Author Journey: March 18, 2022 - Life Goes On

 Welcome back! I'm not doing so great on the writing front. I've been journaling almost every day, so that's an improvement. But Y'Dahnndrya seems a long way away, and while I long to return, I keep getting hindered. 

I'm not sure what that means just yet, but...with five or six complete (or nearly complete) novels and several complete short stories, I should be able to publish books with some kind of regularity. And even though I'm musically inclined with a definite gifting in vocals and picking up tunes and harmonies, rhythm has never been my strong point. So maybe it's my writing rhythm that needs work. 

Author Journey - Am I Overwhelming Myself? 

Today, I decided to check out "Oatmeal" in my Heartlight app. I use the app to read daily Bible devotions and find teaching, guidance, and encouragement from the Bible and from people who have studied the Bible diligently. I don't usually read the quotes which come from biblical scholars, but I checked it out today. The quote from John Piper, which was the quote for today, was good. However, it was the quote for yesterday which snagged my attention. 

I love this quote. I have to disagree with the second part of the initial statement because I believe God finds us where we are, in the middle of chaos and calamity, and draws us to Him. But if we want to know Him better, then we do need to meet with Him in the silent time, when everyone else in the house is asleep, busy, or away. 

Music used to play in the background all the time in order to help me focus. I rarely went anywhere without singing or humming something. In highschool, I used it to help me stay on track with my homework.

Then there was a tryly dry and quiet time much later in my life. Several things changed all at once. I must admit it scared me when I realized what was going on and what I felt like I'd lost. Vocal gifting isn't the same as riding a bike. If you don't use your vocal abilities, your singing knowledge and muscles can suffer a blow which is hard to recover from. 

I still need help with my focus, but I don't really use music for that anymore. A nice, rattly fan will do. Birds outside my window are also helpful. I also enjoy a crackling candle with a wooden wick and a pleasant scent. 

But I had realized something. That need for noise was drowning out the voice of my precious Savior who might want me to go a direction I feared to go. Those 'what-ifs' were hindering my spiritual progress. Since I want to write books from the perspective of a Christian, how can I do that if I hinder the growth of my relationship with my Savior, Messiah Yeshua? 

So while I still listen to music with lyrics, it's not happening as often as it used to. And while I work at chores around the house, you might hear me humming or singing, but you're just as likely to hear me talking out loud. I know my Savior hears me. 

Whether all this progress will lead to finding my writing rhythm remains to be seen. But I can hardly believe He would give me these stories just to let them sit idly on flash drive. Please keep me in your prayers as I seek His guidance in my author journey. I want what my Heavenly Father wants, whatever that may be, because I believe with all my heart that His plan and His timing are perfect and good.

Thank you so much for reading my post today. I hope you are encouraged by it. 

Until next time...