs. And since our decisions usually bring a domino effect—some more so than others—praying before we make them is always wise—prayers not of the microwave variety. 

Praying about whether to write shouldn’t be on our list. If God has called us, the answer is always “Yes.” But when we walk through the valley of decision about the genre, we should pray. Should we write fiction or nonfiction? And if fiction, what type? Historical, suspense, romance, mystery, sci-fi. And if nonfiction, what kind? Self-help articles, short stories, devotions, books (and what type of books). 

I once thought I was less of a writer because I couldn’t easily produce fiction. I knew all the ins and outs and could teach them to students and other writers, but fiction didn’t come naturally to me. But then, I thought about two successful writer friends who don’t write fiction, one of whom proudly admitted she was a left-brain writer. I am, too. 

God wires us differently, but matches our opportunities to our brains. So while stepping outside our comfort zones can stimulate creativity and sharpen our writing skills, we’ll do our best work when staying in the lane in which God created us to write. 

We writers should also put aside what we want and want what God wants when walking through the valleys of writing decisions. We may crave a best-seller, a successful agent, a book contract, a traditional publisher, or a shelf spot at a famous bookstore. Pride, selfishness, and a competitive spirit can hinder us from making wise decisions.

God can grow us as we make writing decisions if we respond correctly in the valleys. Since our goal should be to follow God’s will and not ours, we should include Him in all our writing decisions—large and small. On what basis are you making your writing decisions?

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Walking Through the Valley of Writing Decisions from author Martin Wiles (@LinesFromGod) on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Martin Wiles is the founder of Love Lines from God (WWW.LOVELINESFROMGOD.COM) and serves as Managing Editor for Christian Devotions and Directing Editor for VineWords. He has authored six books and has been published in numerous publications. His most recent book, DON'T JUST LIVE...REALLY LIVE, debuted in October of 2021. He is a freelance editor, English teacher, author, and pastor.