Dear Writer, I hope you had a beautiful week and considered your level of expectation when it comes to God’s promises! This week, we’re going to explore what it means to live this integrated, expectant writing life. In short, it means we’ve begun to recognize we have a holy calling.
You see, sometimes it’s too easy to discount our work. To think that our desire to write is just a personal, unimportant, or even selfish interest. But when God puts a deep desire in our heart, it’s often because He has a holy calling—unique workmanship—prepared for us. And here’s the thing about a holy calling: it always sets people free.
But before we jump in, let’s take a look at some others whose knowledge of God’s holy call on their lives propelled them to do great things…
A Holy Call in History
Martin Luther King Jr. is a good example of a man who knew he had a holy call. Though King had a surprisingly comfortable life in the Deep South, he still recognized the evils of segregation that faced his fellow African Americans. His heart was filled with a fiery passion to see civil rights instituted for his community. Because of the clarity of his God-given call, King spent several years studying God’s word and searching for effective methods to bring about the necessary societal changes without compromising his faith.
King found his answer when he discovered the life work of Mahatma Gandhi. Fueled by his God-given vision and the wisdom gleaned from Gandhi’s life, King was able to patiently and persistently persevere in the cause for civil rights in a way that catalyzed the movement in our nation.
You see, writer, when we recognize our call to write is a holy call, we begin to treat it with the respect, preparation, and perseverance that King did.
A Holy Call in the Bible
Joshua is another wonderful example of a man who recognized God’s holy call on his life. Commissioned by Moses and confirmed by God to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land, Joshua took seriously God’s charge to be strong and courageous. Joshua’s depth of conviction and clarity was contagious, and Israel experienced one of its most unified seasons as they began to occupy the Promised Land. Their period of advance saw some of the most outstanding miracles in the Bible.
You see, when we realize our call to write is a holy one, it spurs to press into God with confidence when facing life’s inevitable obstacles, knowing that He will provide the strength, wisdom, and strategies we need to advance. Just like He did for Joshua.
A Holy Call in Life
When God called me to write my novels, I knew it was a holy call. As a result, I set aside a whole month to complete the task. At the end of a very productive four weeks, when I realized I was not even half way done with the story, I wasn’t discouraged. I simply understood God had much more to this story than I’d anticipated.Â
For the next nine months, I wrote diligently until draft one was complete and revisions began. As I navigated the rather turbulent waters of editorial and reader feedback, that deep conviction of God’s call not only helped me stay the course, but anchored me to God’s purposes for my writing when I nearly lost my story along the way. And here’s the thing…
A Holy Call in Your Life
When we know our call is a holy one, we can navigate the journey’s unexpected shifts and changes. And we grow a capacity to stretch past our original ideas into the larger plans God has for our story. Because here’s the thing…
God always has a larger idea and purpose for our stories than we do. When we recognize our call to write as holy, it keeps us attuned to the ways He’s refining, shaping, and stretching our original vision beyond the boundaries of our perceived limitations. Let me prove it to you…
- Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. – Proverbs 29:18a
- For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. – Isaiah 55:8-9
- Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:12-14
You see, writer, when we recognize our call as holy, it equips us to move with boldness while simultaneously deepening our reliance on Him.
At heart, when we know we have a holy call, we become more reliant on God as the shepherd of our souls. We recognize that the work He’s prepare for us to do is beyond us. And that only His guidance, wisdom, and empowerment can accomplish the call.Â
Where to Start with a Holy Call
So are you ready to consider your writing journey as a holy call? Here are a few things to keep in mind….
- Write It Down. Prayerfully consider what you know of your current call and write down all you feel God has said about it. Then put what you’ve written some place where you can regularly review, pray over it and dream about what it would look like fulfilled. Who it would reach? How it would change them? What steps must you take to begin? I encourage you, don’t just dream over your call once! Set aside periodically to continue to pray over and journal that call. Don’t so can provide a wealth of inspiration, motivation, and clarity!
- Take a Step. As you engage in regular prayer and dreaming, commit to take the next right step forward. Don’t worry if more preliminary steps pop up once you try to take the first one. This is just part of the process! The very act of committing to forward motion is one of the best ways to honor God’s call on your life, as one step of obedience opens the way for the next.Â
- Connect with the Body. Include others in your journey as prayer, accountability, and critique partners. The voices of those God’s given us to walk with in a season often become key channels of encouragement and insight as we pursue His plan for us.
- Rely on Him. As you move forward, continue to ask, seek, and knock, and remain sensitive to His guidance. Learn to discern His voice as He confirms was He’s speaking to you. Because here’s the thing…
A holy call, at heart, is a call ordained by God for His glory. When we treat our call to write as holy, it allows Him to direct and indwell our work in a way that will literally set captives free.
Just like Martin Luther King Jr.’s dedication opened wide the gates of freedom for all men and women of color. Just as Joshua’s vision brought Israel into their long-awaited inheritance. Just like my reliance on the Lord, not only freed me to write my stories, but used those stories to unlock His truth in the lives of others, too.
So I encourage you today, if you’ve never done so before, to consider that your desire to write may not just be a good idea, but a holy calling from God. Then, press in to pursue that call. Because here’s the final thought…
It’s only as we wholeheartedly commit to those God dreams that He can come and direct and redirect and expand us according to His design. And as we allow Him to shape our passions and dreams, we become the windows and megaphones He can amplify His glory through.
#holy #passion #persistence #glory #EveryWriterWriting
Want to Learn More?
If you enjoyed this blog post be sure to look for our FREE “Grace for the Writer’s Journey” video sessions, including Laurel’s Grace for Identity – Unearthing Treasures in Ourselves through Community and the accompanying small group workbook for purchase on Amazon!
