I play Sudoku, do you? I enjoy the puzzles, but getting stuck on ones not labeled as easy, I turned to YouTube searching for tutorials on Sudoku. I found an English gentleman who gives great tips and explanations to sleuth out the correct placement of the numbers one through nine. Unfortunately, I still get stuck once in a while, so I should run back to his channel and brush up on some of his advanced tips.
All that to say, I got stuck last week. I did not post to my blog, and I apologize for that. I am consistently learning my craft of writing and aim to not fall short again. But I am human. I read books on the craft of writing, listen to podcasts, and study blog posts. All about the work, art, craft, creativity, devotion, love, grammar, and follow-through of writing.
Is there a time you did not follow through on something? Post in the comments. It would help me and perhaps others to hear your story. : )
How did I get hit with what is commonly referred to as writers’ block? Confidence. Or lack of.
After studying a chapter on craft, I completed one of the assignments. Re-read a previous piece of my work with the chapter’s new insight about writing. As I read a prior blog post, my insides did what the wicked witch did when water was doused upon her. My confidence, purpose, and strength melted away.
…my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God. (Joshua 14:8 ESV)
I am back. How and why? Writing is what I am supposed to do. You may like my writing, or you might not. Writing is what I do. It is my sweet spot. Where my truest joy in life resides. (I am currently working on a submission piece. I will let you know how that turns out when I, too, know.)
What are you doing when joy comes alive in you? (Share in the comments!)
For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity. (Proverbs 24:16 ESV)
We are never off the hook from our gifting and calling in life. My signature verse from Romans chapter eleven says it all, For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (ESV) Irrevocable means you can’t change, alter, or switch your calling. It is yours for life.
Whether you are into puzzles, we are made to get back up again. To rework and look at the puzzle from a different angle and perhaps with new information. Also, we are to use the gift we are given. I like Sudoku, and others like crosswords. What puzzles draw you in?
How do we stay on task with our puzzles when we fail or forget there is no way out of this calling?
No Comparisons
There are other writers in this world. Duh, right? I am not to compare myself to them, but I can learn from them and be inspired by them. I am NOT to think less of another’s writing to feel better about my own.
You can fill in the blank for your own comparisons:
There are other _______ in this world. I am not to compare myself to them, but I can learn from them and be inspired by them. I am NOT to think less of another’s _______ to feel better about myself.
No procrastination
Enemy number one! Procrastination.
If I never get started, I can never fail…to the world. But inside, I am failing myself and God.
Oh, but if I begin! If I write for ten minutes, joy will come. Then, the door opens to my creativity, and my abilities are strengthened.
Let’s have another fill-in-the-blank for your area of procrastination.
If I never get started, I can never fail…to the world. But inside, I am failing myself and God.
Oh, but if I begin! If I _______ for ten minutes, joy will come. Then, the door opens to my creativity/skill, and my abilities are strengthened.
No excuses
Excuses are the home run and the grand slam of not getting up again. We influence those we know, and people follow what we do or don’t do. It is a fact. Look at your family line or circle of friends. Not everything inherited is through your DNA. We don’t have the friends we do simply because we have a history together or have fun and feel comfortable with each other.
There is something deeper at play. Friends and family encourage us to remain who we are. We each have good and strong parts to our character. But are there areas where we can help each other grow stronger, wiser, and in the direction God calls us to? Or do we help them find excuses, so can we make our own excuses too?
Wow! I just went there.
Let’s have one last fill-in-the-blank for both of us. You already know what my answers will be. : )
When I look at my day, where do I overlook or misuse my time so that I don’t have time to _______? What am I doing instead of_______?
Think of a cow with milk for her calf. Would she wander away from her calf thinking, maybe it is not good enough for my child? Am I really supposed to use my milk to feed my darling calf? NO! That would be silly.
It is just as silly to see ourselves shirking and shrinking away from God’s call and purpose within us.
The problem is we think we know what is best. Is the cow behaving better than us when we are procrastinating? If you don’t like the idea of a cow, for example, look to any animal species. God has hard-wired them to do the job they need to for survival. (Some animals do eat their young…but let’s stick to the topic.)
Can you set aside the poor form of comparison, procrastination, and excuses for today? For ten minutes? Joy will meet you. God’s call will summon you to return for more. Your friends and family will cheer you on. And your slumber will be the sweeter for fulfilling your calling for this day.
Until next week, Keep Walking on Mustard Seeds,
Michele Marie Weisman
“Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay [crossword]
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay [support]
Image by Tumisu from Pixabay [boy]
Image by UnifiArt from Pixabay [cow]
Writing is hard work for so many reasons. It’s a lonely mission and yet so public. Support is vital and oftentimes difficult to find. I don’t get writer’s block (actually, I don’t believe in it), but I get bogged down with poor self-talk (or life). Darn, if I don’t have to eat ALL the pity-party appetizers before I can hear God’s reassurance. I’m glad you’re back. Thanks for letting us know that whatever we do and struggle with, we’re not alone.
No one told me about the pity-party appetizers! I love that. Thanks for making me smile. I too question writer’s block. It was definitely a confidence issue last week. Thanks for always being here, Dianne.
The meal is even worse!
It sounds yummy. I tried all day today to exercise … but sat and wrote continually. And nibbled. LOL
I truly love this! The example of the cow really hit home! I do think we need to have grace for ourselves too in these times and just turn to God and ask for help. I loved reading everything you wrote!
Michelle, thank you for the reminder about grace. That is a beautiful point to make. And thank you for the compliment, it means a lot to me.
Hi, Michelle,
With regard to your comment: “After studying a chapter on craft, I completed one of the assignments. Re-read a previous piece of my work with the chapter’s new insight about writing. As I read a prior blog post, my insides did what the wicked witch did when water was doused upon her. My confidence, purpose, and strength melted away.”
Yeah, we’ve all been there, done that. And tomorrow or next week or the 17th of august, we will do it again. But in the spirit you exhibit, in your mission to forge ahead, here are some quotations that are encouraging. The first one by William Durant came into my inbox yesterday from the international networking group I belong to. The second one I collected a couple of years ago, by Eric Stanley, a nationally renowned young musician who (among other things) works with disadvantaged urban youth. The third is from Theodore Roosevelt, who certainly knew something about overcoming adversity, all with a dynamic attitude.
“Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it.” – William Durant, US automotive pioneer
“Never be a prisoner of your past. It was just a life lesson, not a life sentence.” – Eric Stanley, award-winning violinist and composer, founder of OneWayHope digital media company
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Interesting example of the cow with her calf, too. Obviously it’s instinct, but every creature is wired to exhibit and employ certain instincts, plant or animal, to survive. My husband once came across a crawdad in the middle of a huge parking lot. A severe thunderstorm had just passed through, and it had sucked up the crawdad from the marsh and deposited it on the asphalt, several hundred feet from its home. As it crept toward the marsh, my husband thought to help it by picking it up and taking it there. The crawdad would have none of that, however. It raised its tiny claws, snapping them in defiance. If messed with, It would shred this monstrous human, limb from limb.
Courage overrode terror. Surely most of the challenges that terrify us are a far smaller threat, whether we are writers, other creatives, or just plain folks going about our business!
Sally, thank you for those great quotes! They are an inspiration to keep moving forward. I love your mention of terror. It seems out of place if ones life is not being threatened. But there it sits waiting to pounce, as you point out, on any date. Thanks so much for stopping by and adding to the conversation!