Writing Through Life’s Hard Seasons: Finding God’s Strength When Creativity Feels Impossible

From Edie: Discover how writers can navigate life’s hardest seasons with faith, resilience, and creativity. Learn how caregiving, grief, and unexpected challenges can shape your writing, deepen your spiritual growth, and reveal God’s strength when words feel impossible.

Writing Through Life’s Hard Seasons: Finding God’s Strength When Creativity Feels Impossible

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

Seasons pass, but one of ours has hung around longer than we anticipated. But no one ever said writing through the seasons would be easy. 

The spring of our season arrived, and Mom fell, breaking her wrist. Since my stepfather had Alzheimer’s and could barely care for himself, we made plans to place Mom in a skilled nursing facility. She wasn’t excited, and neither were we, but we had no choice. Neither she nor my stepfather could afford round-the-clock care.

Soon after placing Mom there, my stepfather’s cognitive ability declined rapidly. The time came when his staying alone became dangerous. The neurologist told us he, too, needed skilled nursing care. We made plans to place him where Mom was. But his children had other plans.

In short order, they whisked my stepfather back to his hometown and declined to let him see or speak to Mom, thus separating husband and wife, both of whom had Alzheimer’s. 

But even these two things wouldn’t end our season. In the fall of our season, my mother-in-law, who had lived with us for more than a year, fell in the kitchen and hit her head. We knew if she ever fell, she would probably not survive long afterward. And she didn’t. Within one day, we had her in the local hospice house, and within four days, she was gone. 

The writer reminds us that God has a season for everything in our lives. “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT).

As of this writing, ours has lasted two years and will continue as long as Mom and my stepfather live. But it has changed a bit, as seasons do, and lessened the stress on my wife and me. 

Our writing can also pass through seasons. And our seasons of life can shape our writing, just as seasons bear on our lifestyles. Winter changes what we wear, as does summer. Some seasons bring more light, others less. We can enjoy activities in some seasons that we must temporarily halt during other seasons. 

And we writers respond differently to our seasons as well. Some take a break from writing. Life’s curve balls are just too curvy to swing anymore. Some storms are more than we can emotionally handle and write too. Others cut back. The season has brought time-consuming restraints. Still others plow through. None of the responses is inherently wrong if we make our decisions under God’s direction. 

Me? I’m a plower. (Not a bragger, just a plower.) Plowing through helps me better deal with the seasons. I look for writing material during the season instead of putting the computer away. Writing helps me process the season and lessens my stress. But, then again, God made us all different. 

We are currently in the middle of the holiday season. As you read this, Christmas lurks just around the bend. Some writers take a pause. The festivities can zap our strength and time. But even amidst the busyness, we can steal moments to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboards). An early morning. A late night. 

Yet, no matter the season or its intensity, one thing remains sure: we can count on God to hold our hand and guide us through whatever season he initiates or allows our enemy to bring. And if we trust him, we can grow spiritually during those seasons and learn life lessons to pass along to our posterity. We can also garner a wealth of writing material. 

Don’t dread the seasons of life. Writing through the seasons can be a wonderful experience. Enjoy the journey, even when the journey is not enjoyable. 

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Writing Through Life’s Hard Seasons: Finding God’s Strength When Creativity Feels Impossible from Martin Wiles (@linesfromGod) on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Martin Wiles lives in Greenwood, SC, and is the founder of Love Lines from God. He is a freelance editor, English teacher, pastor, and author. He serves as Managing Editor for both Christian Devotions and Vinewords.net and is an instructor for the Christian PEN (professional editor’s network). Wiles is a multi-published author. His most recent book, Hurt, Hope and Healing: 52 Devotions That Will Lead to Spiritual Health, is available on Amazon. He and his wife are parents of two and grandparents of seven. He can be contacted at mandmwiles@gmail.com.