I am participating in the Writing Contest: You Are Enough, hosted by Positive Writer. https://www.facebook.com/PositiveWriter/ Whether you’re a writer or have other gifts to share, I hope this post opens your eyes to the treasures inside of you that the world needs.
You Are Enough
Look at you! Deep inside of you. You’re a book of treasures, a cache of jewels, a collection of valuables, a bank of riches. Yes, you. And the world needs your words.
Looking in a mirror may not yield feelings of confidence and value, but looking into God’s Word reveals the truth about who we are and how we’re made:
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:14 ESV*
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
Genesis 1:26
The nuts and bolts of your makeup are not the result of random construction but rather a precisely-calibrated you, designed to meet needs—needs that only God knew would exist—”good works which God prepared beforehand” (Ephesians 2:10).
As no two snowflakes are alike, there is no duplicate of your God-created fingerprints—fingerprints that are left on the souls of the people God intends your message to reach. If He calls you, you are enough.
You, my writer friend, are a book of treasures. Let’s inventory your gifts by considering the elements of a good story.
Characters
You are you, created by God for His purposes. Your personality, values, and gifts are unique and have the mark of influences from relatives, teachers, and/or friends who inspired and supported you. Consider them all. The richness of your character development produces a wealth of words. You are enough.
Setting
You were born in a certain country and city to a pre-selected family. You’ve become an expert on wherever you’ve lived. You’ve experienced changes and witnessed events that affected your life. Your geography and history are sufficient for creating multiple blessings with the written word, and they are enough.
Plot
The timeline of your life includes difficult days and joyous ones, and you’ve grown. Problems arose as they do in a good novel, and you found solutions to at least some of them. Each experience, from a childhood skinned knee to finding a teen-aged best friend, to selecting a career adds paragraphs to the pages of your life. How long have you lived? Multiply that number by 365 days per year, and you’ll be amazed at the generous number of events in your biography which can become writing topics. The timeline of your life is enough.
Theme
What lessons have you learned? Perhaps God seared a verse into your heart that He uses to guide you. Those lessons will be valuable to someone else. You’re equipped to write from the words you treasure in your heart. Your life lessons are enough.
Point of view
Your vision is unique because of your background, faith, and experience. You will write old truths in a new and fresh way that touches someone’s heart. What if you didn’t try, and someone missed the golden nugget that could have brightened their day or changed their life? Your point of view is enough.
Style and voice
When you write or minister to someone, maybe you think your story isn’t dramatic enough or as well-written as someone else’s. Maybe you’ve decided other people could serve better in a ministry you have a passion to join. You may think . . .
This isn’t anything new. The topic has been explored by countless authors. or
Other people have already tried this ministry.
No other writer will say it just like you do. No other person will care for another the way you would. When you write or speak to others, is your voice instructive, comforting, conversational, encouraging, or humorous? Whatever the tone, it rings true as coming from you. Readers are waiting. Your style and voice are enough.
God’s call
Consider the elements God designed to make you who you are. Thumb through the pages of your book. Are memories leaping off the page? Are there smudges in some sections and teardrops in others? Maybe joyful songs rise from some sections. Notice the illustrations of important truths. Pay attention to your perspective on various issues. Do your chapter titles indicate you’ve been changed by the people you’ve met or the places you’ve visited? What wonderful fodder for writing and ministry! You are enough.
Why did God assemble the book of your life and call you to write if not to influence others? Will you leave your book tightly shut to gather dust on the shelf? Or will you open those pages and learn to craft your words and place them in God’s hands for blessing readers?
Dedicate yourself to His call. There are conferences, critique groups, free online training, and other writers to teach you. Best of all, God equips you and promises to guide you. “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
He sees potential because He made you. The world needs your words. You are enough!
*All Scripture verses are ESV.
Please share your thoughts.
How do you conquer self-doubt about writing or any gift God has given you?
What a wonderful article. It was the perfect reminder of why I write – for the glory of God and to minister to those He chooses to read what He puts on my heart to write. Jeannie, you’re a blessing to those who read your words.
Evelyn, thank you so much. I’m glad the post served as a reminder for you. We all need those.
Great read! We are all children of God and we have a purpose! God is good!
I agree, Kimberly, and rejoice that our sovereign God allows us to participate in His work. Thank you.
Thank you, Jeanie, for sharing with us insight from the Lord that we can use to help us grow in Christ.
Thank you, Jeanie, for reading and commenting. He continues to grow us as Philippians 1:6 promises.
Thanks for the reminder that we are enough to do whatever God calls us to do! We are uniquely gifted, crafted, and motivated to do what He equips us to do. You reminded me that I am to never stop doing what He calls me to do, even if my life takes turns that seem off track. Even those detours help shape me into who I am today. Thank you, dear sister, for sharing through your gift of writing!
Glenda, thank you for reminding us that we are to follow God’s plan even when “life takes turns that seem off track.” When tasks are difficult and I don’t see immediate fruit, I tend to doubt the call. As you stated, those detours do shape us, and often equip us to continue following God’s call.