I wasn't sure if I was going to hop on the #write31days train or not, but here I am.
Read below the index for the rest of Day 1.
Day 6: (I was human and tired and didn't write a post)
I still have a hard time telling people that I'm a writer. Like I have to have a Caldecott medal and a New York publishing house backing me up. (I don't.)
I find myself at a crossroads, my social identity tangled up in what the world expects me to say and what I feel more and more called to. Wedding planning? No I'm not doing that anymore. Not since the baby was born. I love spending time with her and holding down the fort at home. And it's true. I adore spending time with my baby girl. I find true relaxation cooking dinner every night and sharing it with my husband. Cleaning, not so much. But you get the picture.
Yet somewhere in the beautiful quicksand that makes up life; dinners with new friends, time with family, errands... writing gets buried. The most weighty posession I own - my words - get stifled because I don't have enough faith to say it: I'm a writer.
But you know what? There's a deeper issue at the bottom of this hole. My true identity doesn't lie in how I spend my time. It doesn't lie in writing. My identity lies in who I am in God's eyes: redeemed, masterfully made, and created to walk in the works He's set before me. And one of those works is writing. So this is my official white flag to the world or RSS feeds and metadata.
I'm a writer. I write things. Some of the words are awesome. Some aren't.
But I'm writing. There will be typos and gramattical errors. You will roll your eyes occasionally. I also hope that sometime during these days you laugh and cry at my words as well. Because I've surrendered. Surrendered the pretenses and strongholds that make me afraid to share my words. And friends, surrender is wonderful, especially when it's to what God desires for us, not what our desires for ourselves are. To the world, surrender is often associated with weakness; a giving in or a giving over of the desire that makes us cling to our self-seeking nature. The beautiful and different thing about our surrender to God is that it demonstrates the unfailing strength of His power in us, and brings His glory to those around us.
And surely, the Author of life will give me some good words to say.
Stay tuned. The surrender has begun.
PS - December may still be two months away, but if you're looking for a life-changing devotional for the Advent season, please hop over to Naptime Diaries and take a glance at the new Advent devotional and calendar - both release today! One of the 25 devotionals was written by yours truly. XO