“Growing a Faith that Overcomes”
Dear writer,
I hope you enjoyed walking with us as we guided you through the writing journey over these past few months. Now, though we conclude this series on writing, the journey continues. And here’s the wonderful thing…
Every single successful writer you know and love has mastered one common skill. That is simply the skill of continuing, regardless of the difficulties or struggles they encounter along the way. And here’s the beautiful thing, writer. Continuing is something anyone—including you—can choose to do, too.
You see, it’s one thing to being your writing journey, but another thing altogether to stay on that path, taking all that you encounter—good and bad—as an opportunity, not to quit, but to grow. Now before we dive into how to continue on YOUR writing journey, let’s a take a look at a few others who chose to continue on their path—no matter what—and saw their perseverance rewarded.
Continuing in History
Thomas Edison is a good example of a man who was continuously learning through experience and applying what he learned. As Edison attempted to create the first light bulb, he learned from each failure what worked and what didn’t work. Instead of growing discouraged, Edison harnessed the valuable knowledge his failures taught him to launch his next attempt. The fruits of his perseverance are felt all across the world and impact nearly area of our lives today. The world would literally be a much darker place, if Edison had not continued.
It’s the same with us, writer. As we journey along our writing path, there will be things that work well, things that flop, and some things we wrestle with. But the key to continuing on your journey is to take every success and failure as an opportunity to learn more for the next step that you take.
Continuing in the Bible
Paul is another wonderful example of continuing. With every town he visited on his missionary journeys, Paul learned a new environment and leveraged every apparent success and failure to advance the Gospel. When he and Silas were thrown in jail at Philippi, Paul didn’t despair. Seizing the opportunity to be a witness in that dark place, Paul and Silas sang praises. As they did, God miraculously and literally opened doors for an even greater witness as the Philippian jailer and his entire family were saved. And that’s just one example of many of Paul’s choices to continue.
You see, writer, there will be times in our writing journey when it seems things go horribly wrong or reach a dead end. But, like Paul, we can continue in our hopeful expectation of the faithfulness of the One who called us, knowing His presence and light are something no darkness can overcome.
Continuing in Life
I practiced continuing as I began two film projects with friends in the early days of my career. When my mother suddenly passed away, my work on those projects came to an abrupt halt. After several years passed, I felt my reputation in the film community had been hopelessly tarnished. But to my surprise, I felt the Lord begin challenging me to finish those projects anyway—no matter what. And I obeyed. And here’s the amazing thing. As I completed each one, I found that my reputation was not only restored but that reputation deepened to respect as I became known as someone who would finish…no matter what. Not only that, my example inspired others in the field who had begun to give up on their dreams, too. Only God would have done that work!
Continuing in Your Life
Here’s the thing, writer. When we commit to continue on our writing journey, regardless of what it seems to bring, our faithfulness opens the doors for God’s greater faithfulness to be put on display. You see, He give us these treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing greatness—and all that’s good in our work—does not come from us, but from Him. Here’s are some examples of what I mean…
- My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9
- For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. – 2 Corinthians 1:8-10
- In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. – 1 Peter 1:6-7
- As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. – Romans 8:3-537
- But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. – 2 Corinthians 4:7
You see, writer, the beauty of writing and the beauty of our King is revealed not in the perfection of our journey but in the persistence of it. For we have need of perseverance that we may receive what He’s promised us. (Hebrews 10:36) And it has always been this way. To obtain any promise of God and achieve any worthwhile human endeavor on earth, there is a requirement. And that requirement is simply this…
Faith and patience.
Faith to know that He who promised is faithful, and patience to understands that as we persist, our work for Him will be rewarded. It is that witness of perseverance that changes the world, because when we demonstrate our faith and perseverance, it not only produces good fruit—a finished book—but it demonstrates a piece of the unfailing and unrelenting love of our King. Isn’t that beautiful? Indeed, there are few things that are so lovely! No progress comes without that cost, but I can assure you the price is more than worth it.
How to Continue Your Writing Journey
So here’s the thing. If you read this and feel bereft of faith and patience today, never fear! God is faithful, and if we are here, there is still hope. We need simply to ask in our weakness that He would fill up what we lack…and then to take that next step in faith. Regardless of what it looks like or feels like.
So do you need some encouragement and strength to continue today? If you do, here are some ways to grow your faith and perseverance in the Lord…
- Abide. God Himself is the source of our strength. If we hope to continue in the journey He’s given us, we must stay vitally connected to Him in prayer and in our daily walk. And here’s the beautiful thing. He promises that those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. (Isaiah 40:31) As we remember that our work is in worship of and ministers to Him and remain connected to Him through the process, He will give you the strength you need.
- Love. Faith works by love, and if we want our faith to grow, often it’s our love that needs a check-up. If your love feels lacking, ask God to give you a heart for the readers He’s called you to reach. If you already have a passion for your readers, find a way to keep that passion in front of you. It was for the joy that as set before Him that Jesus endured the cross. As we find a way to keep those our stories serve in mind, it can help us endure the difficult parts of our journey as well.
- Fellowship. We cannot journey alone, writer, and we cannot grow in faith or patience alone either. We need each other to spur one another on to love and good works, and we need to encourage one another all the more as Christ’s return approaches! Your ability to continue, to abide, and to grow in love is vitally linked to your participation in a healthy body of believers and godly relationships. As it says in 1 John 4:20, how can we love God whom we have not seen, if we cannot love our neighbor whom we have seen?
- Gratitude. We must learn to take a heavenly perspective and to truly count it all joy when we fall into various trials and temptations, knowing that the testing of our faith produces perseverance (James 1:2-4) and perseverance character and character, hope. And that, being a hope that will not disappoint us, because of the love of God that is poured out into our hearts through the process. (Romans 5:4-6)
Because here’s the thing, writer. Continuing on your journey is about trusting the Word of the Lord above every other word. It’s about grabbing hold of His promises and His call on your life wholeheartedly, not “hoping” but knowing that you are serving the God who works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. It’s about trusting that our God is large enough to truly wrap every failure and difficulty and temporary suffering into a surpassing glory.
And here’s the beautiful thing. Continuing is not just about writing His words, but letting His Word—His character and person—be made flesh in our walk with Him as we share in His sufferings that we may share in His glory. And here’s the final thing, writer…
What God’s after is not just a book, because it’s not just what we do in life that matters. It’s the way we do what we do that really counts. And if we allow Him to indwell our journey with His unfailing presence and undying hope, He will not only give us that hope that does not disappoint—but a hope that ignites the hearts of others as well.
So, I encourage you—in whatever stage of your journey you find yourself today—to make a quality decision to continue. To take hold of that for which Christ took hold of you. Because here’s the real deal. As we grab hold of Him and of all that He saved us for, we never know—like Edison, Paul, or myself—how His work through us will bring light to a dark and dying world.
Keep going, writer. Your King is with you.
#perseverance #keepgoing #faith #love #hope #EveryWriterWriting
