by Edie Melson @EdieMelson
As I mentioned many of us are newly home from recent conferences like the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, the Well, and Write to Publish. Today I’d like to amplify my post Coming off a Writing High is a Great Time for Soul Care with something God showed me after I published that post.
The other morning I was reminded of a truth from a friend (thank you Beth Vogt). We all encounter what she calls Jericho seasons—in life and in writing.
When I hear references to Jericho I’m reminded of the church school song that says over and over again “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho!”
Great song, totally incorrect lyrics. If we go back to Scripture, we discover how—at best—Joshua was pretty much a spectator for that battle. It was God who fought, and won, that day (Joshua 6).
Joshua organized the people, from God’s explicit instructions, and got them all moving in the right direction. But he didn’t lift a hand to bring down that wall.
Instead, with the enemy jeering and threatening, Joshua led the people in praise—active praise—for six days. Then on the seventh day, he led them to be actively silent. And then directed them to unleash Gods power with a mighty shout and the walls came a tumbling’ down (to quote the song).
Let’s go back a few weeks and look at what had just happened to the Israelites.
They had crossed the flood-stage Jordan River because God made a way and stopped the water (Joshua 3). So, they were coming off an incredible high. I imagine they looked at Jericho and even with its high walls and fearsome army they felt like they could do anything. Why wouldn’t they feel this way? God was with them and would make them invincible!
And yet God knew them. He knew their tendency to be discouraged and also their emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion after coming off a spiritual high.
Now consider where many of us as writers have been. We’ve just crossed our own Jordan Rivers into the promised land by attending a writing conference. I don’t know about you, but gathering with other writers—called by God—feels a lot like visiting the promise land.
And I got home, high with what God showed me and how He equipped me—ready to tackle the world! And then I see Jericho. Your Jericho may be different than mine. It could be family issues, technology issues, platform challenges—anything that stands between us and what God has called us to do.
I look at these fortified issues a lot of different ways—depending on what’s happened recently in my life. But when I return home, high with success and calling, I tend to want to just begin attacking. And yet I’ve learned to stop and remember that “the battle is the Lord’s.”
And I go into Jericho mode. I begin active praise and wait on God’s timing as HE works to conquer the obstacle in my path.
Steps I take when I return home from a writing conference:
1. I unpack. I don’t just empty my luggage and put away my computer. I take time to pull out and look at a lot of things
- Emotions.
- Spiritual meetings with God, writing down what I heard so I don’t forget it. This includes writing down Bible verses that showed up while I was at the conference. These verses could be ones in a keynote, devotion, or class. Or they might be something God brought to mind during a specific time while I was away.
- Encouragement from others, again writing down what I heard so I remember
- Moments of discouragement, yep, I write these down too. I can learn as much, or more, from challenges as I can from the victories.
2. I take time to renew my physical and emotional health. This may mean sleeping in, reading, taking long walks—NOT scheduling appointments or meetings for several days—or just hanging out with friends.
3. I set aside time every day to praise God. Not just for what He has done, but for what He has planned to do in the future. My time to praise God isn’t just verbal, I also keep a gratitude journal as part of my bullet journal system. I’ve found that unless I write down what I’m thankful for regularly, I tend to be a very ungracious person.
4. I evaluate my Jericho(s). I ask myself:
- What obstacle(s) am I facing?
- What is God asking me to do regarding each obstacle?
- Am I willing to do nothing and let God do the fighting?
5. I wait on God to work. I do the things I’m certain He’s asked me to do and I wait until I have clear direction regarding my Jericho.
So today I encourage you to join me. Whatever battle you’re facing—and I know you have one—stop. Begin actively praising God and wait on Him to act. Be silent when He calls on you to, and ready to shout when the victory He has orchestrated comes to pass!
And now it’s your turn, what steps do you take to move forward when you come home from a writing conference? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Don't forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie
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