Blog #1 — Is My Writing Acceptable to God?
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Most of us who claim to be writers experience a rollercoaster of emotions regarding our calling. These vary from “who am I kidding?” to “this is pretty good stuff, if I do say so myself.”
That’s to be expected. We work in a field that is continually evolving, where we must constantly assert ourselves (and most of us are non-assertive introvert types to begin with) in order to succeed.
I recently read a post on Novel Rocket by Violet Nesdoly that speaks to this articulately. What I took from this post is that writing is an acceptable service to God, that fiction is an acceptable perspective of looking at the world, that we as fiction writers can and do influence our world for good and for God. (Forgive me, Violet, if I’ve misinterpreted your words, but this was my impression.)
Whether we write Christian fiction or not, we write from a Christian worldview. I pray that our words will give hope to a world in dire need of it.
So let’s be thankful for a calling that allows us to be our creative selves and to express our hearts in story form. Let’s trust that the words we hammer out, or the ones that slide more easily onto the page, can be used by the Lord in reaching people for him, in inspiring readers. And let’s continue to do our best in this chosen vocation and let God direct our words to those who need it most.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…”
Colossians 3:23
“The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your love O Lord endures forever…”
Psalm 138:8
Janice L. Dick 
Thanks for this encouragement, Jan! I often wonder why we creative types get doubtful at times–maybe it goes with the territory (I see it in other Christian artists’ expressions as well, that wondering if this is really “useful” to the Lord). I think it’s a fair (that is, pragmatic) question to ask ourselves, but the answer is perhaps not so much about “what” we do (fiction or nonfiction writing, visual or performance arts, manual labour, profession, full-time parenting . . .) as “how” we do it–as you say, “as working for the Lord” because He is the one who fulfills the purpose of our lives. Lovely reminders!
That’s right, Deb. And the quality of our work shouldn’t depend on the degree of success either. It’s all in God’s hands. (Often easier to say than to live out.)