The Next Thing
In my young, middle school years, I fell in love with reading. But one summer in particular I discovered a genre called “Christian fiction/romance.” And I was hooked. Janette Oke, a Canadian author, was my particular favorite and I daydreamed of a handsome Mountie riding up on his horse to sweep me off my feet (and we move off to bring Jesus to those lost people on the western frontier.)
Then one day my young self decided “I am going to write my own book.”
I wrote an entire chapter. In it, the young heroine was bold, brave, and yet sweet and charming. I agonized for days over the perfect name for my lead character. Once that was settled, I had to name her beau. And then, I had to kill him.
Y’all. For reals.
I cried buckets of tears over his “untimely and unfortunate death.” And his last words with his dying breath? HER name.
I now cry buckets of tears…of laughter.
My book never made it past that first chapter. I mean, where do you go from there?
But there was born inside of me a spark. There is something about putting words together to tell a story or share a truth or make us feel something that stirs our hearts and mind.
Last month I took a big step. I attended a conference called “She Speaks”. The weekend was designed to encourage and develop skills for people who feel a “calling to write, speak or lead.”
I have no idea what this looks like for me.
I have been a stay at home mom for 11 years. I have been doing dishes and laundry and diapers, not writing or speaking or leading. But something in my heart still stirs to put words together to share God’s love and truth and to tell stories.
One of my favorite lines from the conference was from Wendy Pope: “Do what we know to do until we are suppose to do something else.” David was anointed by God. Chosen to be king. And after his anointing, he went back to the pastures and the sheep. There would be no fast track to the palace.
Just do the next thing you know to do. For me, that looks like this blog. A place to start writing again. My place to practice putting words together for God’s glory. If you are reading this, I cannot promise you that it will be pretty. But I do promise not to kill anyone off. I hope. What has God called you to do? Not sure? Maybe just do the next thing you know. He who began a good work in us will get us there, my friend.
