When the Writing Plate Fills

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

“Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8 NLT)!

My wife and I faced a summer of three, but three at a time was all Meme and Pop could handle. However, we had to handle them quickly because things would soon change. 

The first three were grandboys who belonged to our daughter and son-in-law—ages eleven, nine, and three. What Meme was thinking when she said, “Let’s take them to the free movie,” I’m not certain. The older two, sure. But the three-year-old? After all, I was on a three-month vacation from teaching middle-school rug rats. I wasn’t seeking summer persecution. 

But I relented. Meme does most of the tending anyway. We had seen the movie before, but who doesn’t enjoy a movie, popcorn, and drink (or Icee) on a hot summer day? I was just glad she didn’t invite another of the grandboys. 

One week later, we did the three-thing again—this time with two of our daughter’s boys and one of our son’s. Now we had an eleven-year-old and two nine-year-olds. And we weren’t merely going down the road to the theater. Meme suggested taking them to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, to see the Pirate’s Voyage show—a four-hour drive one way plus an overnight stay. 

We had seen the show before and knew these three would love it. They did. We topped off our dinner theater with a trip to one of the local ice cream shops. Did I mention that all these boys are hyperactive? We sugared them up and then waited for their energy to drain and their eyes to close. 

God has blessed Michelle and me with seven grandchildren—all boys. Boys tax the nerves and exhaust Memes and Pops, but my wife and I love them all. The day may come when they don’t want to hang around with us anymore, but we don’t mind the full plate now. 

Meme hadn’t lost her mind with her two summer-of-three trips, but our summer plate was filling quickly. My plate would fill even more. Michelle was scheduled for rotator cuff surgery the following week and wanted to enjoy the fun before then. I did, too. 

In addition to tending to three aging parents, I would care for a largely incapacitated wife for the remainder of my summer vacation—not to mention doing ALL the things around the house that Michelle typically does. This was in addition to fulfilling my writing and editing responsibilities, marketing a recently released book, and hoping to prepare another book for release before summer’s end. Additionally, I had a Sunday school curriculum to write for Warner Press and a PEN (Professional Editor’s Network) class on grammar basics to teach. 

Sometimes, the Lord’s goodness fills our plate to overflowing. Then, what do we do? We can ponder whether God has sent all these wonderful writing opportunities, or we can take more practical steps. Perhaps the acronym SORT will help. 

SAY NO

Because God sends us opportunities, it doesn’t necessarily mean he wants us to accept them all. He may be testing our discernment to say yes to the most important and no to the least important. 

ORGANIZE

I always spent my afternoons and evenings of the first two days of each college semester pouring over my syllabi, gasping at the writing assignments, and putting them in order by the due dates. Then, I got to work—good advice, too, when our writing plates fill up and overflow. 

REACH

Reach to God in prayer. Every writing opportunity we have should be bathed in this—before it arrives, as we’re writing it, and after it’s published. 

TRUST

We want God to direct our writing to those who need the words he entrusted us. And if we write with the right motives, we can trust him to do that.

TWEETABLE

When the Writing Plate Fills from 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.