When God Surprises Writers with Unexpected Opportunities

From Edie: Julie Lavender shares how God can surprise writers with unexpected opportunities, even while other doors remain closed, and why trusting His timing matters.

When God Surprises Writers with Unexpected Opportunities

by Julie Lavender @JLavenderWrites

“Whatcha writing about now,” my mom questioned after we completed her errands. Somehow, even with actively-progressing macular degeneration, my sweet, 86-year-old mom manages to read everything I write.

So much so that she scolded me the other day because I failed to tell her about a 250-word blurb I’d contributed to a much-longer piece in Guideposts Magazine. To her dismay (or should I say mine?), her Sunday School classmate’s friend’s brother who used to live in our hometown saw it first and dared to call the sister who called the friend who called my mom’s Sunday School classmate.

Let’s just say, my mama doesn’t appreciate it when someone else reads my published work—and comments on it – before she has that chance and privilege!

But—back to her question.

“I’m writing about Jesus and spider webs,” I replied.

After a few seconds, I qualified my answer. “Well, not in the same book, of course.”

I just love God’s treats and His sense of humor. A couple of months ago, I found myself lacking a writing project but amply supplied with prayer requests. I prayed about a submission I’d sent in months ago, a query I’d sent weeks ago, and yet another manuscript that had been sitting in an editor’s hands for months.

I didn’t, however, remember to pray about the nonfiction children’s book proposal about spider webs that had left my inbox ten months ago. Honestly, I’d forgotten about it. It seemed like one of those, “It’s not a rejection—it’s a redirection.” But in my mind, it had been rejected.

I also hadn’t prayed in months about a new assignment from a work-for-hire publishing house. It just hadn’t popped into my head because I’d been blessed with three assignments from that pub house the previous year.

However, lo and behold, an editor reached out via email about a children’s book about Jesus—my favorite kind of children’s book—and I happily accepted. Only days later, the general market editor who’d long ago received my proposal about spider webs contacted me and wanted four spreads, ASAP, in time for a sales meeting in early July.

I couldn’t help but smile when I sent in a verbal agreement for that project, too. For reasons known only to God, the projects I’ve prayed about for quite some time are being serenaded by crickets, while two projects I’d either forgotten about or didn’t conceive as a possibility arrived on a silver platter from the God who loves giving good gifts.

So, what am I writing about these days? Jesus and spider webs …. But not in the same book.

What are you writing about right now?

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Julie Lavender loves to get caught up in stories about Jesus and especially loves sharing those stories with kids. She’s not as fond of spiders, but her wildlife biologist hubby has taught her to appreciate them nonetheless. And right now, she’s enjoying writing about both subjects.