Dear Writer, I hope you had a beautiful week and considered what it looks like to bring your writing life into alignment with God’s plans for you! This week, we’re going to explore one reason we get stuck on our writing journey.
You see, we’ve discussed the fact that lies and limiting beliefs can tether us and hold us back from God’s best. We’ve also discussed how to overcome those tethers with truth. However, you may find some tethers are particularly difficult to release, and here’s the thing…
Some tethers form at a young age, when difficulty or disappointment seeds a false self-narrative into our perspective. Those seeds can be very old and planted very deep. But recognizing and addressing them is a powerful tool both to free and fit us for God’s greater work in our lives.
But before we jump in, let’s look at others whose failure or ability to recognize those formative moments crippled or catalyzed their impact…
Formative Moments in History
Sir Isaac Newton is a strong example of a man who failed to address his formative moments. Newton’s father died before his birth. When Newton was two years old, his mother remarried and sent him to live with his grandmother. That experience rooted a deep insecurity and anger in Newton that haunted him the rest of his life.
When Newton published his first scientific paper, criticism from a rival caused Newton to delay further publishing for three years. Though Newton produced several seminal works, his combustible temper erupted with every correction or misunderstanding. In his final years, Newton’s rage against a dead mathematician, who had accused him of plagiarism, bled through many of his written works. Newton’s wrath finally ended when he himself died.
Here’s the thing, writer. Formative moments create narratives that shape us, which then shape our stories. Newton accomplished groundbreaking work in spite of those tethers. But imagine what he may have achieved if those tethers had been released?
Formative Moments in the Bible
King David is a powerful example of a man who overcame the tethers of his past. Neglected by father and brothers, David was given the least desirable job of shepherding. His father even overlooked him when Samuel asked to see all his sons to anoint one as king. David, however, surrendered his pain to God and allowed God to become the father he’d never known.
This surrender is plainly visible in Psalms 27 as David says, “Though father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me in.” David’s security in his relationship with God gave him stability to rule and the ability to work with others who’d been outcasts to unite the divided tribes of Israel.
There are many circumstances from childhood our adversary intends to use as a means to silence us. However, as we surrender those moments to our Father, we can receive His healing and wholeness. Not only that, He gives us special strength to minister in areas where we used to be broken.
Formative Moments in Life
I surrendered a formative moment to the Lord as a newlywed. You see, when I was fifteen, a group of church girls spread lies about me throughout our congregation. I had no idea why and was beyond devastated. As a result, I came to believe other girls were unsafe and drew back from friendships with women in general, including close relationships with church folk.
As a newlywed, my husband urged us to become active members in our church. When I finally gave in, I kept relationships with women at a surface level. Then I met a sweet woman named Suzanne, who doggedly drew me back into genuine fellowship. Though I recognized her sales tactics, I saw the love that motivated her.
That love and the power of her prayers gave me grace to surrender my past and receive the Lord’s healing to fully re-engage. Today, the majority of my ministry partners and recipients have been women.
Formative Moments in Your Life
You see, writer, our largest of areas of ministry are often tied to our greatest wounds. And often what hinders our writing isn’t directly related to writing at all. Sometimes, what hinders us are our own perspectives of God, ourself, or life in general.
That’s why allowing God to identify and heal certain formative experiences that hold us back is such a game-changer. Let me show you…
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- I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. – Psalm 40:1-3
- Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. – Isaiah 35:5-7
- Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. – Psalm 51:10-13
- As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. – Genesis 50:20
You see, writer, our God is a God of restoration. He delights to take what was meant for evil and to use those wounded places to equip of for His great and mighty calling.
Where to Start with Formative Moments
So are you ready to take a closer look at what might be holding you back? Here some things to keep in mind…
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- Notice Patterns. Ask God to help you recognize the situations, times, places, and people that cause you to draw back from obedience when you mean to go forward. Sometimes, we need the Holy Spirit’s help to identify the patterns in our lives!
- Ask Why. Next, ask the Lord to help you see what is really at work in those moments and why you draw back. Go deeper than surface level here. For example, if you drew back because someone offended you, why were you offended? Then, why did that particular thing bother you enough to cause offense? Keep digging until you get to the deepest “why” you can.
- Notice the Lie. Often there is lie behind our “why.” Ask God to reveal that lie or limiting belief that motivated the “why” behind your reluctance to do what He asked.
- Go to the Root. Once you’ve identified the lie, ask God to help you remember the first time you believed that lie. Set aside some time to do this so that you can listen for the Lord’s answers. Often, when He reveals the genesis moment of a lie, it’s tied to a formative childhood experience. If He brings one of these experiences to mind, ask Him to reveal where He was at work in that moment and what the truth is. If the experience was deeply troubling, seeking help from mature Christians or ministers can be invaluable. Sometimes, healing is a process, but it’s always worth it. Because here’s the thing…
God is very insistent upon our freedom. Where the enemy created cracks in the foundation of our lives, He’s set on bringing wholeness. And here’s why: the freer we are, the more fruitful we become. You see, allowing God to address our formative moments opens us to His healing to grace as He fits us for the fullness of His plans for us.
Just as He did for David, who brought healing to a nation and of whom the Bible says, “He accomplished the purposes of God in his generation.” Just as He did for me, as He unleashed me for full ministry. Just as He would have loved to do for Newton, if Newton had surrendered his pains to Him.
So if you’ve had any entrenched mindsets or hard-to-shake habits, I encourage you to prayerfully consider whether there is something deeper the Lord wants to heal in your life. Ask Him to help you go there with Him to receive that full restoration. Because here’s the final thought…
On the other side of your healing, others are waiting to be released by the unfettered power of God’s flow through your words and work.
#healing #surrender #glory #EveryWriterWriting
