“March to the mission that Jesus called you to, not the mission that others want you to do for them. Be ruthless here!”

This is a decree I would do well to heed. It came from an article on balancing work and family from the Christian organization, FamilyLife. https://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/parenting/essentials/fathers/balancing-work-and-family/

But it really spoke to me today about my relationship with writing.

I find in my journal as far back as 2010 – a tremendous need to let go of some things in my life.  “I want to garden and landscape, to provide nutritious food and a pleasing home and yard. I want to learn more about health and nutrition…and follow through on what I learn. I want to organize and declutter our home. I want to keep up with the housework, keep better in touch with my friends and family, devote more time to Bible study and prayer, journal regularly, do some freelance writing, rubber stamp my own cards…”

I am and have always wanted to be a writer. So, why do I let all these other things take up space in my schedule? Why do I feel like I’m going to miss out or be cheated if I don’t get to do some of these other things? Is it more important to me to have a beautiful yard than it is to write?

OR… do I allow these things to distract me because writing is hard? I mean, really hard. At least when you’re talking about the length of a book. Maybe all these other things have been a safety net, preventing me from experiencing failure in the one dream I’ve had all along.

Yes, being an author is hard. But God has equipped me for the work. Just as He equipped Bezalel and Oholiab to do the job of building the tabernacle according to God’s instructions. And not just build it, but craft it beautifully.

“And Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whom the Lord has put wisdom and understanding, to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, shall do according to all that the Lord has commanded.” Exodus 36:1

The author of Exodus goes into great detail sharing God’s beautiful design for the tabernacle, how he called the people to give generously to the work, and all that He gifted the workers to do.

I truly believe God has called me to write my book. Therefore, I have every expectation that He will equip me to do the work. To do the seemingly possible. And not just to do it, but to do it beautifully. The story of Bezalel and Oholiab demonstrates that God is a God of beauty and design, and that His gift to us in the form of artistic skills and creativity is to be used to glorify Him. We should create works of art for His glory.

This week, I’ve engaged in an online workshop about building my author confidence. One facet of the training is to create daily affirmations. Post them on the wall. Read them aloud to myself. Remind myself that I am an author whose words will benefit and inspire the world. I kept thinking back to a photo I took while on a drive across the country last year. On a billboard at a gas station somewhere in the Midwest, I found myself wildly affirmed: