Jehovah was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake: Jehovah was not in the earthquake.
And after the earthquake, a fire: Jehovah was not in the fire. And after the fire, a soft gentle voice. (1Kings 19:11-12)

Friday, October 5, 2012

Write as a Service for Others {Day 5}

IMG_2099I was smack dab in the middle of the 5th largest city in North America.

I am a small-town kind of girl.

I had to go to the city for a few days for some medical appointments and since it was our anniversary we made a get-away of it.

The time away from regular routines was refreshing and the time my husband and I had together was so special. We were off on a grand adventure together totally out of our element. 

Good times!!

Live theatre.

Hot dog stands.

Fine dining.

Book stores.

Art gallery.

Wandering through shops.

Coffee.

Late night milkshakes and ice cream.

Oh yeah, and hospitals.

I saw more people in those few days than I will probably see over the next month!

Sitting watching people, I thought about how big this world really is and yet how small we are at the same time.

There were just so many people. They all have their own stories. Why be silly enough to think mine even matters?

I felt like quitting this 31 days thing. Why bother?

Does my story really matter? Who am I in this sea of people?

But, I don’t just write to discover myself. It is not only that I have an amazing opportunity to worship God with my words. I also do bless others when I am brave enough {crazy, maybe} to put my thoughts and experiences down in print.

In the Old Testament, the Israelites were told to pass down their experiences, the commandments and testimonies of the Lord God to the next generation. In order that they would not forget all that God had done for them. When they forgot what God had done for them it led to pride and pride led to idolatry.

When I write down what the Lord has done in my life I leave a testimony for those who come after me. The recollecting causes me to reflect on what God has done for me. He is sovereign. My story is really just a little story that contributes to the bigger story. It is really His story and it is for His glory. Yet, others may be blessed and encouraged by it. Maybe it will be read by one or millions. It doesn’t really matter.


“I am convinced that writing creatively is a beautiful and powerful service for others. Through sharing laughter and tears, sunshine and storm, hilarity and heartthrob, from one’s personal experience, we give our finest gift to those who touch our lives.”

“[Creative writing] can be your most vital, viable way of saying: ‘I care about you!’ ‘Let’s heartshare!’ ‘Learn from me!’ ‘I LOVE YOU!’”
~Ruth Vaughn, 'Write to Discover Yourself'





31 Days
This is part of a series, linking up with Nester, for the month of October.

You will find the rest of the series, Write to Discover Yourself: My Story His Glory, here

It is a series of posts of sharing what I am learning in Ruth Vaughn’s book, 'Write to Discover Yourself'.



4 comments:

  1. "I also do bless others when I am brave enough {crazy, maybe} to put my thoughts and experiences down in print."Makes me think of the book "Crazy Love." A full-out love for God will come out in full-out, over the top love for people.

    Thank you again for your poignant reminder of why we write. Really thankful that you linked up with the nester. Wouldn't have found you otherwise.
    Yet again, God is good.

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  2. Thank you Mari for your comments. I read that book this summer!
    It was with much hesitation that I even linked up with this challenge, but so far, I am glad that I did.

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  3. I'm glad you did, too. I ordered Ruth Vaughn's book and am waiting for it to arrive! It's many miles away so I'll just keep coming by to get the best sneak preview anyone could ask for. Thanks, Rebekah!

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  4. This is lovely! Your final two paragraphs are something everyone needs to read, because our stories are important. They do touch lives and draw us deeper into community with one another. Thank you for linking this at in(ked) today.

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